Georgia makes early SEC statement with dominant win over rival Auburn

Georgia’s offense heard all the noise after an up-and-down performance in the season opener against Arkansas.

After a week of questions and criticism, the Bulldogs (2-0) exploded early on the offensive side of the ball Saturday on their way to a 27-6 victory over Auburn (1-1) in Athens.

After the teams traded 3-and-outs to start the game, Georgia went to work. The Bulldogs embarked on a 10-play drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run from redshirt sophomore running back Zamir White.

On the touchdown play, the Bulldogs employed freshman defensive lineman Jalen Carter as a fullback and junior defensive lineman Jordan Davis as a blocking tight end.

A field goal drive preceded two more touchdown trips, the first resulting in a 21-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Stetson Bennett IV to sophomore George Pickens and the second seeing White score on another short plunge.

Just over a quarter and a half into the game, Georgia led 24-0. That turned into a 24-3 halftime advantage, with the Bulldogs outgaining Auburn 288-81 in the first half.

“I mean just the way that coach [Todd] Monken called it,” Bennett said of what enabled the offense’s success. “He knew exactly when we needed to run the ball, and he knew whenever we needed to take a shot downfield.”

The visitors still trailed by 21 late in the third quarter after an exchange of field goals. On fourth-and-12 from the Georgia 30-yard line, Tiger quarterback Bo Nix’s pass fell into the hands of senior Georgia defensive back Mark Webb, securing the Tigers’ seventh straight loss in Athens.

Three Georgia stars of the game

Stetson Bennett IV — The player they call the “Mailman” didn’t disappoint in his first career start.

Bennett came out blazing, completing 12-of-22 passes for 158 yards and a perfectly placed touchdown pass to Pickens in the first half. He had his most success on third downs, hitting on 5-of-7 passes for 81 yards and the score.

The offense emphasized the ground game more in the second half, and Bennett finished 17-28 for 240 yards and the score. Still, his performance seems good enough to perhaps earn another start next week against Tennessee.

“Being able to be comfortable in this offense is easy because I’m surrounded by such great players and the offensive line gives me time and coach Monken gives us great calls every time,” Bennett said.

Kearis Jackson — One of the biggest questions all offseason centered on which receiver would emerge as a complement to Pickens. Saturday night might have provided an answer.

Jackson had a breakout game, hauling in nine passes for 147 yards. Both of those marks represent career highs, eclipsing the previous marks he set last week against Arkansas.

The redshirt sophomore constantly had Bennett’s attention on third downs. Three times the quarterback found Jackson to convert a third down in the first half, and he also hauled in a 49-yard bomb from Bennett to set up Georgia’s third touchdown.

Zamir White — After some tough sledding in the season opener, White found his groove against Auburn.

He finished the night with 19 carries for 88 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. The redshirt sophomore also collected a pair of touchdowns, bullying his way into the end zone twice from the one-yard line.

The game plan got White involved early, as he toted the ball 17 times for 76 yards and both scores in the first half. The Bulldogs got other backs involved after halftime with the big lead, but White set the tone for the game.

Georgia-Auburn scoring plays, stats

First Quarter

UGA—White 1 run (Podlesny kick), 9:31.

UGA—FG Podlesny 21, 4:00.

Second Quarter

UGA—Pickens 21 pass from Bennett (Podlesny kick), 11:08.

UGA—White 1 run (Podlesny kick), 6:26.

AUB—FG Carlson 20, 1:38.

Third Quarter

AUB—FG Carlson 45, 10:09.

UGA—FG Podlesny 25, 5:51.

• First downs: UGA 25 to 15
• Time of possession: UGA 34:04 to 25:56
• Rushing yards: UGA 202 to 39
• Passing yards: UGA 240 to 177

• RUSHING STATS—Auburn, Bigsby 8-31, Nix 11-8, Pegues 2-4, Schwartz 1-(minus 4). Georgia, White 19-88, Cook 5-41, Milton 6-30, McIntosh 6-29, Edwards 7-27, Mathis 1-2, Bennett 1-(minus 15).
• PASSING STATS—Auburn, Nix 21-40-1-177. Georgia, Bennett 17-28-0-240.
• RECEIVING STATS—Auburn, Schwartz 8-57, Bigsby 7-68, S.Williams 3-34, K.Hudson 1-18, Pegues 1-4, D.Williams 1-(minus 4). Georgia, K.Jackson 9-147, Pickens 2-26, Robertson 2-10, FitzPatrick 1-18, McIntosh 1-15, Burton 1-14, White 1-10.
• MISSED FIELD GOALS—Georgia, Podlesny 43.

Next Georgia football game

Who: Georgia vs. Tennessee

Where: Sanford Stadium in Athens

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

TV channel: CBS

The series: Georgia has won three in a row vs. the Vols

Georgia football 2020 schedule

Sept. 26: Georgia 37, Arkansas 10

Oct. 3: Georgia 27, Auburn 6

Oct. 10: vs. Tennessee

Oct. 17: at Alabama, 8 pm (CBS)

Oct. 24: at Kentucky

Oct. 31: OPEN

Nov. 7: vs. Florida in Jacksonville, 3:30 pm (CBS)

Nov. 14: at Missouri

Nov. 21: vs. Mississippi State

Nov. 28: at South Carolina

Dec. 5: vs. Vanderbilt

This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 10:59 PM.