Chauncey Bowens runs with violence in career performance

From one second-year running back to the next. It was Dwight Phillips Jr., last week, who shone in Georgia’s win, while it was Chauncey Bowens on Saturday. Bowens finished second on the team in rushing as Georgia overcame a sloppy offensive performance in its 28-6 win over Austin Peay.

Bowens ran it 11 times for 57 yards on Saturday, while also scoring his first two touchdowns in the red and black.

“I mean, just blessed. I mean, obviously, as a kid, that’s something you just dream of,” Bowens said of his two touchdown runs. “So, I mean, just blessed to have the opportunity, and it’s a great feeling.”

As a whole, the Georgia running back room accounted for all four touchdowns, with the other two coming from Nate Frazier. Frazier, the sophomore, led Georgia in rushing versus the Governors with 69 yards on 14 carries.

Bulldog backs share common trait

Frazier, Phillips, and Bowens have emerged as the top three running backs through the first two games. All three bring different skills to the table. Yet there is one attribute they all have in common.

“One thing that we all have in common is that we all play with a lot of fire, energy, and we all play tough together,” Bowens said. “And obviously, Dwight, one of the fastest people, you know, Nate, one of the quickest people. And I feel like I bring a mixture and a lot of strength to the mix.”

It was the physical nature of the 5-foot-11, 225-pounder that caught the attention of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

“Really physical. I thought he got yards after contact. He was running it violently. He’s got really good power in his lower body,” Smart said. “He runs behind his pads. You know, we’ve noticed that all camp. He’s broken a lot of tackles. I thought he had a little more burst and spring in his step today. And he got yards after contact, which is big for us.”

Saturday’s game was Bowens’ first big chance to showcase his skills in a Georgia uniform. The 11 carries he received against Austin Peay were a career-high, and he seemingly made the most of them. However, the day could have been even better for the Port St. Lucie, Florida, native.

Bowens was in the game at the end of the first half as Georgia was looking to extend its lead with a touchdown. Working the two-minute drill, Gunner Stockton got the Bulldogs all the way down to the one-yard line with five straight completions.

Yet that is where the drive stalled out. Even after a defensive holding penalty put Georgia on the half-yard line, the Governors made a goal-line stand, tripping up Bowens on a tackle for a loss.

“I got tripped up a little bit,” Bowens said. “Yeah, the guy shot the gap, tripped me up.”

Now, as Georgia moves to 2-0 to start the season, they will begin preparations for their SEC opener on the road versus Tennessee.

“We’ll play hard, obviously, gotta have a good game plan, you know, play a really good team, but just play hard,” Bowens said of his expectations for next week.

Kickoff inside of Neyland Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. EST.