Georgia Football: Will Nick Chubb be back to his best?

Will the Offensive Line be an issue?

As great as Chubb has been in working to get back, some things are out of his control. A running back cannot block for themselves and Georgia’s offensive line was sorely lacking last year. Their lack of size and push often left Chubb and Sony Michel having to try and make people miss them in the backfield. That’s tough for any running back. It’s especially hard for someone who is less than a year removed from a significant knee injury.

How the line plays this year will be a factor. Even is Chubb is back, it would be much better is he wasn’t having to dodge 300lb guys 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. We still don’t exactly know the line that is going to start on Saturday, but there is some hope in terms of size this year. Andrew Thomas might be a freshman, but he brings a level of talent that we simply did not see in 2016. Players like Ben Cleveland and Isaiah Wilson should also find their way into the rotation at some point this year. If their play can open up holes for Chubb and give him time, he should benefit.

He’ll also depend on Jacob Eason. If the sophomore QB is able to step up and improve his play, Chubb should start to see fewer players in the box trying to defend him. Last year, Eason was very erratic on down the field passes. He often failed to make opponents pay for selling themselves out to stop Chubb and the running game. If that changes in 2017, the running game will open up and Chubb can run wild.