Georgia running back Todd Gurley.ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia will be playing its first home football game since Oct. 4 this Saturday night when the No. 16 Bulldogs host No. 9 Auburn.
Same for Todd Gurley.
The junior tailback for the Bulldogs was suspended by the university on Oct. 9 and later by the NCAA after receiving more than $3,000 for signing memorabilia. Gurley's four-game absence coincided with Georgia's longest stretch of road games in six seasons, but he is being welcomed back warmly by teammates as the Bulldogs prepare for their highest-ranked foe of the year.
"He just brings that feeling of knowing you've got your best player," senior quarterback Hutson Mason said Tuesday. "It's exciting when you know you've got a great weapon back, and it's exciting to be back at home. Todd's coming back, and I know that's what everyone is making it out to be, but I'm just excited to know I've got another really good player.
"I don't expect him to miss a beat. He looks as fresh and as healthy as he's ever looked."
Gurley was the leading Heisman Trophy candidate at the time of his suspension, having rushed 94 times for 773 yards (8.2 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns. He also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Clemson and threw a 50-yard pass against Vanderbilt.
The Bulldogs went 3-1 in Gurley's absence, with freshman tailback Nick Chubb picking up the slack by rushing 102 times for 671 yards.
"I think guys have really stepped up," Mason said. "Chubb did a phenomenal job of handling 30 carries a game, and it seemed like we got better in the passing game and made plays when we needed to make plays."
Georgia certainly fared better this season compared to the last time a prominent offensive player was suspended.
In 2010, junior receiver A.J. Green had to sit out the first four games after admitting to NCAA officials that he had sold a bowl jersey from the previous season for $1,000. Georgia faltered to a 1-3 start in Green's absence and wound up 6-7 in their lone losing season under coach Mark Richt.
"If something happens to a player, whether it's an injury or a suspension, if you lose a guy like a Todd or an A.J., you have no choice but to move on," Richt said. "You have no choice but to put the next best man in there and get after it. I think Nick Chubb filled in pretty darn good, because we didn't have a huge drop-off at that position.
"Would we have been better off with Todd and Chubb and Sony (Michel) and everybody healthy? No doubt about it, but considering what Chubb did probably helped as much as anything."
Chubb had a whopping 38 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown in the first game Gurley missed, helping the Bulldogs punish Missouri 34-0. He followed that with 202 yards at Arkansas, 156 against Florida in Jacksonville and 170 last weekend at Kentucky.
With 895 rushing yards this season, Chubb ranks behind only Auburn's Cameron Artis-Payne (1,190) and Mississippi State's Josh Robinson (984) within the Southeastern Conference.
"I'm very happy with how things have gone," Chubb said in Lexington. "We went 3-1 in these last four games, and even though we lost one, we've been putting up some points, and that's what it takes."
Gurley will start Saturday night, but Richt is hoping to distribute carries among Gurley, Chubb and Michel. Michel had 16 rushes for 84 yards at Kentucky but has an ankle injury that kept him out of Tuesday's practice.
Chubb got his 170 yards last Saturday on just 13 carries, but he won't be as fresh as the tailback he is once again backing up.
"Todd has definitely got fresh legs, and I think he's stayed in good condition during the time he wasn't playing," Richt said. "I don't think you forget how to run the football in five weeks or the way he pass protects or catches the ball out of the backfield. I think it will come back to him pretty quick."
Of the seven games Gurley has missed the past two seasons, only one -- Missouri last year -- has been at home.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.