Led by Chubb, UGA wins fifth straight

Nick Chubb is proving more than capable of carrying the rushing load for Georgia.

Chubb had another huge game starting for suspended Todd Gurley, rushing for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 45-32 win over Arkansas last Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.

With Gurley still suspended for alleged rules violations, the freshman Chubb was fantastic once again. He ran for 143 yards on 38 carries October 11 at Missouri, then followed that by averaging 6.7 yards per carry as Georgia (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) won its fifth consecutive game in the first meeting between the schools since the Razorbacks’ victory in Athens in September, 2010.

“I think (Chubb) looked more comfortable (against Arkansas) because there was more space to run,” UGA coach Mark Richt told georgiadogs.com. “I thought Missouri did a great job defending the run. But in this last one, (Chubb had) a few bigger runs and a lot of it had to do with the space the line provided.”

Chubb wasn’t the only standout for a Bulldogs team that is averaging 43.4 points and improved to seventh nationally in scoring offense.

Quarterback Hutson Mason threw for two touchdowns, including a seven-yard strike to Michael Bennett, that, combined with two Chubb touchdown runs and Dominick Sanders’ 54-yard fumble return for a touchdown, allowed the visitors to out-score Arkansas (3-4, 0-4) 31-0 in the second quarter and turn a 7-6 lead into a 38-6 halftime advantage.

Chris Conley, who had 128 of Mason’s 179 passing yards, caught a 36-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter that put the Bulldogs up 45-19.

Though the Georgia defense surrendered at least 32 points for the third time, they forced four Arkansas turnovers, adding another fumble recovery and two interceptions of Brandon Allen.

Georgia is idle next week and will return to action November 1 against Florida in Jacksonville in the 93rd meeting between the old rivals. A Bulldogs win will give the Athens school its first four-game winning streak against the Gators since winning six straight from 1976-1983 (sports-reference.com/cfb).