SEC Shorts: Georgia is Making New Year's Eve Plans...
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ATHENS - The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart took about ten minutes of gametime, but dismissed Charleston Southern over the weekend.
SEC Shorts, the quick-form comedy team that weights in on the events around the league each week, suggests that Georgia fans area ready to make plans for New Year’s Eve.
Going 11-0: With today’s 56-7 victory, top-ranked Georgia improves to 11-0 for the first time since 1982 when it finished the regular season 11-0. Also, the 1980 consensus national champion Bulldogs finished 11-0 during the regular season and then won the Sugar Bowl to cap a 12-0 run. The 1946 Bulldogs posted an 11-0 mark after going 10-0 in the regular season and then claiming the Sugar Bowl. There have been nine other teams to register at least 11 wins in a season in school history (1942; 1971; 2002; 2003; 2007; 2012; 2017; 2018 and 2019).
Georgia owns the nation’s longest active winning streak in the FBS as it improves to 15 games. This is tied for second longest in school history as the Bulldogs also won 15 straight contests from 1941-42 and 1979-81. The school record is 17 games set during a three-year stretch from 1945-47.
Defense Posts Another First Half Shutout, Bucs Score On Fumble: Top-ranked Georgia, the national leader in Scoring Defense (7.6 ppg), held CSU to no points in the first half and won 56-7. Georgia led 49-0 in the third quarter when CSU scored on a 65-yard fumble return following a Bulldog interception. Opponents have scored just 83 points, and that tally through 11 games is the lowest in a season at this point since 1950 when it allowed 65.
Georgia collected four sacks. Today marked the sixth team this year to be shut out in the first half. In the sack department, Travon Walker (4.0 for the season) and Channing Tindall (4.5) combined on one while Robert Beal, Jr. (3.5), Devonte Wyatt (2.5) and Smael Mondon (1.0) all notched one. Senior nose Jordan Davis scored a one-yard TD on a rush becoming the first member of the defense to score a TD while on offense since Jalen Carter caught a one-yard pass from Stetson Bennett versus Tennessee.
Pouring On The Points: Georgia tied a school record with 49 points in a half, matching the mark set ints:in 2011 against New Mexico State and in 1994 (Northeast Louisiana), all doing it in the first half. Georgia posted 368 yards of total offense 43 plays. Six different Bulldogs scored a touchdown in the first half. In the second half, Georgia added one more score for the final including the first career TD for redshirt sophomore TE Brett Seither. For the game, Georgia had 464 yards.
Bennett Leads Bulldogs: Senior QB Stetson Bennett finished the first half 8-for-14 for 105 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. He got the start for the seventh straight week and eighth time overall this year while improving to 11-2 as a starter. He had a 32-yard TD pass to Kenny McIntosh to convert a 4th-and-5 in the 1st quarter. With 12:04 left in the first half and Georgia leading 35-0, junior QB JT Daniels came in and was 7-for-12 for 73 yards and one TD. Redshirt freshman QB Carson Beck and freshman QB Brock Vandagriff saw most of the action in the second half.
An Array Of Targets: Twelve different Bulldogs caught a pass. Freshman Brock Bowers led the team with four catches for 36 yards and 2 TDs, all in the first half. He set a Bulldog record for TD catches in a season by a tight end with two more today to give him eight. He caught a 4-yarder from Bennett and a 6-yarder from Daniels. For Bowers, it was his fourth game this year with two TDs. Junior RB Kenny McIntosh caught a career-long 32-yard TD pass on 4th-and-5 in the first quarter. It marked the second TD pass on 4th down this year for the Bulldogs, also doing it against Missouri on a 4th-and-6 with a 35-yard pass to Arian Smith.
Rushing Highlights: Georgia tallied 233 rushing yards on 32 attempts and 4 TDs. In the first half, senior Zamir White gained 83 yards on four carries including a 40-yard TD for his 10th score of the season and 24 for his career. Senior James Cook had six carries for 57 yards including 1 TD. Sophomore Daijun Edwards collected his second TD this year, a six-yarder, and third of his career. White’s first carry of the day gained 38 yards while Cook had a season-long 40 yard rush and a three-yard TD. Senior nose tackle Jordan Davis had first two career carries for two yards including a 1-yard plunge for his first TD and a 7-0 lead. After the game, Davis directed the Redcoat Band too!
Special Teams Summary: Senior punter Jake Camarda had five punts for a 48.4 average. Junior Jack Podlesny went 8-for-8 on PATs. He is now 55-for-56 on PATs. Junior Kearis Jackson had a season-long 41-yard punt return and finished with four returns for 79 yards.
Game Captains/Coin Toss/For Starters: The captains were seniors Zamir White (RB), Channing Tindall (ILB) and Devonte Wyatt (DL). CSU won the toss and deferred the football until the second half. The only first-time starter was senior Robert Beal, Jr. (OLB).
Series History/Up Next: Georgia now leads the CSU series 2-0. Up next, Georgia (11-0) finishes the regular season at Ga. Tech (3-7) in Atlanta on Sat., Nov. 27 at noon (ABC).
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