By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Nick Chubb, Friday nights to Saturday afternoons, is already one of the most accomplished football players the Peach State has ever seen.

Count me in as one who is happy that Georgia running back Nick Chubb is returning to college football. It’s a selfish notion, for sure, but everything, his story to his style, very much resonates with the fan in me.

Having already persevered through a torn PCL, a step of misfortune that snapped a streak of 13-straight 100-yard games dating back to when a suspension forced Chubb into his first-career start, adversity has framed both Chubb’s introduction and reintroduction into the spotlight. Chubb is an original, a reserved personality who, at 5’10”, 228 pounds, often speaks most-powerfully with his production. In an era of highlights and video replays, Chubb stars with consistency. With his professional career within reach, he returned to school, at least in large part, because of how his rival celebrated in his final home game.

Before looking ahead with Chubb, let’s start from present day and work backwards.

Prompting the news of an early Christmas present for Bulldog fans, a chaotic chain of events led to Chubb’s change of heart. When a trick play turned bad-then-good for Georgia Tech, the aftermath, for Chubb, was even more upsetting. In the 28-27 defeat, the way the postgame ended, with some visiting players ripping up the hedges at Samford Stadium, started the process of Chubb deciding to return for his senior year. That “Clead, Old-Fashioned Hate” will now serve as a year-long motivator for a player who has yet to let anything stand in his way.

The north Georgia-native has earned every one of his 988 rushing yards this fall, deliberate steps forward from an injury that had he, and his teammates, in tears, on the first play from scrimmage in Knoxville in 2015. Chubb has four 100-yard games this year, including a fitting 32 carries for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his first game back in a win over North Carolina. His return to form, however, is still continuing.

From early October of 2014 to early October of 2015, roughly one calendar year, Chubb was on a pace that only few, throughout history, have ever kept. In a 13-full game span from his forced first-team debut at Missouri to his final pre-injury contest versus Alabama, Chubb rushed for 2,068 yards at an average of 159 yards per game and 7.4 yards per carry, scoring 19 rushing touchdowns in that span. The only force that could stop him was a painful frown of fate; even that was only temporary.

It’s almost certain that Chubb will top the 1,000-yard mark in Georgia’s Liberty Bowl pairing with TCU. His return to the postseason, given his record-setting showcase in the Belk Bowl, is a highly-anticipated one. Then-facing a fierce Louisville front seven, Chubb torched the Cardinals for a career-high 266 yards as a true freshman. He will next face a unit that allowed 336 yards on the ground to Kansas State in its last game.

The stage was long ago set for Chubb to one day be the next great Bulldog back. He starred as an upperclassman at Cedartown High School, putting up numbers that made him one of the state’s top producers. Over his final two prep seasons, Chubb ran for an astonishing 5,411 yards and 79 touchdowns. He committed to Georgia before the start of his senior season and enrolled in classes almost a year to the day after making his pledge. With a final chapter still to be written, the rest is already history.

Perhaps on his next attempt, Chubb will move into second place on UGA’s career rushing list. It’s not completely unfathomable that he could surpass Herschel Walker as the program’s all-time leader. Chubb stands at 3,282 yards and has the potential, at least, of 16 more games. With the Liberty Bowl, plus, for argument, say 13 more games next fall, Chubb would need to average over 141.2 yards per game to move into the top spot. Obviously, advancing to the SEC Championship Game and/or the College Football Playoff would come with extra opportunities.

Ahead of one final hurrah, Chubb, Friday nights to Saturday afternoons, is already one of the most accomplished football players the Peach State has ever seen.

In addition to his run at the record books, plenty of opportunities lie ahead for Chubb. He will look to lead the Bulldogs, who should probably be the early pre-season favorite in the SEC East, to Atlanta for the conference title game. Chubb will also get to play at Notre Dame and have another chance against rivals Florida, Tennessee and, most poignantly, Georgia Tech. Georgia will likely be a pre-season top 15 team, if not higher, in the summer.

Keep an eye on Chubb in Memphis. The only bowl game he has played in to date has been the best game of his career.

Along with the decisions of three other teammates and recent recruiting storylines, the news of Chubb’s return has prompted even more optimism for the future in Athens. A proven leader, the current heart and soul of a young-but-talented team, still has more left to give. Determination and grit has moved Chubb forward. Both on the field and off, he is driving his program in the same direction.