Nick Chubb shines in Georgia's comeback win over North Carolina

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Georgia Bulldogs rallied back from a 24-14 third quarter deficit to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels 33-24.

Atlanta, Georgia got to watch the most exciting college football game of opening Saturday. After three lead changes, the Bulldogs took over all momentum in the fourth quarter to beat the Tar Heels by nine.

This matchup featured two of the best running games in college football between Nick Chubb and North Carolina’s duo of Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan. A combined 448 yards proved that this game was all about the ground attack.

Through the air, Georgia decided to start the second quarter with true freshman quarterback, Jacob Eason, after benching starter Greyson Lambert.

After taking a 24-14 lead early in the second half, the Tar Heels looked to have the Georgia Bulldogs shut down on almost all facets. Except for Nick Chubb’s 100+ yard before the fourth quarter, North Carolina was winning the battle through the air and in special teams.

T.J. Logan opened up the second half lead with a kick return for a touchdown. From there, Logan followed up his return with a 21 yard scoring run to increase the lead to 24-14.

That lead didn’t last long, though. Eason led the Bulldogs down the field to throw his first college touchdown to Isiah McKenzie. The Bulldog defense decreased the deficit even more with a safety not even 40 seconds later on a dumb play from Mitch Trubisky.

UNC completed a pass in the end zone…their own end zone. For a safety.

(via @FanSportsClips) #UGAvsUNC pic.twitter.com/DvU0eMVLIU

— Someone’s An Idiot (@SomeonesAnIdiot) September 4, 2016

From there, Nick Chubb decided it was time to win. He rushed for nearly 100 yards in the fourth quarter alone, and finished off the game with 55 yard touchdown run after the Bulldogs took a 26-24 lead off of a field goal, increasing the lead to 33-24.

Take Aways:

The North Carolina defense had one goal in mind heading into this game, and that was to stop Nick Chubb. That didn’t come close to happening, as Chubb ran for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the Tar Heels have any hope of making the college football playoffs, then they will need to improve this part of their defense.

For Chubb, he’s back. After a devastating knee injury last season, he proved he hasn’t missed a step. With this performance, he certainly threw his name out there for early season Heisman candidates.

North Carolina’s run offense is their most impressive part of their team. T.J. Logan proved his worth on offense and in special teams, finishing with two total touchdowns. QuarterbackMitch Trubisky made a strong start going 24-for-40 through the air, but only had 156 yards and no touchdowns. The passing game in North Carolina will have to be better moving forward.

Georgia took a big step forward in their pursuit for the top ten in Week 1. Opening up with a top 25 victory will be a good foundation in their quest to be on top in college football. They’ll have to decide whether Eason or Lambert will be their signal caller this season, but if they make the right decision, this offense has all the ability to be a top unit.

This matchup is a good starting point to see how these two teams will compete in 2016.