Kirby Smart explains why you’re unlikely to see Nick Chubb, Sony Michel in backfield together
By Andrew Olson
Published:
With Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both returning for their senior seasons, Georgia has one of the most exciting ground games in college football. For some Bulldogs fans, it’s exciting to think about the possibilities of putting both 1,000-yard rushers on the field at the same time. UGA coach Kirby Smart, however, says there’s a downside to having two ball-carriers in the backfield.
“I do think you have to be careful because as defensive coordinator, I prefer to see those two guys together because one of them doesn’t have the ball,” Smart told Anthony Dasher of UGA Sports. “When one of them doesn’t have the ball, I always say what’s the other one doing – is he a professional blocker? Does he know how to block, does he know how to go out and block in space, block people and cut people?”
Neither Chubb nor Michel were rated 5-star running backs because of their blocking.
“That’s the not the best thing they do,” Smart added. “If they don’t have the ball that’s really all they’re doing, so we want some packages for them together, and they do block well, they’re willing to, but that’s not what they do best. They’re best with the ball in their hands and we’re finding ways to get them the ball. We’ll have some packages for them together, and we’ll see if we can create some things from that.”
For more on how Georgia’s running game, Dasher’s full article can be viewed here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
