2018 game summaries
2018 SEC East Champions
Georgia 45, Austin Peay 0
Sept. 1, 2018 • Sanford Stadium • Athens, Ga. ATHENS — A stout defensive effort and an explosive offense lifted Georgia to a 45-0 victory over Austin Peay in the season opener at Sanford Stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 92,746 and an ESPN national television audience. While the defense held the Governors scoreless, every first-half offensive possession for the Bulldogs resulted in a score. The first points of the season came on kicker Rodrigo Blankenship’s 34-yard field goal. Following the first of many stands from the Bulldog defense, the Georgia offense conducted an 11-play, 80-yard march, featuring 46 total yards from tailback D’Andre Swift. Receiver Riley Ridley claimed the first touchdown of the season, a 10-yard connection with quarterback Jake Fromm, and a 10-0 lead after Blankenship’s PAT. Thirty-nine seconds later, linebacker D’Andre Walker placed the ball back into the hands of the Bulldog offense, recovering a fumble from Austin Peay quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall. The next play, Swift ran for an 8-yard touchdown and a 17-0 margin with Blankenship’s kick. In the second quarter, quarterback Justin Fields entered and handed off to receiver Demetris Robertson. With a pair of blocks from the tight end tandem of Isaac Nauta and Charlie Woerner, the open field presented itself for the Cal transfer, cementing his first Georgia score on a career-high 72yard run. Blankenship’s kick pushed the lead to 24-0. After a three-and-out from Austin Peay, a 9-play, 69-yard drive was finalized with a hand-off to tailback Elijah Holyfield, who eluded multiple Governors on his way to the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown. Blankenship tacked on the PAT for the 31-0 edge. Receiver Mecole Hardman closed out the half for the Bulldogs, using his speed to out-run the Austin Peay secondary and complete a 59-yard throw-and-catch with Fromm. Blankenship added the extra point to make it 38-0. In the second half, a 36-yard run from tailback James Cook positioned the Bulldogs in Austin Peay territory, setting up a Fields-to-Nauta touchdown pass of 12 yards. Blankenship’s PAT sealed the final at 45-0.
Coach Kirby Smart said… “We’re happy to get the win. It was a good way to start. The kids played hard. But there are a lot of things we can improve on. We knew we couldn’t get better until we played a game. We’ll learn from this one, learn from our mistakes. We’ll get some things ironed out.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Austin Peay (0-1) Georgia (1-0)
0 17
0 21
0 7
0 = 0 =
0 45
GA - Rodrigo Blankenship, 34-yard field goal 10:52, 1Q GA - Riley Ridley, 10-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Blankenship kick), 3:27, 1Q GA - D’Andre Swift, 8-yard run (Blankenship kick), 2:41, 1Q GA - Demetris Robertson, 72-yard run (Blankenship kick), 10:29, 2Q GA - Elijah Holyfield, 17-yard run (Blankenship kick), 4:50, 2Q GA - Mecole Hardman, 59-yard pass from Fromm (Blankenship kick), 1:28, 2Q GA - Isaac Nauta, 12-yard pass from Justin Fields (Blankenship kick), 5:44, 3Q Weather: Partly Cloudy, 92 degrees
GAME 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
AP UGA 7 21 29-91 33-284 13-21-61-0 21-27-224-0 50-152 60-508 3-1 1-1 3-15 3-40 8-230 (40.0) 3-165 (55.0) 1-47 (47.0) 8-520 (65.0) 28:01 26:59 2 of 13 4 of 9 0 of 1 0 of 0 0-0 0-0
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing Att. Yds. TD Long AP - Daryl Rollins-Davis 3 32 0 14 GA - Demetris Robertson 1 72 1 72 Passing Comp. Att. Yds. TD AP - JaVaughn Craig 6 11 36 0 GA - Jake Fromm 12 16 157 2 Receiving Rec. Yds. TD Long AP - DeAngelo Wilson 4 25 0 12 GA - Mecole Hardman 2 63 1 59 Punting No. Yds. Avg. Long AP - Devin Stuart 8 320 40.0 51 GA - Jake Camarda 3 165 55.0 63 Tackles UT AT Tot. AP - Malik Davis 5 2 7 GA - J.R. Reed 4 2 6
Worth Noting…
Riley Ridley scores Georgia’s first touchdown of the 2018 season on a 10-yard pass from Jake Fromm. The Bulldogs scored on every first-half possession against Austin Peay.
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• The shutout marked Georgia’s first in a season opener since 2003 against Clemson. Before Austin Peay, the most recent shutout for the Bulldogs came against Tennessee in 2017 (41-0), and the most recent team to be held scoreless for two quarters was Alabama in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. • The Bulldog defense held the Governors to 152 total yards and seven first downs on 50 plays. In the first half alone, Georgia limited Austin Peay to 81 yards with one trip to the red zone. • Offensive production was spread between 11 receivers from three different quarterbacks: sophomore Jake Fromm and freshmen Justin Fields and Matthew Downing. • D’Andre Swift paced the backfield with eight carries and a career-high four receptions. The Philadelphia, Penn., native primarily shared responsibilities with juniors Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield and freshman James Cook. • Demetris Robertson’s lone carry brought a 72-yard career-best touchdown, the longest run by a Bulldog since Sony Michel went 75 yards in the 2017 Rose Bowl against Oklahoma. • Georgia had six first-time starters on offense and defense, including one true freshman, as well as true freshman punter Jake Camarda: redshirt freshman OT Isaiah Wilson, junior WR Tyler Simmons, senior WR (and team captain for Austin Peay) Ahkil Crumpton, senior OLB D’Andre Walker, freshman DB Tyson Campbell and sophomore OLB Walter Grant.
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