2017 Season Review
game summaries
# 15 Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10 Sept. 2, 2017 • Sanford Stadium - Athens, Ga.
ATHENS - A solid debut from true freshman quarterback Jake Fromm and a stout defensive effort led the 15th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a 31-10 season-opening victory in front of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium. Fromm finished with an efficient 10-of-15 passing for 143 yards and one touchdown. He was aided by senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who combined for 183 yards and three scores. The Georgia defense was equally impressive in its 2017 debut. The Bulldogs held the Mountaineers to just 94 yards in the second half and 284 total on the day. Junior defensive tackle Trenton Thompson and junior linebacker Roquan Smith led Georgia in tackles with six a piece, while J.R. Reed followed with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Following an injury to starting quarterback Jacob Eason on the third possession of the game, Fromm took the reins of the Bulldog offense. The rookie led Georgia on a 4-play, 39-yard drive on its next possession, which was capped by Chubb’s 1-yard touchdown run. Fromm and senior wide receiver Javon Wims then connected on a heave to the end zone, resulting in a 34-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs up 14-0 early in the second quarter. In the second half, Georgia scored on its first two offensive possessions – one from a 23-yard field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship, followed by an 8-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in Chubb’s second touchdown run of the game. Appalachian State added two late scores with under six minutes remaining in the game, but Georgia improved to 94-27-3 all-time in season-opening games with the 31-10 victory. The Bulldogs have now won 18 of their last 21 openers and are 2-0 in opening games under Smart.
Coach Kirby Smart said… “That was a long time coming for our kids. They’ve worked really hard. We have a lot of respect for Appalachian State. Our team played really hard in the second half. Our kids were persistent. We talked about chopping wood and keeping it going...The punting flipped the field. Cameron (Nizialek) did a great job. The coverage did a great job. Rodrigo (Blankenship) kicked it in the end zone and was a weapon.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Appalachian State (0-1) Georgia (1-0)
0 7
0 0 10 = 14 10 0 =
10 31
GA - Nick Chubb, 1-yard run (Blankenship kick), 0:39, 1Q GA - Javon Wims, 34-yard pass from Fromm (Blankenship kick), 10:40, 2Q GA - Sony Michel, 6-yard run (Blankenship kick) 6:56, 2Q GA - Rodrigo Blankenship, 23-yard field goal, 7:18, 3Q GA - Nick Chubb, 8-yard run (Blankenship kick), 1:32, 3Q APP- Taylor Lamb, 20-yard run (Rubino kick), 5:41, 4Q APP-Michael Rubino, 43-yard field goal, 0:26, 4Q Weather: A few clouds, 81 degrees with a 9-mph wind.
team STATISTICS
First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards (Avg.) Time of Possession Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards
APP UGA 12 18 32-136 44-221 21-32-148-0 11-20-147-2 64-284 64-368 1-0 0-0 11-105 8-46 8-353 (44.1) 6-202 (33.7) 3-162 (54.0) 6-390 (65.0) 31:04 28:56 7 of 18 5 of 14 0 of 1 1 of 1 1-1 1-9
individuAL LEADERS Rushing Att. Yds. TD Long APP - Taylor Lamb 10 66 1 32 UGA - Nick Chubb 15 96 2 28 Passing Comp. Att. Yds. TD APP - Taylor Lamb 18 27 128 0 UGA - Jake Fromm 10 15 143 1 Receiving Rec. Yds. TD Long APP - Jalin Moore 4 34 0 23 UGA - Javon Wims 3 81 1 34 Punting No. Yds. Avg. Long APP - X. Subotsch 8 301 37.6 43 UGA - Cameron Nizialek 5 219 43.8 53 Tackles UT AT Tot. APP - A.J. Howard 4 7 11 UGA - Roquan Smith 3 3 6
Worth Noting…
Sony Michel breaks free of an Appalachian State defender in the first quarter of Georgia’s season-opening win. Michel finished with 87 yards and 1 TD.
2017 SEC Champions
• The veteran Bulldog defense held the Mountaineers scoreless and without a trip to the Red Zone in the first three quarters. The last time Georgia held an oppoent without a point in the first half was at South Carolina in 2016, resulting in a 28-14 win. • With Nick Chubb’s two touchdowns, he now has 31 career rushing touchdowns, which is sixth on the school’s all-time list. • Following a first quarter injury to startng QB Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm got his first collegiate action at the 6:30 mark in the opening period. He completed his first career pass, an 8-yarder to sophomore tight end Isaac Nauta. Fromm’s 34-yard connection to Javon Wims in the second quarter marked Fromm’s first touchdown pass of his career and Wim’s second. The first for Wims came in the Liberty Bowl in 2016 on a 4-yard score from Eason. • After making the switch from defense to offense in the offseason, sophomore Mecole Hardman grabbed his first career pass, an 8-yarder. • True freshman Andrew Thomas started at right tackle. He is the first true freshman to start on the offensive line for Georgia since John Theus in 2012. Redshirt sophomore left guard Pat Allen, sophomore defenisve linemen Tyler Clark and sophomore defensive back J.R. Reed, who sat out a year after transferring from Tulsa in 2015, also made the first starts of their careers. A total of 16 true freshmen made their Bulldog debut, compared to last year’s dozen. • Georgia featured a new punter against the Mountaineers, graduate transfer Cameron Nizialek from Columbia University with a degree in economics. He punted five times for an average of 43.8 (long of 53). He also handled holding duties for the Bulldogs on field goals and PATs. 2017 Georgia Bulldogs • College Football Playoff Guide
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