Todd Gurley’s road back began with that all-too-familiar sight on football fields: player lying on the turf, clutching his knee in pain, home crowd hushed.
This was last November in the final minutes of Georgia’s victory over Auburn, Gurley’s return from a four-game suspension for accepting $3,000 in exchange for autographing memorabilia. He had advanced the ball six yards on his last carry (1.4 below his per-carry average), and 138 yards for the game (14 below his per-game average). On his second-to-last step, though, he had planted his left leg awkwardly. With the ball still cradled in his left arm, he reached his right hand toward his knee, in pain before he even hit the ground.