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Todd Gurley vs. Sony Michel: Who was the better Georgia football running back?

SystemSystem Posts: 11,433 admin
edited July 2019 in Article commenting

imageTodd Gurley vs. Sony Michel: Who was the better Georgia football running back?

Welcome to Good Day, UGA, your one-stop shop for Georgia football news and takes. Check us out every weekday morning for everything you need to know about Georgia football, recruiting, basketball and more. Todd Gurley and Sony Michel differ on the third-best running back in Georgia history Sony Michel and Todd Gurley

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Comments

  • BornADawgBornADawg Posts: 651 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Both great, great players in their own right. But, I cast my vote for Michel for not only what he did on the field, but for coming back his senior year, along with Chubb, and provide outstanding team leadership to younger plays, especially Swift. Sony, you and Nick will always have Dawg Nations undying gratitude for that. Go Dawgs!

  • kirkhilleskirkhilles Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I'm not a big fan of subjectively picking out the "best" of college football players because it's generally apples-to-oranges. Some guys are going to stay 3 years, other 4. Some will be suspended, others injured. But then you have the different makeups of every team. For a RB, a lot depends on how potent your QB is. We all saw that happened when we tried to run Chubb too many plays and the opposing D was ready for it: no yards. Then, it makes a big difference whether you have one superstar RB or two. Coaching matters. Offensive line matters. And so on and so on.

    All I think you can do is to celebrate them and talk them up and then just allow the stats to be what the stats are.

  • RxDawgRxDawg Posts: 2,922 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Man I dunno.... I'd say Gurley is the better player on any give day, but Michel was more reliable.

    For a game I'd go with Gurley.

    For a season I'd go with Michel.

  • MakdawgMakdawg Posts: 33 ✭✭ Sophomore

    I love both players but there is no comparison. Gurley was the best player in college football. He was Jordan like. Michel is great but was never like Gurley. Your example is perfect except it is chubb that is malone, Gurley is Kobe or Lebron and Herschel is the GOAT aka Jordan. No question Gurley is #2 all time best back. He did things only Herschel did. Those two compare closer, and you never look at totals, you first look at player efficiency stats and per game #s. Jordan played less than Kobe, bron, Kareem, malone but not much debate as to the GOAT. In this case. clear GOAT for Georgia but clear #2 using the same measure. Herschel then Gurley then chubb then Michel. And don't forget the Auburn game.... first game back all the hype... first play... runs it back for a touchdown that is called back....AMAZING

  • 1SICemDAWGS11SICemDAWGS1 Posts: 2,046 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Michel..better all around Back. Gurley the better runner

  • Classof98Classof98 Posts: 251 ✭✭✭ Junior
    edited July 2019

    Man, that's tough. I'd have to give it to Sony for playing his senior season and not getting suspended for four games for selling autographed merchandise.

  • rhbatchrhbatch Posts: 730 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    I love the talent, effort and guts of all our players, especially Chubb and Michel. That being said, Gurley carried the team as the workhorse in 1 season which is a load that neither Chubb or Michel had to shoulder. For my money, Gurley is the one 2nd on "RBU" greats. Just my opinion.

  • Casanova_FlatulenceCasanova_Flatulence Posts: 3,126 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Two words - Todd Gurley. Sony was awesome, but Gurley is the 2nd best RB in UGA history behind Hershel.

  • rjallenrjallen Posts: 77 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Both are great backs, but I agree with Gurley. SONY.

    1. Sony stayed and such contributed more
    2. Sony played when hurt, played every game he could 100% Gurley was hurt a lot. Seemed to have his eyes on the NFL for the latter half of his last season.
    3. Sony played with the 2nd best all time back. Both had less opportunities because the other was so good.
    4. Sony led by example and was the better team leader.
    5. Lastly, Sony stayed. Yeah, I know already listed but its importance cannot be under stated. He contributed all 4 years. One entire additional season than Todd. Sony took up the slack when Nick went down. If Nick and Sony were still with the team, there is not question we would have beat Texas. There would have been no let down due their leadership.
  • LowcountryLowcountry Posts: 104 ✭✭✭ Junior

    I was at the UGA/Clemson game to start the 2014 season. The environment was positively electric; one of the best I've seen in 40 years of going to games at Sanford. On a kickoff by Clemson earlier in the game, Gurley caught the ball 5-6 yards deep in the endzone and moved to bring it out and return it, but was blocked by a teammate and encouraged to take a touchback, which he did. It was evident from the stands that Gurley wanted to run it out and was disappointed that his teammate had hindered him from doing so. I told my wife at the time that next time they kicked it to Gurley, he was going to return it. Sure enough, next time they kicked it to him he ran it all the way back for a touchdown. To steal a line from the broadcaster of another UGA/Clemson matchup in the past "the stadium [was] worse than bonkers." Also on that day, we saw Nick Chubb and Sony Michel make their college debuts. Who could believe that UGA would have Gurley, Chubb and Michel all on the same team playing in the same game? Unreal!

    As for picking the better back, I'd set the hierarchy (based on pure talent and game-changing ability) at 1. Herschel 2. Gurley 3. Chubb 4. Michel

  • 1SICemDAWGS11SICemDAWGS1 Posts: 2,046 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited July 2019

    And Gurley didn't have to split carries like Michel.. If Keith Marshall had stayed healthy, Gurley would've been in a 2 horse race for playing time and his stats would've dropped considerably .. Marshall was just as good as Gurley, just didn't get the chance due to constant injuries

  • JimWallaceJimWallace Posts: 6,251 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Everyone agrees on Mr. Walker as The Top Dawg.

    To me, Gurley, Chubb, and Michel are perhaps not the same in all respects, but too close to call. (So, 2a, 2b, and 2c in no particular order).

    Could other Georgia running backs be considered for 2d?

    Go, Dawgs!

  • CTBigDawgCTBigDawg Posts: 12 ✭ Freshman

    Since we are talking about Todd Gurley and Sonny Michel that leaves out Charly Trippi and other great GA running backs out of the conversation. IMHO Gurley was the overall better player than Michel but there isn't that much difference in the two. They are both DGDs and I wish them all the best in their NFL careers and lives. Go Dawgs

  • GoodLifeGoodLife Posts: 155 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Would have loved to have seen Gurley play behind UGA's current OL. Same goes for Aaron Murray.

  • DccaudellDccaudell Posts: 1 ✭ Freshman

    Sony Michel is one of my favorite bull dawgs ever. That being said, it’s Gurley. During his junior year before he got suspended, you could make a strong argument that’s Gurley was the best player in all of college football. Michel was great, but he was never in THAT conversation.

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