Nick Chubb has been a big spark for the Bulldogs. (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
Running back is probably the easiest position for a true freshman to make an impact.
As the season hits the back stretch, true freshman runners are indeed making significant impressions on the race toward the first College Football Playoff, as well as the chase for conference championships.
A couple of those young runners reside with top 10 teams.
All Nick Chubb has done with Todd Gurley-less Georgia in the past two weeks is rush 68 times for 345 yards and three touchdowns in road wins over Missouri and Arkansas. At Oregon, Royce Freeman had 47 carries for 290 yards and six touchdowns in wins over UCLA and Washington, helping the Ducks rebound nicely after losing at home to Arizona.
Chubb (5-10, 228) runs with Gurley power — he’s uncommonly strong for a freshman (or even a senior) running back — so the workload while Gurley is suspended and two others are out with injuries is no big thing as the Bulldogs press on toward the SEC East title.
“I feel good; I have to do it,” Chubb said after the 45-32 victory at Arkansas. “We are down on backs and I have to step up. Everything has been great over the last two weeks and I’m ready to run some more.
“I’m getting way more comfortable. I have help coming in sooner or later, but until then, I’m ready for it.”
Freeman is another big back (6-0, 229) whose presence helped push returning 1,000-yard rusher Byron Marshall to more of a wideout position while putting former superstar recruit Thomas Tyner into a supporting role at tailback. Freeman rushed for four touchdowns and 169 yards in Saturday’s 45-20 rout of Washington, Oregon’s 11th victory in a row over its supposed rival in the Northwest.
“We saw some of his elusiveness that was legendary during fall camp, as far as being able to run through guys and make people miss a little better than you think,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. “He’s starting to play free of thought and is letting his natural gifts take over.”
Speaking of big backs, Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine — he’ll answer to “Tank” — has been indispensible for the Sooners, whose other issues have caused them to lose two of their last three games. The 243-pounder has 133 carries for 657 yards and 10 scores. Perine’s best game came at West Virginia when he pinballed off Mountaineers for 242 yards.
The Sooners have been pushed to the brink of the Big 12 race with two losses, but who knows how that crazy league will end up, and Perine will be a big part of any OU surge.
The nation’s No. 1 recruit was LSU running back Leonard Fournette. The Tigers sit fifth in the SEC West but will still have a say about the race, with games against Mississippi and Alabama coming up. Fournette, who has 344 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the past four games, could yet have his turn in the spotlight.
And in the crowded Pac-12 South, Arizona’s Nick Wilson is the leading freshman runner among Power 5 conference teams. He is averaging 114.8 yards per game for a Wildcats team that is 5-1 and heads to Washington State this week after a bye.
Five Heisman candidates
1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State. He retains the top spot after a bye. He has the nation’s seventh-best passing efficiency mark, mixed with 576 rushing yards and the No. 1 team in the nation.
2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns with no interceptions, leading the nation in passing efficiency with a 191.0 rating. His running has been limited this season, but it’s there whenever he needs it.
3. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. While he was idle last week, Gordon took over the nation’s rushing lead from Indiana’s Tevin Coleman. Gordon is averaging 174.3 yards per game on the ground.
4. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. The reigning Mr. Heisman will lose votes because of off-field issues, but his second half against Notre Dame showed his best side on the football field.
5. Kevin White, WR, West Virginia. With size, speed and one-handed highlight-making catching ability, White leads the nation with 69 catches for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. The season’s breakout star.
Five things we think we learned in week 8
1. Notre Dame didn’t hurt itself. A close loss at Florida State in which the Irish looked tougher and in control most of the way is exactly what Power 5 conference teams DIDN’T want to see. A blowout loss might have eliminated the Irish from playoff contention, but this result did not. A run of the table (including Louisville and games at Arizona State and USC) would certainly put a one-loss Notre Dame among the final four.
2. The Pac-12 South is dangerous. The North Division has ruled the league in the three years since expansion, but those days are over. The South went 3-0 against the North last week and has five teams with five wins (USC, Utah, Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA). Get out the tiebreaker rules now in advance of a wild finish to the race.
3. Tony Gibson’s star is rising. Gibson is the first-year defensive coordinator at West Virginia, a Rich Rodriguez disciple who runs a 3-3-5 scheme like his old boss. Gibson’s crew held Baylor to 318 yards and repeatedly won critical situations in a 41-27 win over the previously undefeated Bears.
4. Alabama is alive and well. Nick Saban, self-described as “pissed off” after fans criticized his team for a 14-13 win over Arkansas, unleashed his frustration against Texas A&M in 59-0 annihilation of Texas A&M. Remember, the Tide’s two biggest remaining games — Mississippi State and Auburn — are at home.
