ATHENS – Branson Robinson had a pretty good mentor to help him through the yearlong rehabilitation he had to survive to do what he did Saturday at Sanford Stadium. His confidante’s name might ring familiar to Georgia football followers.
Nick Chubb.
Robinson and Chubb have talked almost weekly since Robinson went down with a knee injury in August of 2023.
“He had a gruesome injury in college, kind of similar to mine,” Robinson said after the Bulldogs’ home opener this past Saturday. “So, he talked to me through this whole process. He just told me to hone in on my rehab and everything else will take care of itself.”
Chubb’s advice paid dividends on Saturday. Robinson stiff-armed a would-be tackle to the ground and waltzed into Sanford Stadium’s west end zone for Georgia’s final touchdown during a 48-3 win over Tennessee Tech. It was the redshirt sophomore’s first TD since scoring twice in the 2022 national championship victory over TCU 609 days ago.
That 13-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter capped an enjoyable, productive afternoon for Robinson. He gained 43 yards on five touches and would’ve had another 27-yard score had an inconsequential holding penalty not nullified the play.
But there was no denying the significance of Robinson’s TD that capped a 10-play, 69-yard drive at the 6:46 mark of the third quarter. He was mobbed by teammates in the end zone and again once he returned to the Georgia sideline.
“Man, that’s connection right there, man,” Robinson said after the game. “That’s something that we say: Just be happy for your brother’s success. You know, my teammates are cheering for me and they know I’m doing the same for them.”
Robinson’s teammates know what he has been through. On Aug. 22, 2023 – just 11 days before the season opener -- Robinson sustained a knee injury in practice. The subsequent examination determined Robinson had ruptured his patella tendon, which is extremely bad news for running backs. The Bulldogs knew then that Robinson would require immediate surgery and a long rehabilitation that would mean missing the 2023 season and possibly bleed into the 2024 campaign.
It was eerily similar to prognosis that Chubb received after suffering a similar injury against Tennessee in Knoxville during the 2015 season. Chubb, too, had ruptured the patella tendon, plus significant damage other ligaments and cartilage in his knee. That happened in the fifth game of the season, so the thought then was Chubb might miss some, if not all, of the 2016 season.
He did not. Not only did Chubb make it back for the 2016 opener against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, he was named MVP of the 33-24 victory with 222 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Despite that and the 1,130 yards Chubb would gain during the 2016 season, it was evident he wasn’t quite the same back he was the year before. It wasn’t until the 2017 campaign that Chubb truly regained form.
That might be the case for Robinson, too. Early returns suggest he has a ways to go before returning to full speed. But the Bulldogs certainly like what they have seen so far.
“It was awesome,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of seeing Robinson score. “Branson works really hard. Branson’s a good back. He’s still coming back to his old self. I thought he had a good cut today and made some guys miss. He’s a great back, man. He’s just got to get back to full strength.”
Robinson said Chubb reached out to him early in his recovery process. Then a crazy thing happened.
Just two weeks into Chubb’s 2023 season with the Cleveland Browns, he went down with a season-ending knee injury. And this one was about as bad as they get. Not only was there an ACL tear, there was also MCL, meniscus and medial capsule damage as well.
This time Chubb heard from Robinson. Earlier this year, the two would see each other at Georgia’s Butts-Mehre training facility when Chubb dropped by for a visit and rehab consultation.
Unlike Robinson, Chubb has yet to play for the Browns this year. He opened the season on the team’s physically unable to perform list.
But Chubb is expected back soon. In July, a video circulated showing Chubb squatting over 600 pounds back at Cedartown High.
“Nick’s been great,” Robinson said. “We talk all the time.”
Ever since he starred at running back at Germantown High in Mississippi, Robinson has been compared to Chubb. At 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, the physical similarities are uncanny. So are their running styles, with short, choppy footwork through the line of scrimmage and then sneaky-fast speed in the open field.
Robinson himself admits he is not quite his old self just yet.
“I’m still getting adjusted to the game speed,” Robinson said. “Thankfully, we played a quality opponent like Clemson, a very good team, and I got a chance to shake out that rust.”
Against Tennessee Tech, though, Robinson said he felt “completely confident.”
Fortunately for him and the Bulldogs, it’s not all up to Robinson. With the return of junior Trevor Etienne from suspension last week and the emergence of freshmen Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens along with the ever-steady presence of walk-on Cash Jones, Georgia feels confident about its backfield heading into Saturday’s SEC opener against Kentucky.
The Bulldogs still are without sophomore Roderick Robinson. Projected to start coming into the season, “Rod-Rob” suffered a turf-toe injury in the preseason that required surgery. He is expected to be out at least a few more weeks.
Smart’s not sweating it.
“I think we’ve got a really good stable of backs,” he said after the Bulldogs rushed for 166 yards against Tennessee Tech. “I’m fired up about our backs. I’ve said repeatedly that we’ve got a great group. Good young, good old, good leadership, good depth. I felt really comfortable there all year. I still feel that way.”
Robinson feels that way, too.
“I feel completely confident,” Robinson said. “We pride ourselves on being RBU. We push each other all week and cheer for each other on Saturday.”
