Georgia football is officially 11-0 on the season, and man, it feels good to say that. The Dawgs have battled every week, winning in dominating fashion each time they step on the field, and No. 11 was no different as they beat Charleston Southern 56-7.
Saturday saw participation from 68 players, so after the starters got a big lead, they could rest, which will be beneficial in the final regular-season game of the year and the post-season.
Georgia scored 49 first-half points, which tied for the most with the 2011 squad who did it against New Mexico State, and while the Dawgs only scored one more in the second half, it was still a 49 point victory.
The Dawgs finished with 488 total yards on 69 plays averaging 7.1 yards. On the ground, 10 rushers recorded at least two yards, with the lot combining for 233 yards averaging 7.3 yards a run. Four quarterbacks combined for 255 yards through the air as the group saw a 54% completion rate.
Georgia football dominated on Saturday, and here are three notable stats from that win.
Georgia held Charleston Southern to 126 total yards. The Bucs averaged 1.9 yards a play and only got in the endzone on a wild play that no one knew what to call it.
The Dawgs defense did a great job recording four sacks on the day and saw 31 guys record at least one tackle. A ton of players got reps on this side of the ball, and it was Javon Bullard, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson led the team with six tackles each.
Georgia did what they were supposed to do against a team like Charleston Southern and made a statement. They destroyed the Bucs and sent the seniors out on a high note. After going through the stats, the Dawgs performed well in all three phases of the game.
Here are three noteworthy stats from the 11th win of the season for the Dawgs.
3. Georgia football records season-high nine pass breakups
Georgia football enforces its will on every team they face, but it seems like they shine in another area each week. This week it was their ability to bat down passes and avoid any big catches.
They recorded a season-high nine pass breakups against the Bucs as starting defensive back Latavious Brini led the team with two.
Eight players recorded pass breakups on the day, and that stat led the havoc plays. Overall there were 22 havoc plays as the Dawgs tallied four sacks, eight tackles for loss, one interception and nine breakups.
Seeing this secondary put up a number like that shows how much they are growing as a unit. Saturday saw a lot of the action come from their backups, so the fact they could make a season-high happen means there is a bright future for this defense.
Georgia held Charleston Southern starting quarterback Jack Chambers to 11-of-30 for 55 yards and one interception, with his longest pass being 28 yards. Chambers completed just 36% of his passes, so the Dawgs did a great job keeping the ball out of their wideouts’ hands.
To hold a team to 58 passing yards, regardless of whether they are an FCS opponent or not, is an impressive feat, especially when Charleston Southern averaged over 200 passing yards a game.
Georgia’s ability to eliminate their offense is a big reason they only scored seven points. That touchdown was crazy. While it stinks to give up the shutout, it was a wild play that randomly happens sometimes in college football, and after what Georgia did to them in the first half, they needed that moral victory.
2. Georgia football records 10 plays that went 15-plus yards
Georgia football was able to score at will and do whatever they wanted to on offense.
The Dawgs saw 22 players record a positive number play against the Bucs, and that is a lot of people touching the ball and making something happen with it.
Heck, starting nose tackle Jordan Davis was part of 10 guys who recorded at least two yards on the day and one of four guys who scored a rushing touchdown. Someone call New York and tell him the big man is coming because he deserves to be in Heisman contention.
With 488 yards of offense on 69 plays, there had to be some explosive plays, and there were. By definition, an explosive play is a run going for 20 or more yards and a pass going for 30 or more yards.
Georgia had, by definition standards, four explosive plays on the game with two 30-yard catches and two 40-yard rushes. However, the Dawgs had 10 plays go for at least 15 yards.
Starting running backs Zamir White and James Cook each had 40 yard rushes on the day. White recorded four carries for 83 yards and one touchdown, which means he averaged 20.8 yards a touch. As for his counterpart, Cook had six carries for 57 yards and one score averaging 9.5 yards a carry.
The two catches came from a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dawgs tight end Brett Seither and Kenny McIntosh, who had a 32-yard grab.
However, of those 10 15-yard plays, six were through the air, and four were on the ground.
Brock Bowers had a 19-yard run and a 20-yard catch. He finished the game with 56 all-purpose yards and caught two passes to score. Jackson Meeks had a 27-yard catch in the game, and Daijun Edwards recorded a 16-yard run.
Cook also had an 18-yard catch to put him at 75 all-purpose yards on the game.
Georgia used their playmakers on Saturday and even saw some guys who don’t always get a ton of playing time step up and show they can make things happen too.
1. Georgia football punt returners have a season-high day
The biggest noteworthy stat from Georgia football’s blowout win over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers has to be what the punt returners accomplished.
Overall, the Dawgs saw nine punt returns gain for 150 yards, averaging 16 yards a return.
Georgia wideout Kearis Jackson led the way with four returns for 79 yards, and he was the guy who earned the longest return on the day that went 41 yards. He averaged 19.75 yards a return, and Jackson will break one loose before the end of the season.
Jackson is starting to really see the field well on these returns, so that infamous punt-return touchdown should come sooner than later.
Ladd McConkey was close behind him as he recorded two returns for 62 yards, with both of his going for 30-plus yards. He finished the day with 86 all-purpose yards, including his two catches for 24 yards on the day.
Dominick Blaylock finally returned to the field as he made some catches and had some return duties. He had two returns for five yards, as Blaylock recorded 16 all-purpose yards.
Mekhi Mews was the other returner who had one go for four yards, but McConkey and Jackson did a great job on these punts.
This group hasn’t always had the most productive this season, but they ran with it when they got the chance to, showing fans they can be impressive on these returns.
McConkey and Jackson helped flip the field, providing excellent field position for the offense, which they need to do in these situations. This game gives them some confidence moving forward, and so hopefully, they will keep up these kinds of numbers on punt returns moving forward.
Georgia football handled its business, and these are just three noteworthy stats. The entire stat sheet could have gotten used after this performance because everyone who touched the ball shined. The Dawgs are 11-0 looking to go a perfect regular-season 12-0 next week with a trip to Atlanta as they take on Georiga Tech.