Georgia running back Todd Gurley appeared well on his way to being a Heisman finalist this December. That is, until an incident involving an autograph broker cost Gurley four games in what is likely his final season in Athens.

The news of Gurley’s suspension was sudden, coming just two days before Georgia’s Oct. 11 showdown with Missouri, but the Bulldogs never missed a beat thanks to star freshman Nick Chubb, who carried the load in the Dawgs’ four Gurley-less games.

Chubb rushed for at least 140 yards and one touchdown in each of his four starts in Gurley’s place, and his 671 yards in those four games aren’t far behind the 773 Gurley posted in Georgia’s first five games before his suspension. The Bulldogs went 3-1 in that span, and the one loss (a 38-20 defeat at the hands of the Florida Gators) falls on the defense, not on Chubb.

Now Gurley is back from suspension and the Bulldogs face a whole new issue. The team that once thought it had no productive backs left now has two of the best backs in the SEC. Only one player can touch the ball at a time, but both players are deserving (and capable of handling) a full work load down the stretch.

How will Georgia manage its tailbacks the rest of the season? Let’s try and find out.

GEORGIA STARTING TAILBACK

Players involved: Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb

Who will probably start: Gurley

Who should start: Labeling one or the other as the “starter” is a bit restrictive, don’t you think?

The Gurley-Chubb dynamic is comparable to the guy and the girl who want to act like they’re dating without actually labeling themselves as a couple.

What the hell is this guy talking about? You’re probably asking. Let me explain.

A guy casually befriends a girl and they start hanging out a few times a week. Four weeks later, both the guy and the girl realize they’ve developed feelings for one another, but neither wants to put a restrictive label on their relationship out of fear of ruining the connection they already share.

That’s the situation Georgia is in with Gurley and Chubb.

The Bulldogs started casually hanging out with Chubb in their starting lineup out of necessity. Four weeks later, they realize they’re in love with their star freshman, who’s been among the best backs in the SEC during the last month. Now, they don’t want to completely bench Chubb and ruin what they have with him, but they can’t just leave Gurley off to the side either (he was the Heisman favorite just a month ago).

Thus, the Bulldogs are better off avoiding those pesky labels like “starter” and “benched” in favor of just letting the backfield work itself out. Those labels are too restrictive for the Georgia backfield. They’ll change the terms of the Bulldogs’ relationships with both Gurley and Chubb, and they don’t want to ruin what they have with either player.

Gurley was listed as the starter on Mark Richt’s depth chart this week, likely because he’s an experienced veteran who held the starting job prior to his suspension. Going forward, the Bulldogs should really use Gurley and Chubb as co-starters, especially considering Chubb averaged more yards per game the last four weeks than Gurley did in the first five weeks of the year.

Chubb may start the game on the bench, but he hasn’t been benched. If the Bulldogs are smart, they’ll give each player 15-20 carries a game the way Florida has with its two-headed backfield of Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor. Sharing carries will keep both players involved and will keep both fresh down the backstretch of the season.

If Gurley was still alive in the Heisman race, there’d be more incentive to give him the bulk of the carries. However, Gurley is out of Heisman contention and Georgia is out of national title contention, meaning it’d be better off letting Gurley end his college career in style while also keeping Chubb engaged. After all, Chubb is the future of the offense beginning as soon as next season.

It remains to be seen exactly how Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will manage the Georgia rushing attack. They could choose to ride the hot hand in live-game situations; they could also predetermine a rotation between the two. And yes, they very well could stash Chubb until next season and ride Gurley to the finish line. None of those options would necessarily cost Georgia a chance to win-out the rest of the season.

However, if Richt and the Bulldogs hope to keep Chubb engaged and in rhythm heading into a pivotal offseason, they’ll keep him involved as a co-starter the remainder of the year.