Keith Marshall feels like he is back to his old self

ATHENS -- It’s hard to tell exactly how Georgia senior running back Keith Marshall feels about his performance Saturday just by looking at him.

“I don’t have too many emotions,” Marshall said. “I was just happy to get in there and score.”

So to watch him on the sidelines, you couldn’t tell that Marshall had just two fewer carries Saturday than he did all last season -- his 10 carries being the most he has had since the LSU game in 2013. Or that his 74 yards were three times what he had all last season and a number that he hadn’t eclipsed since that same LSU game.

And you definitely couldn’t tell that his second-quarter touchdown run was his first rushing touchdown in more than two years.

But Marshall’s teammates insist that he was excited to see his first game action since injuring his knee and ankle against Troy last season.

“I think he was excited; he just probably didn’t show it as much,” sophomore running back Sony Michel said. “We talked with each other; he was excited to just get his first touchdown back ever since his injury, and it was great.”

To the fans, the senior’s return meant the return of potential. It was the return of the players whose freshman season play beside Todd Gurley created the nickname “Gurshall” and made Marshall a fan favorite.

Marshall’s first touch of the game and his touchdown drew two of the loudest ovations from the crowd all afternoon.

“I was right there clapping with them,” sophomore running back Nick Chubb said.

The game represented more than just those stats. By the bar he set his freshman season, 10 carries and 74 yards were expected numbers. For Marshall, the day represented a long process of coming back from two serious leg injuries that would have jeopardized the career of any player who makes a living with his legs.

“Anybody who has an injury, comes off of the injury and has the chance to play again, they tend to appreciate it themselves,” head coach Mark Richt said. “To come back, play healthy, play like that, it helps them enjoy it even more that once you lose it, you know that there’s a chance that football can be taken away from you pretty quick, they tend to prepare a little harder and enjoy a little bit those moments, so I was happy for Keith.”

But what the game didn’t represent for Marshall was overcoming doubt. Despite the two serious injuries in his first three seasons, Marshall said he never doubted that this moment would come for him.

“I felt pretty confident in myself and the people that I had around me helping me, so I always thought my time would come,” Marshall said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Keith Marshall feels like he is back to his old self ."