Georgia football finally got to give Vanderbilt a hefty dose of revenge Saturday afternoon. The Dawgs finally gave a tail-whipping, so many fans have begged head coach Kirby Smart to deliver since arriving in 2016.
Well, that time to deliver a demoralizing win came on Saturday as the Dawgs defeated Vanderbilt 62-0.
Georgia’s defense shut down the Commodores and played lights out as they have been since their last road trip to Charlotte, N.C., and once again, they didn’t give up a touchdown.
However, the offense outshined the defense in Nashville this week. The Dawgs were able to score on Vanderbilt’s defense. While 62-0 is a great score, it could have been 100-0 without the Dawgs even trying.
Georgia collected 532 total yards on offense against the Commodores, with 291 through the air completing 21-of-28 passes between three quarterbacks.
JT Daniels went 9-of-10 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Then Stetson Bennett came in and went 11-of-15 for 151 yards, one score and one interception.
That interception wasn’t Bennett’s fault, though, because the wideouts didn’t bat the ball down. Instead, they batted it up in the air, and the Vandy player snagged it.
On the ground, the Dawgs collected 241 yards on 48 attempts, averaging five yards a carry.
Zamir White led the rush attack with nine carries for 48 yards and one score, but nine total Dawgs got at least one touch against the Commodores.
Daijun Edwards got 10 carries, 46 yards and one touchdown, but he also recovered the fumble in the first quarter as he sees playing time on both sides of the ball.
Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers had themselves a day through the air and on the ground. The duo scored four of the first five touchdowns in the first quarter.
Bowers led the team with three scores as he powered through for the first touchdown and then caught the second one through the air. His third and final score came in the third quarter, where he caught a 29-yard pass to score.
McConkey also had a rushing and receiving touchdown to score back-to-back times for the Dawgs.
Those two guys are exceptional players who have stepped up in the absence of George Pickens and Darnell Washington. Georgia has missed having young guys step up in the past, but that isn’t the case this year.
The Dawgs have young guys left and right making plays, and it’s making a difference.
Defensively, the Dawgs weren’t as focused on havoc plays, and that’s okay this week. They kept the Commodores out of the endzone after giving up points last week, so I consider that a win for them.
They gave up just 77 total yards and allowed them to convert just 2-of-13 third downs. Vanderbilt completed just five passes all day for 24 yards and collected 53 yards on the ground averaging 1.9 yards a carry.
After giving up those points last week, Georgia’s defense recorded three turnovers, so I’ll take that with a goose egg.
The Dawgs put on another dominant performance for the fourth straight week. After some sloppiness last week in the second half against South Carolina, Georgia cleaned up their act on both sides.
Sometimes they looked sloppy right before halftime in Nashville, but they regrouped and kept the throttle down the rest of the game.
Georgia improves to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in SEC play as the road to Atlanta, and the college football playoffs continue. Enjoy the ride, Dawg fans, this team is fun, and they know how to win.