Georgia confirmed rumors that junior running back Sony Michel had suffered a broken left forearm in “an accident” Sunday evening. According to Chip Towers of DawgNation, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed previous reports that Michel was riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) when the injury occurred, although Georgia did not confirm the nature of the accident.
The junior running back underwent surgery on Monday at Athens Regional Medical Center and is expected to make a “full recovery” according to the university, however, his timetable was not revealed. It’s an interesting scenario with the Bulldogs set to start preseason camp in four weeks and open their season against North Carolina in eight.
Michel’s status is crucial given that fellow junior running back Nick Chubb is recovering from a knee injury of his own. Chubb led Georgia with 1,547 yards — second among SEC players — as a freshman in 2014 and recorded 100-plus yards in every game he started before getting hurt on his first rushing attempt against Tennessee last season.
Michel took over as Georgia’s primary back for its final seven games and finished with 1, 161 yards — sixth among SEC backs — and eight touchdowns on 219 carries. He rushed for more than 100 yards in four games, including a 145-yard performance in relief for Chubb against Tennessee.
If both are healthy, the Bulldogs have one of the best rushing tandems in college football. However, if neither is ready for the team’s season opener, Georgia will be forced to decide between senior Brendan Douglas, redshirt freshman Tae Crowder, true freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien or converted receiver Shaquery Wilson.
Douglas has spent his career sitting behind the likes of Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Chubb and Michel, and has only recorded 715 yards and five touchdowns through his first three seasons. Obviously, none of the aforementioned freshmen have any carries in SEC games, so that’s worth keeping in mind.
Either Georgia is stacked or thin at running back depending on the status of Chubb and Michel. It’s also critical for a team that, despite having a first-year head coach, faces huge expectations in 2016.
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire)
In fact, Kirby Smart wouldn’t even be in Athens had it not been for Mark Richt failing to live up to national championship hype by coaching his team to nine wins during what was an eventual 10-win season. Georgia still expects to contend for an SEC Championship and College Football Playoff berth regardless of Smart’s inexperience.
But it will be difficult to do so without Chubb or Michel for considerable time. The Bulldogs rely on a run-heavy offensive scheme, which allowed quarterback Greyson Lambert — who is expected to start over Brice Ramsey and five-star freshman Jacob Eason — to excel as a game manager.
Georgia ranked 10th among SEC passing offenses and averaged 185.1 yards per game. Its rushing attack, however, ranked sixth with 192.15 yards per game, which would’ve been higher had Chubb played in the team’s final seven games.
Georgia’s passing attack doesn’t seem capable of carrying its offense without the standout running backs.
Chubb and Michel need to be healthy for the Bulldogs to reach their potential as a contender in the SEC East and College Football Playoff hopeful.
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