Georgia Bulldogs Announce Captains for game with Samford Bulldogs
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs announced the team’s captains Friday for the game with the Samford Bulldogs.
Georgia DL Zion Logue, Georgia OL Warren Ericson and Georgia WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint were named captains for the No. 2 Bulldogs' game against Samford on Saturday.
The trio will represent the Dawgs at midfield before their return to play in Sanford Stadium for the first time since the program's win over No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Kirby said earlier this week that he was not sure if the University had something special planned for the game. Weather is expected in the area as well. The Bulldogs have not played in rain since their 49-14 win at Missouri in 2020. Georgia is 5-2 straight up in rain since 2010 (2015 Alabama; 2013 Nebraska)
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Fresh off an impressive 49-3 rout of No. 11 Oregon in Atlanta, third-ranked Georgia (1-0) plays host to Sam- ford (1-0) Saturday at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network. The Bulldogs of Samford upset No. 8 Kennesaw State 27-17 in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 1. The Samford Bulldogs are part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
They are led by Chris Hatcher, who hired Kirby Smart for his first coaching job at Valdosta State in 2000. Smart served as the defensive backs coach, and the defensive coordinator at that time was Will Muschamp. In 2001, Muschamp left to become linebackers coach at LSU and Smart was promoted to defensive coordinator. Georgia is 1-0 all-time versus Samford, winning 42-14 in 2017.
Saturday will mark the home opener for Georgia where the Bulldogs are 368-107-9. In the Smart era, the Bulldogs are 31-4 at home including 29-1 since 2017. Georgia’s .886 winning percentage at home under Smart is the best in school history. The Bulldogs were 3-3 at home in his first season (2016), and the only loss since then came in double overtime to South Carolina in 2019. Georgia has won 12 straight home games.
Georgia has a streak of 58 consecutive sellouts that began Sept. 15, 2012 versus Florida Atlantic. The last non-sellout was Sept. 1, 2012 versus Buffalo. The school record for consecutive sellouts is 64. The record streak began Sept. 1, 2001 versus Arkansas and lasted through Sept. 10, 2011 versus South Carolina.
Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium grew to its current capacity of 92,746 in 2004. It ranks fifth among capacity for SEC stadiums and ninth for largest on-campus stadiums across the country.
STETSON BENNETT HONORED FOR WEEK 1 PERFORMANCE
After helping lead Georgia to the 2021 national championship, senior QB Stetson Bennett returns to the quar- terbacks room in 2022. In this year’s opener, Bennett was named the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week after leading third-ranked Georgia over 11th-ranked Oregon 49-3 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Bennett was 25 for 31 (80.6 percent) for a career-high 368 yards and two touchdowns to go along with one rushing score. Assuming the spot behind center for three-plus quarters against the Ducks, Bennett helped the Bulldogs go 8-for-8 on third downs while he was in the game. Ten different Georgia players hauled in catches in the season opener.
Bennett is 15-3 as a starter, including getting the nod in the final 11 games last season. He set the school record for Passing Efficiency at 176.7 during the 2021 national title campaign.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Senior OLB Nolan Smith, redshirt sophomore DB Kelee Ringo and senior S Christopher Smith are the Bull- dogs’ three returning defensive starters from last season’s championship team. Eight Georgia defenders were taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, including the No. 1 overall pick in Travon Walker (Jacksonville) and four others in the First Round (Jordan Davis, Philadelphia; Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Green Bay; Lewis Cine, Minnesota). For the third time in school history, Georgia led the nation in Scoring Defense. The 2021 unit allowed just 10.2 points per game and only 153 total points in 15 games. The 2022 unit allowed just a field goal in the season opener for the second year in a row. This was the first time since 2017 that Oregon failed to score a touchdown in a game.
