At the beginning of the 2014 season, many fans of the Georgia Bulldogs may not have known much about Nick Chubb. After all, the freshman running back was supposed to see little, or maybe no time playing behind Heisman Trophy candidate Todd Gurley.

For the first five games of the season, Chubb was simply Gurley’s backup. He played sparingly while Gurley racked up big numbers for head coach Mark Richt and the Bulldog offense.

Then, Chubb got his chance. Gurley was suspended by the NCAA, thrusting Chubb into the starting role. In his first start, against the Missouri Tigers, Chubb excelled. He rushed 38 times for 143 yards and a touchdown against one of the better defenses in the SEC.

Little did Richt or the Bulldogs know, that would be just the beginning of Chubb’s rise. The following week, Chubb rushed 30 times for 202 yards and a pair of scores against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Chubb rushed for at least 100 yards in the Bulldogs’ final eight games. He capped his season by rushing for a career-high 266 yards in a 37-14 win over the Louisville Cardinals in the Belk Bowl. That set records for rushing yards in the Belk Bowl and rushing yards in a bowl game by a freshman. It was also the second-highest rushing total in Georgia history, behind only the legendary Herschel Walker.

Walker won a Heisman Trophy with the Bulldogs in 1982 and that appears to be where Chubb is headed. While he may not be one of the favorites for the Heisman next season, if he continues to put up the kinds of numbers he did as a freshman, he will be hard to ignore.

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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