Bowl History
Godwin, Bulldogs Hold Off Penn State for TaxSlayer Win JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After jumping ahead 24-3 in the third quarter, Georgia was able to hold on and beat Penn State (7-6) by a final score of 24-17 in the TaxSlayer Bowl at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field. Freshman wideout Terry Godwin became the first non-quarterback to throw for a score for Georgia since 2005, and the first Bulldog wideout to throw for a score since 1998, when he hit senior Malcolm Mitchell in stride for a 44-yard strike for the first touchdown of the game. Later in the first half, he pulled in a 17-yard touchdown from Greyson Lambert. On the offensive side, Mitchell capped off a strong career with five receptions for 114 yards and a score. Tailback Sony Michel also had a strong game to end his sophomore season, amassing 85 yards rushing that included a 21-yard scamper for a score in the third quarter. The Bulldog defense dominated in the first half, holding Penn State to just 182 yards of offense and 39 yards rushing in the opening 30 minutes while forcing an interception on the game’s first possession. The turnover from Christian Hackenberg was the sixth pick of the season for safety Dominick Sanders. Offensively, Georgia was sparked by Godwin’s play, which included a 44-yard strike to Mitchell early in the second quarter and a 17-yard grab for a touchdown later to expand the Bulldogs’ lead to 17-3 before the intermission. After the break, Michel’s 21-yard sprint late in the third quarter extended the lead, just one drive after Georgia took over deep in Penn State territory but squandered the scoring opportunity. The Nittany Lions broke through for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter with backup quarterback Trace McSorley connecting with Geno Lewis for a 17-yard score to trim Georgia’s advantage to 14 points. Two drives later, McSorley hit DaeSean Hamilton for a score down the seam for 20 yards to make the score 24-17. The Bulldogs got the ball back with 6:07 remaining in the contest, and behind a methodical drive and several strong runs by senior back Keith Marshall, were able to run the clock down to under 90 seconds. The defensive unit finished the game on the field, knocking down a 43-yard Hail Mary heave on the final play that could have tied the game.
SCORING SUMMARY
Penn State (7-6) Georgia (10-3)
0 3
3 14
0 14 = 7 0 =
17 24
GA - Marshall Morgan, 44-yard FG, 7:02, 1Q PSU - Tyler Davis, 34-yard FG, 8:08, 2Q GA - Malcolm Mitchell, 44-yard pass from Terry Godwin (Morgan kick), 6:46, 2Q GA - Terry Godwin, 17-yd pass from Greyson Lambert (Patrick Beless kick), 00:24, 2Q GA - Sony Michel, 21-yard run (Beless kick), 4:15, 3Q PSU - Geno Lewis, 17-yard pass from Trace McSorley (Davis kick), 14:53, 4Q PSU - D. Hamilton, 20-yard pass from McSorley (Davis kick), 6:14,4Q Weather: Cloudy, 57 degrees, Wind 12 mph NNW
GAME STATISTICS
Penn State First Downs 16 Rushing: Att.-Yards 32-120 Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int 22-42-281-1 Total Plays-Total Net Yards 74-401 Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-0 Penalties: Number-Yards 6-39 Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) 6-219 (36.5) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards (Avg.) 3-69 (23.0) Time of Possession 31:22 Third Down Conversions 4 of 18 Fourth Down Conversions 4 of 6 Sacks By: Number-Yards 2-18
Georgia 17 41-166 12-23-161-0 64-327 1-0 5-45 7-267 (38.1) 1-27 (27.0) 28:38 4 of 14 0 of 1 0-0
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing PSU - Saquon Barkley UGA - Sony Michel Passing PSU - Tracy McSorley UGA - Greyson Lambert Receiving PSU - Chris Godwin UGA - Malcolm Mitchell Punting PSU - D. Pasquariello UGA - Brice Ramsey Tackles PSU - Brandon Bell UGA - Aaron Davis
Att. Yds. TD Long 17 69 0 29 20 85 1 28 Comp. Att. Yds. TD 14 27 142 2 10 20 115 1 Rec. Yds. TD Long 6 133 0 51 5 114 1 44 No. Yds. Avg. Long 6 219 36.5 44 5 200 40.0 43 UT AT Tot. 8 3 11 7 1 8
Noteworthy…
Terry Godwin caught four passes, including this one for a touchdown, and also threw a 44-yard TD strike to Malcolm Mitchell.
98
• Georgia made its 51st all-time appearance in a bowl game (19th straight) and that ranks tied for fourth nationally behind Alabama (61), Texas (53) and Nebraska (52). Georgia improved to 29-19-3 in bowl games; the 29 wins ranks third nationally. Georgia is now 3-1-1 in bowl games in Jacksonville and 44-40-1 in the city. • The Bulldogs capped a 10-win season with today’s victory to finish 10-3. It marked the 22nd time in school history that Georgia has won at least 10 games in a year, and the seniors ended their career 40-13. • Freshman wideout Terry Godwin completed a 44-yard TD pass to senior Malcolm Mitchell for a 10-3 edge. He became the first non-QB to throw a TD pass for the Bulldogs since running back Thomas Brown tossed a nine-yard strike to Joe Tereshinski (QB) versus Florida in 2005 here in Jacksonville at EverBank Field (Alltell Stadium). Godwin is the first Bulldog wideout to throw a TD pass since 1998 when Michael Greer hurled a 68-yard strike to tight end Larry Brown against Ga. Tech in Athens. • Senior wideout Malcolm Mitchell notched his fourth career 100+ receiving yards game, ending up with five catches for 114 yards and one TD. He ends his career ranked 3rd in school history with 174 catches, 6th in receiving yards (2,350) and tied for 8th in TD receptions (16). Meanwhile, PK Marshall Morgan ended his career ranked 3rd in SEC and school history with 407 points, behind only Blair Walsh (412) and Billy Bennett (409), both UGA alums. Morgan kicked a 44-yard FG and a PAT before missing the second half with an ankle injury.