Georgia backs draw comparison to Herschel Walker

The comparison is inevitable. Run down the checklist: Georgia, running back, freshman, starter, productive. Match these criteria? Prepare to be compared.

To Herschel Walker, of course. Walker's rookie season, back in 1980, remains the standard by which all freshmen backs are measured – and doubly so if you're a Bulldog, as is Todd Gurley, an SEC sensation and the latest newcomer to come under comparison.

Georgia fans like what they've seen thus far. Gurley's superb play through September, when combined with fellow freshman Keith Marshall, has yielded a nickname: "Gurshall." Part Gurley, part Marshall, part Herschel. All Gurshall.

"He's an incredible back," Walker said of Gurley. "He has size and vision. The Georgia fans have something to look forward to with him running the ball like that."

"There's a couple of them. That's what you need to build your program back up."

So how do Gurley's first five games compare to the start of Walker's career? Let's see.

Through the first five games of 1980, Walker rushed for 463 yards on 86 carries, averaging 5.38 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns.

Walker had two 100-yard games. He scored twice in the season opener against Tennessee. Scored another three times against Texas A&M a week later.

Gurley has gained 536 yards on 68 carries, averaging 7.88 yards per carry, and scored at least one touchdown in each of Georgia's games – scoring 10 times overall, once via a kickoff return. He's rushed for at least 100 yards in four of his first five games, including a season-high 130 yards in Saturday's win over Tennessee. (Gurley also scored three touchdowns against the Volunteers, one more than Walker did against Tennessee in 1980.)

Looks good, right? Well, the numbers are a bit misleading. Walker was injured in the fourth game of 1980, against TCU, and missed most of both that game and the following week's game against Mississippi. Walker would recover in time to gain 283 yards against Vanderbilt in the sixth game of the year, his first of four 200-yard games over the second half of the season. Walker would end the year with 1,616 rushing yards, a then-NCAA freshman record; it's difficult to see Gurley matching those numbers despite his strong start.

And let's keep two things in mind. The first is important: Let's remember that it was only 12 months ago that we were comparing Isaiah Crowell to Herschel Walker, and we know how that turned out – Crowell is now starting at running back at Alabama State, not helping Georgia fend off teams like Georgia and South Carolina in the SEC East.

And let's also remember that Gurley has yet to do something like this (and this came in Walker's first game at Georgia):

My God, a freshman.

But what about "Gurshall"?

"It's a cool little nickname," said Gurley after Saturday's win. "You're talking about the greatest ever, so I'm not going to say we're all that. But it's cool to see."