Clean, Old-Fashioned Blowout: 7 observations from Georgia’s win over rival Georgia Tech

Another trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium and another win for Georgia.

The Bulldogs showed a talent mismatch in a 52-7 win over Georgia Tech (3-9). Georgia (11-1) rode a strong second-half outburst and its usual dominant run defense to an 11-win season. It marks the first time having three-consecutive seasons of 11 wins in school history.

Georgia’s 45-point margin of victory is the largest in the rivalry’s history — topping a 51-7 win in 2002

Here are seven observations from Georgia’s victory.

1) At least you tried, Georgia Tech. Georgia knew some of its opponent’s triple-option elements still lingered, and the Yellow Jackets tried to run — a lot. Well, Georgia has the second-ranked run defense nationally and it didn’t work too well for Georgia Tech. It punted on its first six drives (over a full quarter with a first down), and no offensive traction could be gained for quite some time.

Georgia Tech finished with 139 yards against a suffocating group of Bulldog defenders. The Yellow Jackets had their lone swing of momentum and notched their lone touchdown after being given favorable field position. Pressley Harvin, Georgia Tech’s punter, had his fair share of work with 12 punts. Quarterback James Graham finished with 40 yards on 5 of 19 passing.

After it was all said and done, most of the Bulldogs headed directly toward the locker room. Some did the usual parading into the stands to celebrate with the traveling (but not really) crowd. Injured offensive guard Justin Shaffer gave Kirby Smart’s son, Andrew, a piggyback ride around the sidelines with a “WE RUN THIS STATE” sign. But otherwise, this type of performance didn’t come to the Bulldogs as a surprise.

“This was the next step,” said Smart, Georgia’s fourth-year head coach. “For us, we expected to win this game. We expected to dominate this game. We go on to the next one.”

2) To be fair, Georgia’s offensive concerns still stuck around. The Bulldogs looked slow to start in an ugly game of football. Consecutive 3-and-outs were forced after quarterback Jake Fromm locked in on receivers who had tight windows. The run game struggled to gain traction as Georgia rotated linemen at the guard spots — Jamaree Salyer and Cade Mays for Solomon Kindley and Ben Cleveland.

After holding a 17-7 lead at halftime following Rodrigo Blankenship’s miss at a 42-yard field-goal attempt at the buzzer, the Bulldogs’ attack looked different. They racked up a 41-yard reception to freshman George Pickens, found traction in the run game and Fromm looked comfortable in the pocket for the first time in a few weeks. He recorded four touchdowns to four different targets.

“I think the offense has gotten better,” Smart said. “They work really hard. We’re nowhere near where we need to be. There’s been a difference in some of the receivers we’ve run in and out. That’s the part we’ve really got to hone in on.”

For Simmons, who recorded three receptions for 52 yards, he finally got his chance.

“I never stopped working, so it’s not a surprise what I’m putting on the field,” Simmons said. “I’m blessed and thankful to be working for this team. It comes as no surprise.

3) Boy, this wide receiver group looked different — especially today. We all knew about Lawrence Cager’s potentially season-ending injury entering play. Pickens, however, added some curiosity to the mix as he didn’t play during the first half. Fromm had a unique group of receivers flanking him — Simmons, Kearis Jackson and Demetris Robertson getting most of those early reps.

Tight end Charlie Woerner recorded his first-ever touchdown reception (as a senior!), and Simmons recorded his first of the season. Once Pickens returned, things returned to a bit of normalcy as he recorded a 41-touchdown reception … but he then had to leave the game.

4) Things surely got chippy. They don’t call it a rivalry for nothing, but Pickens had an undisciplined outburst in the third quarter. Georgia had a celebratory moment as freshman wide receiver Dominick Blaylock scored a 9-yard touchdown to pad Georgia’s lead to 31 points. A few seconds later, however, it turned into the Bulldogs’ worst nightmare as Pickens exchanged punches with Yellow Jacket defensive back Tre Swilling. They met at the corner pylon, then Pickens drug Swilling toward the padding behind the end zone where the fight continued. Pickens was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and later ejected.

5) More “bombs” from punter Jake Camarda. He focused on confidence when things got rough. The sophomore says he always stayed positive, and those results showed again in the win over Georgia Tech. When Georgia’s offense stalled, Camarda answered. He had two punts, his long being for 52 yards and pinning the Yellow Jackets at the 13-yard-line. This follows a performance of 11 punts for an average of 50.7 yards at Auburn.

6) A costly mistake from Dominick Blaylock. Georgia had a chance to ride its first-half momentum by forcing punts on six consecutive possessions. As Georgia Tech punter Pressley Harvin sent it away, the freshman returner muffed it. Simmons tried to retrieve it, but to no avail. It marked Georgia’s first turnover since the 20-17 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 12. A few plays later, Georgia Tech scored on a 6-yard pass to Tyler Davis to make things temporarily interesting.

`“He got a little down on himself,” Simmons said. “I’ve been in that situation, I’ve gotten some backlash. People are going to talk, but you can’t worry about outside noise.”

On the following kickoff, Georgia Tech recovered an onside kick. Special teams mainstay Prather Hudson couldn’t maintain control of the boot from Brenton King. The Yellow Jackets had second-quarter momentum, and the muffed punt allowed for a spiraling series of events.

7) Now, the big game. Georgia walked out of Bobby Dodd Stadium with its 15th win in 16 trips. The main attraction awaits the Bulldogs in their next trip to Atlanta — the SEC Championship. Georgia will square off with No. 2 LSU on Dec. 7. (4 p.m., CBS), and the Bulldogs must win in order to advance to the College Football Playoff. Georgia is in search of its first conference title since 2017 in its third-consecutive championship game appearance.

“It will be a whole lot different than the team we just played,” Smart said. “I promise you that.”

The Bulldogs have a win over LSU in the 2005 SEC Championship, but lost in 2011. LSU beat Georgia in Baton Rouge, La. last season, 36-16.

“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion,” said linebacker Monty Rice about playing the underdog role against the Tigers. “Anything that comes outside of the Butts-Mehre building, I couldn’t care less. Y’all aren’t out there when I’m headbutting Solomon Kindley on a Tuesday. It’s about what we do.”

KEY STATS

• Sophomore running back James Cook: two receptions for 34 yards
• Rice: eight tackles, one PBU
• Senior running back Brian Herrien: eight carries, 46 yards and a touchdown

QUOTABLES

Cook on the win: “It feels great to help my team in a rivalry, a classic rivalry. I’m honored to be part of this team.”

Fromm on receivers: “I’m with them 100 percent. I think every single guy that we put on the field is able to make a great play at any given time. We’re ready. Let’s go play football.”

Collins on the third-quarter unraveling: “They’re really good … (I) thought we had a chance to make it a one-score game (when it was 17-7). We’ve still got to rally, find ways to get stops and move the ball.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 3:44 PM.