Georgia seniors lead the way after delaying NFL dreams
— Georgia’s journey to the Southeastern Conference championship game — and possibly a shot at the national title — began almost a year ago.
Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy could’ve gotten an early start on their NFL careers.
Instead, all four decided to return to the Bulldogs for one more season.
How ‘ bout those Senior Dawgs!
Chubb has become only the second back in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards three times. Michel has a shot at a 1,000-yard season. Carter leads the team in sacks and tackles behind the line. Bellamy is also a force when it comes to getting after the quarterback.
Together, they’re a huge reason for No. 7 Georgia’s success heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Georgia Tech.
“Usually the best teams in the country, they have seniors,” coach Kirby Smart said Monday. “The seniors have been there the most, they make the least mistakes, they have been through it, they’re very calm. That’s what our group has been — good leaders for this team.”
Chubb almost surely would’ve been in the NFL by now if not for tearing up a knee during his sophomore year, which cut short a potential run at the Heisman Trophy. He returned ahead of schedule to play last season, but wasn’t quite the same explosive runner.
After passing on the NFL and another year removed from his devastating injury, he has finally returned to full speed.
“This is something we can always look back on and cherish the moments,” Chubb said of his senior season.
He has surely helped his draft prospects by staying for a fourth season. Same for the other three, who are expected to go much higher than they would have coming out as juniors.
“You really shouldn’t be leaving after your third year unless you’re going to be a first- or maybe a second-round pick,” Smart said. “Every year you go into that with that approach and if they understand what’s best for them, then they usually handle that the right way. So I’m really proud of these guys that decided to stay, because I think it was the right decision for each one of them individually. That’s the most important thing.”
The Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1) have clinched a spot in the league championship game for the first time since 2012. They will face either No. 1 Alabama or No. 6 Auburn, with the West Division representative to be decided this weekend at the Iron Bowl.
Carter said he wasn’t just thinking about his draft status when he decided to come back for another year.
Carter and the rest of the seniors were irritated about losing two of the last three years to Georgia Tech. They didn’t want to leave Athens with a losing record against their state rival.
“That was one of the things we thought about, I thought about personally, something that I needed to do, something I needed to come back and finish,” Carter said. “Right now, I have a losing record to Tech. All the seniors do. We just wanted to come back and play our brand of football and finish out strong.”
Michel was thinking long term when he made his decision to stick with the Bulldogs.
“I felt like we had so much more to give to this program,” he said. “So many boxes that I can check. Coming back wasn’t the wrong decision.”
Chubb and Michel showed just how devastating they can be as a package deal in last week’s 42-13 victory over Kentucky, combining for 238 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
“They’re exceptional backs,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “They’re real physical, and they keep you off balance. Dynamic playmakers outside. Really strong, and really good.”
While their contributions on the field have been invaluable, Smart pointed to what the seniors have done behind the scenes.
“You don’t get to see it in the meeting room, you don’t get to see it when a guy’s late, you don’t see it when a guy does some undisciplined penalty out of bounds and they grab the guy,” the coach said. “That part is what they bring, of setting a standard, the standard that we want to play to, they help set that standard. The guys that are younger in the room, they will then try to emulate the older guys. And when you have that, you have what you want.”
Georgia’s success has made it clear that staying in school was the right call. For all four of them. “Every day I come to the locker room and get dressed for practice, I just sit back and I’m thankful,” Carter said. “Thankful that I have a chance to be with my teammates, be at this program, just be around all the people here.
“I have no regrets coming back.”
In other recent college football news:
Tech’s season riding on visit from rival, No. 7 Georgia ATLANTA
— Georgia Tech’s last hope of putting a positive cap on a disappointing 2017 season comes in Saturday’s state rivalry game against No. 7 Georgia.
The good news for the Yellow Jackets is the game will be played on their home field.
Coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday this has been a “screwy season” for Georgia Tech (5-5). Perhaps most baffling has been his team’s 0-5 record away from Bobby Dodd Stadium, including last week’s 43-20 loss at Duke , ending the Blue Devils’ six-game losing streak.
The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 at home, including a win over No. 24 Virginia Tech on Nov. 11. The home-field success provides hope in their underdog role against Georgia (10-1, No. 7 CFP).
State bragging rights provide ample motivation. Georgia Tech also will be playing to become bowl eligible and avoid its second losing season in three years. It also will be playing for its second straight win in the state rivalry with the Bulldogs and a chance to spoil Georgia’s hopes of landing in the College Football Playoff.
“This should be why you come to play college football, games like this,” Johnson said. “If somebody has to fire you up for this one then you probably ought to quit. You shouldn’t be playing.”
Senior offensive guard Shamire Devine said the rivalry is like “a very fun and scary rollercoaster.”
“Sometimes we hit the big play and then they hit the big play,” Devine said Monday. “It’s like going down a really, really steep thing and you say please don’t let the rollercoaster break.”
Georgia Tech players left last year’s 28-27 win at Georgia holding pieces of Sanford Stadium’s famous hedges. The teams played back-to-back overtime games in 2013 and 2014. Georgia won 13-7 in its last visit to Grant Field in 2015.
Johnson said this is a unique challenge because this may be Georgia’s most talented team since 2012, the last year the Bulldogs played in the SEC championship game. Georgia is headed to next week’s SEC championship game against Auburn or Alabama.
“If they’re not the best team they’ve had since I’ve been here in my 10 years, it’s probably one of the two best teams for sure,” he said.
Johnson had compliments for Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, who has thrown 17 touchdown passes with only five interceptions in an offense best known for its running attack led by tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
“Everybody talks about the guy who struggles and he’s the weak link, and when I watch the tape I see anything but,” Johnson said of Fromm. “I think the guy is really accurate. I think he runs their system well. Now he is blessed that he is surrounded by a bunch of really good players, but he carries his own weight. He performs at a very high level, I think.”
Georgia Tech’s first-year starter at quarterback, junior TaQuon Marshall, is the Yellow Jackets’ leading rusher. Marshall has more than 1,000 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns, but it hasn’t been enough to make up for the team’s problems on defense and special teams.
Johnson said the Yellow Jackets never fully gained their momentum after opening with a 42-41 loss to Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Another oddity was having its scheduled game at Central Florida on Sept. 17 canceled by Hurricane Irma.
“I don’t think we ever really got going or had much momentum,” he said.
Saturday’s visit from the Bulldogs is the chance for a highlight to remember. Without a win over Georgia, the Yellow Jackets would need a waiver to land a bowl bid .
“If we could find a way to win on Saturday and maybe win a bowl game, we salvage a little bit of the season,” Johnson said. “Certainly when we started out our goal wasn’t to be 5-5 right now.” — AP Sports Writer Charles Odum contributed to this report.