Prior to the season, the argument was made that Georgia perhaps had too many running backs.

Well, if this season for the Bulldogs hasn’t proved that a team could never have too many running backs, I don’t know what will.

With Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall as the No. 1 and No. 2 options, followed by stud freshman backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, UGA had one of the deepest stable of backs in the country. And now they’ve needed every bit of that depth to stay successful in its run-heavy offense.

Gurley’s suspension and injuries to Marshall and Michel whittled Georgia’s running depth down to just Chubb and fifth-stringer Brendan Douglas this past week against Missouri.

Chubb, to his credit, played his best game as a ‘Dawg. In just his first collegiate start and sixth collegiate game, Chubb carried the UGA offense, running the ball 38 times for 143 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t break off any long runs that UGA fans have grown accustomed to seeing from Gurley, but Chubb’s physicality between the tackles and grind-it-out mentality struck a cord with head coach Mark Richt.

“Nick’s a very physical back,” Richt said about Chubb, who averaged 3.8 yards per carry. “He earned every bit of that 143 yards he got.”

RELATED: Nick Chubb shoulders UGA offense as ‘Dawgs run over Mizzou

As great as Chubb and even Douglas – who racked up 65 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries – performed on Saturday, the depth at running back is still crucial to Georgia’s success. And fortunately for the Bulldogs, the calvary is coming.

While the specific length of Gurley’s suspension is still unclear, Georgia should get relief shortly from the return of its other two backs – Marshall and Michel.

Marshall hasn’t played since bruising his ankle and leg against Troy in Georgia’s third game of the season. Coming off ACL surgery last season, the junior running back struggled in the opening games of the 2014 season, but he proved back in 2012 that his abilities are a valuable commodity within the Georgia offense. Richt expects him to return to practice again this week.

“Just watching him run straight ahead last week, he looked really good,” Richt said in his Sunday teleconference. “I didn’t see him try to change directions or anything like that, no quick cutting motions or anything like that. So I don’t know if he’s as close as he looked to me, just running straight ahead.”

RELATED: Film Study: Gurley or not, UGA primed to make serious noise

Michel broke a bone in his shoulder against Tennessee two weeks ago. While he won’t return in time for this week’s game against Arkansas, the bye week before Florida could give the freshman running back enough time to return before Georgia’s showdown with the Gators.

At the very least, it looks like Georgia will only have one more game, if any, with just Chubb and Douglas in the backfield. If Gurley returns sooner than expected, the Bulldogs could easily be back to full strength at running back two games from now as the ‘Dawgs push to clinch the SEC East.

“If Keith’s not ready this week, I feel like he’d be ready for Florida. So i feel like we’re getting some guys back.”