There is nothing girly about University of Georgia‘s Todd Gurley.
The junior running back put the college football world on notice last Saturday with a sensational quadruple-touchdown performance (3 rushing, 1 kickoff return) in a 45-21 win over BR21 Clemson. Georgia outscored Clemson 24-0 in the second half and with the win jumped up nine spots to BR8 — tied with BR4 Texas A&M for the largest jump of any team in the BR top-10.
Gurley’s performance also put his name into the Heisman conversation (if it was in already), and another effortlessly-sensational performance against BR12 Missouri this week would further cement his name alongside the Marcus Mariotas and Jameis Winstons of the world.
His coach Mark Richt is already onboard the Gurley hype-train, calling him, “the best player in America,” following the win. High praise, but who can blame him for being excited after seeing his starting running back average 17.2 yards every time he touched the ball, breaking the all-time Georgia record with 298 all-purpose yards.
If Gurley can remain healthy and maintain this pace, he would surpass 2,400 yards and 35 touchdowns. That stat line would just about guarantee him the Doak Walker Award and possibly make him the first running back to win the Heisman since Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009. Gurley’s health is no guarantee though. He missed all of October last season with an ankle injury, and never really managed to replicate his electric freshman year form upon his return. A whole offseason to recover should mean he’s ready to roll. Even if he does manage to play a whole season, Saturday’s stat line won’t be easy to replicate consistently, but his performance has many fans excited.
Georgia is a team with College Football Playoff aspirations. If Gurley can sustain his spectacular play while leading the Bulldogs to wins, the 13-member selection committee will be hard-pressed not to pencil in a vote for the Bulldogs, if only just to see him impress more.
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