Georgia running back Todd Gurley (3) tries to get past Tennessee defensive back Michael Williams (24).
Running back Todd Gurley jumps over the line.ATHENS, Ga. - Todd Gurley went from Heisman Trophy candidate to Heisman Trophy favorite within the past week, which only adds to this unique stage of life Georgia's junior tailback is experiencing.
"I try not to let stuff get to me, but it's crazy sometimes," Gurley said minutes after Saturday's 44-17 win over Vanderbilt. "People will see me and just freak out, and how come nobody can say 'Todd' without saying 'Gurley?' It's always got to be 'Todd Gurley.'
"I'm always like, 'Just call me Todd,' but I know I'm blessed to be in this position. It is what it is, and I've just got to remain humble."
Increasing national attention has not affected Gurley's play for the 13th-ranked Bulldogs entering this week's trip to No. 23 Missouri. In his past two games against Tennessee and the Commodores, the 6-foot-1, 232-pounder from Tarboro, N.C., has rushed 53 times for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
Georgia's coaches are not nearly as concerned with the Heisman hype compared to Gurley's health, which appears to be in excellent shape as the sixth game of a 12-game regular season approaches.
"Todd has done a terrific job for us since day one of fall camp," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Tuesday night. "I thought he had an excellent summer, and he's been working extremely hard in practice. You see him pushing himself, and personally I believe that's why he has played better in the fourth quarter of games."
Gurley leads the Southeastern Conference with 94 rushes for 773 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry and 154.6 yards per game. In the fourth quarter alone, he has 26 carries for 275 yards (10.6 per carry) and three touchdowns.
He has hurdled two defenders this season, thrown a 50-yard pass and returned a kickoff 100 yards to stock his Heisman candidacy portfolio.
"Everyone talks about yards after contact, and rightfully so, but he also has the ability to hurdle the second- and third-level players," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Wednesday. "He's a great football player and very deserving of all the attention that he is garnering right now."
The realization that college football's top individual award could now be Gurley's to lose is beginning to settle in among his teammates.
"Being able to say you blocked for a Heisman Trophy winner -- I can't imagine the stories you could tell," senior center David Andrews said. "We just know that if we go out and take care of our business and do what we need to do, the rest of that will fall into place."
Said senior receiver Michael Bennett: "It's weird, but it's cool kind of witnessing greatness and history in front of your eyes. Hopefully he can keep it up."
Oddsmakers have listed Gurley as the slight Heisman favorite over Mississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott. One website -- heismanpundit.com -- polls 10 anonymous Heisman voters and revealed this week that Gurley has 23 points (5 first-place votes) to Prescott's 18 (4), with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in third with 11 (1).
Gurley's 53 carries the past two weeks are the most he's had in consecutive games, and another busy workload is expected Saturday. With Sony Michel and Keith Marshall injured, Gurley is expected to get the overwhelming bulk of the carries, followed by freshman Nick Chubb and possibly sophomore Brendan Douglas.
Another big game and another big fourth quarter could lead to even more attention regarding Gurley and a potential mid-December trip to New York City's Downtown Athletic Club. And he knows it.
"I don't really like it," Gurley said of the attention, "but I understand it. It's all cool."
Odds and ends
Georgia head coach Mark Richt said after Wednesday's two-hour practice that he expects receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley and tight end Jay Rome to play Saturday. ... Mitchell played a handful of snaps last week, and Richt said that Scott-Wesley may have missed the Vandy game due to stitches in his hand.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.