Georgia’s Nick Chubb suffers horrible leg injury against Tennessee, collapses on sideline

Georgia running back Nick Chubb left Saturday’s game against Tennessee after just one play with an apparently serious knee injury.

Chubb appeared to seriously injure his left knee while trying to plant it on a two-yard carry that was the first play from scrimmage against the Vols. While he was fortuitously already near the Georgia sideline, he had to be helped off the field. He has been ruled out for the rest of the game, and carted to the locker room after an extended examination.

CBS showed one initial replay of the injury, but opted not to show others. “I’m sick to my stomach,” color analyst Gary Danielson said, speaking not only of Chubb’s injury but the rash of major injuries to SEC running backs — including the torn ACL of Chubb predecessor Todd Gurley — in recent years.

And in an effort to “put a little hope” on the situation, Danielson mentioned Gurley’s recovery from his injury — which resulted in a breakout game for him last Sunday, in his first 100-yard performance for the St. Louis Rams.

Gurley took to Twitter to send his former teammate a message.

CBS sideline reporter Allie LaForce called the scene on the sideline “devastating,” and mentioned that many Georgia players came over to say prayers and give consolations to Chubb, who was visibly emotional while sitting on the training table, despite jackets placed over his head to hide his face from cameras.

Chubb entered Saturday’s game as Georgia’s leading rusher, with 745 rushing yards on the year. He was on a streak of 13 consecutive games of 100 or more rushing yards dating back to 2014, and would have passed Georgia legend Herschel Walker with a 10th against Tennessee.

Instead, Walker sent him a note of support no one hoped to see.

The good news, such as it is? Mark Richt telling reporters after the game that he’s hopeful Chubb’s injury won’t require surgery.

While that would be a bit of a surprise, given how grave a condition Chubb seemed to be in during the game, it would clearly be a welcome one.