Defense Stellar Versus MSU:
No. 17 MSU
came into the game averaging 47.7 points/game (No. 1 in SEC/No. 9 nationally)
and 493 yards/game and tonight was held to just 3 points and 280 yards of total
offense, the first time in the Dan Mullen era they’ve been held under 300
yards. In the first half, Georgia
limited MSU to only 133 yards and a field goal. Also, the game ended with a
stop by the UGA defense at the 2. Redshirt sophomore DB J.R. Reed led the Dawgs with a career-high 10 stops while junior
ILB Roquan Smith had eight stops.
Junior DB Deandre Baker snagged the Dawgs’
first interception of the year and the third of his career late in the third
quarter. His pick led to Georgia’s
fourth touchdown of the game to put UGA up 28-3. Senior S Dominick
Sanders went airborne to catch his first interception of the year after J.R. Reed tipped a pass on MSU’s next
possession. Sanders now has 13
interceptions in his career, tying him for the top spot on the NCAA active list
and with head coach Kirby Smart and
three others for fifth in the school record books. Sanders returned the pick 15 yards. He now stands No. 2 on the school’s all-time
list with 311 return yards behind Hall of Famer Jake Scott (315).
Series History:
For the first time in the
series, both teams entered the game ranked in the top 25, and it was No. 11
Georgia with a 31-3 victory over #17 MSU. Georgia leads the all-time series 18-6 including 10 in a row in Athens.Tonight marked the biggest margin of victory over MSU since a 47-0 shutout here
in 1997.
Quick Strike:
Freshman QB Jake Fromm connected with junior WR Terry Godwin for a 59-yard touchdown on
the Dawgs’ first play from the line of scrimmage and Georgia never looked
back. The pass came after Fromm handed
off to senior TB Nick Chubb and he
tossed it back to Fromm. This was a
career long for both Fromm and Godwin. This was the first time the Dawgs scored on the game’s opening play
since current Denver Bronco Isaiah McKenzie took a handoff 55 yards for a score
in 2016 against Louisiana. The last time
Georgia scored on a passing play on the first snap was in 2014 when Hutson
Mason hit current Kansas City Chief Chris Conley for a 35-yard strike versus
Charleston Southern in 2014. The Dawgs
won both of those aforementioned contests (35-21 and 55-9, respectively).
Godwin finished with two
catches for 80 yards. Fromm completed the first two quarters a perfect 8-for-8
for 160 yards and a touchdown and finished the game 9-for-12 for a career high
201 yards and 2 TDs. He threw his first
incomplete pass on his first attempt of the third quarter.
Ground & Air Combo Makes It 14-0:
On
the UGA’s second series, a trio of Dawg backs ran for 41 yards, including Nick Chubb’s 7-yard scoring scamper to
put Georgia up 14-0 at the 6:16 mark in the first period. Overall, The Dawgs stayed perfect in the Red Zone this season, scoring all 13 times. However, Fromm mixed in a 16-yard strike to
senior WR Javon Wims and a 21-yard
pass to Godwin (on a 3rd-and-5 situation) on the drive. Chubb took a
direct snap on a 3rd-and-1 situation during Georgia’s first
possession of the third quarter and ran 28 yards for his second touchdown of
the game. Chubb now has 39 career
touchdowns, which is third in UGA history, and is fourth with 35 career rushing
touchdowns. Chubb finished the game with
15 carries for 81 yards and two scores.
Kicking Continues:
The Dawgs have
benefitted from their kickoffs and punts through four games this season. On Saturday night, redshirt sophomore PK Rodrigo Blankenship extended his streak
to 14 straight touchbacks on kickoffs dating back to his final kick of the
Notre Dame victory. Opponents have just
99 kickoff return yards on five returns through a total of 22 kickoffs this
season. In addition to four extra
points, Blankenship also matched his longest field goal with a 49 yarder at the
end of the third quarter to put Georgia up 31-3. Graduate transfer P Cameron Nizialek launched his first
punt 46 yards and with the help of Sony
Michel and Mecole Hardman’s
coverage, MSU called for a fair catch at its own 10-yard line. Nizialek had a 44-yard punt on his second try
and MSU fair caught that one as well at its 40-yard line. He had a game-long punt of 53 yards in the
fourth quarter and MSU called for a fair catch. Opponents still have just four returns for -4 yards in 2017.
Back In Action:
Senior DB Malkom Parrish saw his first action of
the season for the Dawg defense. He
sustained a foot injury before Georgia’s opener. Senior TB Sony Michel, who sat out the Samford
game with an ankle injury, also returned.
Turnovers:
Georgia is -1 in Turnover Margin this season. Opponents have forced six turnovers and
turned them into 17 points while the Dawgs have forced five turnovers and
registered 14 points. Freshman TB D’Andre Swift caught Fromm’s seventh
consecutive completion to start the game and then fumbled. MSU failed to score in its next series and
punted to the Dawgs. Deandre Baker picked off the third pass
of his career (first for the Dawgs this season) late in the third
quarter. Georgia scored a touchdown on
the next series. On MSU’s next series, J.R. Reed tipped a pass that Dominick Sanders caught for an
interception. Rodrigo Blankenship sent a 49-yard field goal through on Georgia’s
next possession, matching his career long.
The Dawgs (4-0, 1-0 SEC) go
to Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) on Saturday and CBS will televise it at 3:30 p.m.
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