No. 13 Georgia runs over No. 20 Louisville

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When quarterback Hutson Mason went down with an injury in the second quarter, Georgia coach Mark Richt said the Bulldogs turned to Plan B.

“Just give it to Nick,” Richt said.

Freshman Nick Chubb took over from there, running for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns as No. 13 Georgia defeated 20th-ranked Louisville 37-14 in the Belk Bowl on Tuesday night.

Chubb’s rushing total was second highest in school history, behind only Herschel Walker’s 283 yards rushing against Vanderbilt in 1980.

“That’s a blessing being in the same sentence with him,” Chubb said. “He’s a great running back. But I had an awesome line up front making everything possible for me. It’s been a great season.”

With Chubb and four starting offensive linemen returning next season, the Georgia running game appears to be in good hands – even with Todd Gurley headed to the NFL.

Chubb finished his first season at Georgia by running for 1,323 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last eight games after taking over as the primary ball carrier after the NCCA suspended Gurley for four games for taking $3,000 for autographed memorabilia and other items over two years. Gurley later sustained a season-ending knee injury in his first game back from the suspension.

Chubb averaged 8 yards per carry against Louisville and the Bulldogs (10-3) piled up 301 yards rushing against the nation’s second-best run defense.