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ATHENS — Kirby Smart’s fifth-ranked UGA Football team opened its season Saturday afternoon with a 45-7 win over Marshall at Sanford Stadium, extending the nation’s longest home winning streak to 32 games. The sellout crowd of 93.033 saw quarterback Gunner Stockton run for a pair of touchdowns and throw for two more, while the Bulldog defense held the Thundering Herd to just seven first downs.
Georgia (1-0) outgained Marshall 488-207, with the Bulldogs rushing for 239 and throwing for 249; five different Bulldogs scored touchdowns. Defensively, Georgia held the Herd to less than 100 yards of offense through the first three quarters and finished with seven tackles for loss. Linebacker Raylen Wilson was the leading tackler with seven stops, including two for loss.
Saturday’s win was a little different from the only other meeting between the Bulldogs and Thundering Herd. When Marshall visited Georgia in 2004, the Bulldogs got behind 3-0 before winning 13-3. Georgia is now 102-27-3 in season-openers, including 10-0 under head coach Kirby Smart.
Marshall (0-1) got the ball to start the game and immediately ran into a stout Georgia defense. The Herd lost a yard over three plays and quickly punted. The Bulldog offense then went 70 yards in eight plays, taking a 7-0 lead on Dwight Phillips, Jr.’s 17-yard touchdown run with 9:22 left in the first quarter. Stockton found transfer wideout Zachariah Branch for a 25-yard gain on third-and-3 earlier in the drive, and then Stockton ran for 14 yards on fourth-and-2 at the Herd 31. Phillips scored on the next play.
Georgia’s defense held the Herd to just six yards over their first two drives, and the Bulldogs started their second drive at the UGA 28-yard line. And just like the opening drive, the Bulldogs ran the ball in for their second score. This time, it was Stockton with an effective fake handoff to Chauncey Bowens that gave the quarterback space to run the ball in from the 13 on fourth-and-1, making it 14-0 Georgia with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter. Stockton and Branch also connected for a big gain on third down on this drive, a 23-yarder on third-and-5.
The Bulldogs continued to shut the Herd down on the ensuing drives, and with 10:15 left in the first half, Georgia got its first big special teams play of the season, a blocked punt by KJ Bolden deep in Marshall territory. A couple of plays later, Stockton ran the ball in for an 11-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 9:07 on the clock.
Zachariah Branch takes off against Marshall (Dean Legge / Dawg Post)
Bulldog kicker Peyton Woodring connected on a 43-yard field goal attempt with 24 seconds remaining in the half, giving Georgia a 24-0 lead. At halftime, the Bulldogs had a 239-40 advantage in total offense, with 14 first downs to Marshall’s one.
Georgia’s offense got the ball to begin the third quarter and showed some explosiveness with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Stockton to wideout Zachariah Branch, who took the screen pass to the left and covered all 47 yards after the catch. Wideout Dillon Bell provided a key block near the 20-yard line to clear the path for Branch. Stockton’s third career touchdown pass made it 31-0 with 13:13 left in the quarter.
A Stockton pass to wideout London Humphreys in the back of the end zone on fourth down at the Marshall 2 made it 38-0 with 3:51 to play in the third quarter. Stockton’s day was done after that TD pass, and the redshirt junior finished his second career start 14 of 24 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 10 times for 73 yards and two scores.
Stockton’s replacement, Ryan Puglisi, led the Bulldogs to another touchdown on his first drive, finding tight end Elyiss Williams for a 23-yard score and a 45-0 lead with 14:18 left in the game. It was the first career touchdown pass for Puglisi, and the first career catch (and score) for Williams.
Going against Georgia’s backup defenders in the fourth quarter, the Herd finally passed the 100-yard mark for total offense with about 13 minutes left in the game. Marshall got on the scoreboard with 10:27 on the clock, with Joshon Barbie scoring on a 1-yard run.
The Bulldogs return to Dooley Field next Saturday when they host Austin Peay. Georgia’s only previous meeting with the Governors came in 2018, a 45-0 victory.
