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T(r)uck this away for Saturday and Elijah Holyfield

This cliche loves to get overused but Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield runs hard. He isn’t going to try and juke you out or dance around to get his yards, he’s just going to put his head down and bowl over you. One poor LSU defender learned this the hard way the last time Holyfield stepped on the field.

That clip shows just how violent the junior running back is with the ball in his hands and that you might not want to challenge him. And yet that’s exactly what Florida linebacker Rayshad Jackson did on Monday,

“Holyfield likes to truck people, “ Jackson told the media. “We’re capable of trucking him back.”

It’s an interesting line to take for a defender, given that most teams preach the importance of team and gang tackling. Most running backs, when running with a full head of steam, are going to bowl over a single tackler just because of the physics involved.

This type of talk likely won’t have any effect on Holyfield or Georgia’s preparation for the game. But after the LSU loss, and specifically how well Holyfield played, many have called for Holyfield to get the ball more. He’s averaging 7.51 yards per carry, which is the most by any running back in the SEC with at least 50 carries. If Georgia is going to win on Saturday, Holyfield is likely going to play a big part.

Oh, and Holyfield isn’t just a one-trick back, as he’s also been known to take off and stretch for the endzone from time to time. It should be a lot of fun watching Holyfield go toe-to-toe with the Florida defense on Saturday.

Todd, Todd, Todd

We gave Todd Gurley the Top Dawg award last week after he tallied 200 rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career. So how did he follow that up? With another run of the mill, 86-yard, three-touchdown game, pushing his touchdown count to 14 on the season. The Rams once again dominated, as they blasted the San Francisco 49ers, 39-10.

As The Ringer’s Robert Mays points out, Gurley is a bonafide MVP candidate through seven weeks, and he’s really the only serious non-running back candidate people are considering in an age where quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees are shredding opposing defenses.

As we approach the halfway point of the season, Gurley is on pace to score 32 touchdowns. That would set the NFL record, which is currently 31, held by LaDainian Tomlinson. He’s the only player in NFL history with more than 30 touchdowns in a season but at the rate Gurley is scoring, he seems poised to join him.

When Tomlinson set the record back in 2006, he also happened to win league MVP. There’s only been one running back to win the award since Tomlinson did, and that was when Adrian Peterson ran for 2,000 yards in 2012. Running backs need to have truly special seasons to take home the MVP award. Gurley has to continue to make history to even have a chance at the award.

The Los Angeles Rams are the best team in the NFL and Gurley has been their best player. By that logic—best player, best team—in my eyes, he’s the MVP if the season were to end today (and I have Mahomes in multiple fantasy leagues, so yes, I’m aware of what I’m saying). So long as Gurley keeps finding the end zone, and the Rams keep winning, he’s likely going to be the best player on the best team at the end of the season.

Georgia has put a lot of great players in the NFL in recent years. A.J. Green is routinely one of the best receivers in the league. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown for a bazillion yards and defensive tackle Geno Atkins is perhaps the best defensive tackle of his generation. But it’s hard to remember any Bulldog in recent memory, playing as well as Gurley has in recent weeks.

So for Week 7, Gurley is our top Dawg, which we give to the former Bulldog with the best game in the NFL this past week. Nick Chubb finished with more rushing yards this week than Gurley, but when you’re scoring more than some NFL teams—Gurley’s 14 touchdowns are more than nine NFL teams— it’s hard to say someone else is playing better.

Past Top Dawg winners: Week 1: ReShad Jones DB, Miami Dolphins Week 2: Shawn Williams DB, Cincinnati Bengals Week 3: Matthew Stafford QB, Detroit Lions Week 4: A.J. Green WR, Cincinnati Bengals Week 5: Todd Gurley RB, Los Angeles Rams Week 6: Todd Gurley RB, Los Angeles Rams

Some good news for Sony Michel

It was a scary moment on Sunday for former Georgia running back Sony Michel. The rookie got his leg rolled up on the first play of the second quarter and his knee twisted in a way knees aren’t supposed to twist. Michel exited the game and was ruled out for the game with a knee injury. The Patriots were still able to pull out a win, but Michel has been a big reason for their current 4-game winning streak.

Many braced for the worst on Monday regarding Michel’s MRI. But the first-round pick and former Bulldog got some good news as the MRI revealed no structural damage to his knee. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he’s week-to-week.

This really is great news for Michel, given how well he had been playing in recent weeks. In the three games prior to Week 7, Michel had rushed for 316 yards and four touchdowns. Not to mention that the New England Patriots already saw another first-round pick from Georgia, Isaiah Wynn, suffer a season-ending injury.

And given how supportive Michel has been of his former teammate Nick Chubb, it would’ve been a real shame if Georgia fans were unable to watch both Michel and Chubb shine on Sundays, given that Chubb is now the starting running back for the Cleveland Browns.

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