Chuba Hubbard has to be excused for not watching the Grey Cup game Sunday.
While it’s the biggest celebration of football in Canada, the 20-year-old native of Sherwood Park has been keeping himself busy south of the border with a little bit of a project he’s been undertaking.
He’s the guy leading the NCAA in nearly every statistical rushing category with the Oklahoma State University Cowboys.
Don’t believe it? Just do a quick search of his name. Or his newfound alias: Canada’s Cowboy.
“I like it, it’s got a little bit of OSU, a little bit of Canada, you put it all together,” Hubbard said of the monicker. “Just to be able to represent Canada and make the people back home proud is an honour.”
This week, he earned another honour in being named one of three finalists for the 2019 Doak Walker Award, which is given to the best running back in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“These last few weeks have been pretty crazy,” said the six-foot-one, 207-pound running back, whose name also continues to be in the conversation among finalists for the Heisman — the Holy Grail of college football. “It’s great to be mentioned in stuff like this, but it’s a testament to my O-line and the people around me and how special we are. So, I’m blessed.
“I really just focus on winning and stuff like that, not the awards.”
Nor the statistics, which the sophomore has been running up the entire time and, with two games remaining, have him on pace to finish among the top 10 FBS rushing seasons of all time.
With 1,832 rushing yards in 11 games, Hubbard is further ahead than the 11-game totals of six of the past dozen running backs to win the Heisman Trophy since 1980.
He also leads the FBS in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, yards after contact and, last but not least, all-purpose yards per game.
And that’s a mighty healthy resume for anyone, let alone a Canadian kid in his first full season as a starter.
“It is a blessing, it’s crazy how fast life can change,” said Hubbard, who grew up as a fan of his hometown Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. “I definitely was. I used to go to the games a lot when I was little. Try to get the cheapest tickets and then find a seat and wait by the bench and try to get gloves after the game.”
Fast-forward to this year and Hubbard doesn’t have to pay for his own seat anymore. In fact, he’s helping fill 55,509 of them in Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
“This year, I’ve had a lot of people make the trip down here,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to show them a little piece of what I’ve been doing and what my world’s like now. This is a lot different from back home.”
“So just letting them see what the atmosphere is like and enjoy Stillwater. It’s fun. So I’m having more family come down and fans come down this week.”
In Saturday’s regular-season finale, the 21-ranked Cowboys (8-3 overall) will look to improve upon their 5-3 record in the Big 12 when they put up a four-game win streak against the No. 7-ranked Oklahoma University (10-1) — who also have a Canadian player on their roster in Ottawa defensive lineman Neville Gallimore.
And, yeah, the Sooners know what to expect out of Canada’s Cowboy in the Bedlam game under the lights (6 p.m., FOX).
“(Hubbard’s) fantastic. He’s had an elite year. They’ve done a great job using him, the line’s done a great job blocking for him, and he’s got a great combination,” said Oklahoma University head coach Lincoln Riley. “He’s got breakaway speed, he’s got power, he’s caught the ball well all year, made several plays in the passing game, had a bunch of big ones last week against West Virginia in the throw game.
“And he’s had a lot of attention on him each and every week and has still continued to produce. He seems like a great kid and he’s playing his tail off. He’s certainly one of the best backs we’ve had in the league in a while.”
High praise indeed, coming from the competition, but Hubbard is quick to spread it around the entire Cowboys dressing room.
“It’s our culture, it’s our team,” Hubbard said. “Last year, we slipped up in a couple game because of not being disciplined, training-wise. But this year, we changed things around and we’re focused and we’re a team as a whole and we’re working on the same level.
“So when you’re doing that, it just puts you in a great position to achieve things and succeed.”
Votes will be cast for the Doak Walker Award on Dec. 3.
Email: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