5. It’s best to keep an eye on Ohio State. The one-loss Buckeyes have scored 50 or more points in four consecutive games. You can quibble with the level of competition, but this stretch has allowed quarterback J.T. Barnett to settle in nicely. The game at Michigan State on Nov. 8 stands as a potential playoff eliminator.
Five players to watch
1. Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri. His punt return and kick return for touchdowns, along with a 5-yard scoring run, helped the Tigers beat Florida 42-13 despite gaining only 119 yards on offense. The all-purpose back has returned his 2012 form, when he was All-SEC as a return specialist.
2. Gerod Holliman, CB, Louisville. New coordinator Todd Grantham moved him from cornerback to ball-hawking safety, and the result has been a national-best eight interceptions for Holliman. The Cardinals, shockingly under offensive-minded Bobby Petrino, lead the nation in total defense (245.8 yards allowed per game).
3. Devontae Booker, RB, Utah. The junior college transfer has 89 carries for 563 yards in the past three games, including 229 yards and three touchdowns in a win at Oregon State on Thursday. He’ll go against USC’s talented front, featuring defensive end Leonard Williams, this week.
4. Mike Bercovici, QB, Arizona State. He did what many others haven’t against Stanford’s rugged defense — manage the game, be turnover-free and keep the chains moving. ASU won 26-10, and Bercovici has been superb as a three-game replacement for injured Taylor Kelly, whose return is imminent. QB controversy?
5. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU. He’s playing at a crazy-high level right now after many thought he would lose his job to immediately-eligible Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel. Boykin is fourth nationally in total offense (369.8 yards per game) and is coming off a 410-yard passing performance in a rout of Oklahoma State.
Five best week 9 games
1. Ole Miss at LSU, Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET (ESPN). The Rebels lead the nation in scoring defense (10.6 points per game) and will try to subdue young LSU in rowdy Tiger Stadium.
2. USC at Utah, Saturday, 10 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1). Utah is a great story, sitting at 5-1 overall. Now comes the gauntlet: USC, at Arizona State, Oregon, at Stanford, Arizona.
3. Texas at Kansas State, Saturday, noon (TV, TBA). Kansas State is the only team still undefeated in Big 12 play. Texas sophomore Tyrone Swoopes is growing up fast; the Longhorns needed every one of his 416 total yards to slip past Iowa State 48-45 last week.
4. Michigan at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC). You might call it Brady Hoke’s last stand, but his fate with the Wolverines is probably already sealed.
5. West Virginia at Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). The Mountaineers, coming off their upset of Baylor, control their destiny in the Big 12 race, with home dates against TCU and Kansas State looming.
NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review
Analyst Dane Brugler’s five prospect takeaways for this week. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).
1. QB Jameis Winston, Florida State, rSo. (6-4, 235, #4/#2): Winston showed off his anticipation all game, delivering strikes before his receivers were out of their breaks or even looking for the ball. He handled pressure well, evading, resetting and speeding up his process when needed, listening to his internal clock. Winston showed a lot of trust and chemistry with his weapons and his confidence clearly extends to his teammates in the huddle. His elongated delivery is something that allows defenders an extra split second to break on the pass, but Winston was able to get away with it because of his NFL-level arm strength.
2. QB Bryce Petty, Baylor, rSr. (6-3, 230, #89/#6): His struggles against West Virginia matched the concerns many have with Petty in his NFL transition: Struggles against pressure, too many predetermined reads and little touch downfield. Petty seemed out of sync with his targets and couldn’t get into get into a rhythm, struggling with a crowded pocket and easily becoming rattled.
3. WR Kevin White, Sr. (6-3, 209, #36/#6): Added to his Biletnikoff Award candidacy with eight catches for 132 yards and two scores, including an impressive one-handed, fourth quarter touchdown grab. He now has 100-plus receiving yards in all seven games and became the first player in college football to eclipse the 1,000-receiving yard mark in 2014. White has emerged as the top senior wideout prospect in the country and legitimate first-round pick.
4. DE Shaq Riddick, West Virginia, Sr. (6-5, 242, #276/#26): After a highly decorated career at Gardner-Webb, he transferred to the Mountaineers for his final season in 2014 and has been a reserve for the first half of the season with only one sack entering Saturday. However, Riddick showed off his closing burst and flexible body type finding room to work and rushing the passer in racking up three sacks.
5. QB Everett Golson, Notre Dame, Jr. (6-0, 200, #13 QB in 2016 class): His positive play has not gone unnoticed by scouts, including his gutsy effort Saturday night. He is 16-2 as the starter at Notre Dame and despite his undersized frame, he has NFL arm strength with the mobility to create with his legs. Regardless if Golson is in the 2015 or 2016 NFL Draft, he will be drafted higher than anyone anticipated at the beginning of this season.
