BY CHARLES ODUM
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Chauncey Bowens believes he is maturing in his second year at Georgia.
Coach Kirby Smart has noticed.
Bowens, a redshirt freshman, has emerged as No. 10 Georgia’s leading rusher entering Saturday night’s game at Auburn after making his first start in last week’s 35-14 win over Kentucky. Quarterback Gunner Stockton and wide receiver Dillon Bell each ran for two touchdowns but Bowens set the pace with 15 carries for 70 yards.
The hard-running Bowens earned the start after leading Georgia with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 loss at Alabama on Sept. 27. Bowens entered the game following Nate Frazier’s lost fumble in the second quarter and took advantage of the opportunity.
Bowens retained his freshman eligibility after appearing in only four games in 2024, when he had only 16 carries for 58 yards. He leads the Bulldogs with 310 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, this season.
“I was also very young,” Bowens said Monday of his inability to make an impact last season. “I just turned 19 in July, so I think it’s just me just developing, getting older as a player and just getting more experience and working out.”
Bowens (5-11, 225) runs with the determined, explosive bursts of a veteran who already is developed. While Frazier had seven carries for 34 yards against Kentucky, Bowens’ career-high 15 carries showed he was the clear top running back.
Bowens, from Port St. Lucie, Florida, listed former Georgia standouts Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, as well as Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, as backs he followed while growing up. Though Bowens’ powerful build and running style may draw comparisons with Chubb, he said Michel has “been a guy that I kind of watched and took some things, tried to add to my game.”
The emergence of Bowens should help Stockton’s passing game as Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) looks to build momentum in only its second road game at Auburn (3-2, 0-2).
Bowens said he was told he’d be on the field for Georgia’s first snap against Kentucky shortly before the start of the game.
“It was a good feeling, something I dreamed of as a kid, being able to go out there first and kind of represent this program,” Bowens said. “It was a really good feeling and I think everything went well.”
The Georgia running game led by Bowens will face an Auburn defense looking to regroup against the run. The Tigers gave up a career-high 139 yards on the ground to Le’Veon Moss in last week’s 16-10 loss at No. 9 Texas A&M.
Auburn had allowed only 58.2 rushing yards per game before the Aggies ran for 207 yards.
A key for Georgia will be the health of its offensive line. Right tackle Earnest Greene III missed the Kentucky game with a back injury. Left tackle Monroe Freeling suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter.
Smart said Greene “is working out with us this week and trying to recover” while Freeling’s injury is not as serious as first feared.
“He’s not having any kind of surgery or anything, and we’re hopeful to get him back this week,” Smart said. “We’ll just have to wait and see. … We think there’s a chance he can go.”
Smart said defensive lineman Jordan Hall (patellar tendonitis) “should be fine.”
