Georgia didn’t waste much time showing what kind of night it was going to be.
Nate Frazier ripped off a 48-yard touchdown on the third play of the game, and that burst set off a 28-point first quarter as the Dawgs rolled past Tennessee State 63-3 to open the season in emphatic fashion. Frazier finished with three touchdowns on just four carries, a line that only adds to the feeling that he’s headed for a breakout season.
Gunner Stockton barely needed to stay on the field long to leave his mark. In limited action, he completed 202 passing yards, threw three touchdowns and had one incomplete pass. Georgia’s 63 points matched its output against Florida State in the 2023 Orange Bowl.
The final score was lopsided, but the bigger takeaway was how thoroughly Georgia handled business. Tennessee State was overmatched, sure, but the Bulldogs still produced 660 total yards and moved the ball with ease for the full 60 minutes. The defense was just as sharp, and the overall performance made a strong statement about the energy on both sides of the ball.
There was also plenty of room for a wide range of players to get involved. Four quarterbacks saw the field.
The offense spread the ball around to multiple pass-catchers. Five Bulldogs scored their first collegiate touchdowns.
Talyn Taylor looked smooth working around the field, while Jaden Reddell had his “Brock Bowers” moment, forcing defenders into each other before the play was wiped out by a penalty. Walk-on receiver Jeremy Bell hauled in the longest catch of the day, a 54-yard touchdown, and true freshmen Kaiden Prothro and Jae Lamar both found the end zone.
Now Georgia turns to Western Kentucky, which comes to Athens for a 12:45 kickoff. The Hilltoppers were overwhelmed in a 49-14 loss to Nevada in Week 1, giving up 323 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. And beyond the football, there’s one more arrival fans are looking forward to: Big Red, one of the sport’s best mascots, will be in the building.
One other thing worth watching next week: the alternate uniforms. The feeling here is that they’re sticking around.
Kirby Smart is adjusting with the sport as recruiting continues to evolve, and the all-white look gives the program another layer of energy for players and fans alike. It’s usually a uniform you only see in recruiting photos, but Georgia appears ready to keep pushing that idea forward.
Tradition will always get its defenders, but college football itself doesn’t look very traditional anymore.
In Other News...
Georgia Is Caught In A Growing SEC Fight Over LSU
The SECs latest round of soul-searching over LSUs roster moves did not produce a clean finish, but it did keep the issue squarely in front of the leagues top decision-makers. Presidents and chancellors held a videoconference to address the controversy surrounding LSU adding former NFL players to its football roster, and the conference came away saying it would keep working toward a resolution as the matter continues to ripple across the league.
For Georgia, the bigger concern is less about the headlines than the precedent. LSUs decision to fill its final two roster spots prevented a vote to expel the school from the SEC, even as legal actions continue and the conference tries to preserve its authority to discipline LSU. At the center of the fight is a basic question of control over a football program, and the SEC is still trying to show it has the power to answer it. [Read more 🡒]
Stetson Bennett Finally Got His NFL Shot But One Rams Question Looms
Stetson Bennett finally got the NFL moment he had been waiting for, and it came with a familiar kind of pressure attached. Named the Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback over rookie Ty Simpson for the season opener, Bennett was in position to back up the starter and then got into the game late, completing two of three passes and adding nine rushing yards in his first appearance.
Sean McVays comments afterward made clear the job is still something the Rams are sorting through, not something that has been handed out for good. The team wants to develop both quarterbacks, which leaves Bennett in a spot Georgia fans know well: on the doorstep of a bigger role, but still needing to hold it off as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Gunner Stockton Is Already Facing A Heisman Tradeoff
Gunner Stocktons opening week was always going to come with a little extra scrutiny, and Georgias decision to keep him on a short leash against Tennessee State only sharpened it. He got just five drives in the opener, a choice Kirby Smart made with health in mind rather than letting his quarterback pile up the kind of numbers that tend to move Heisman conversations early in the season.
The result was a slide in Stocktons Heisman stock, from the top 10 to 16th, but Georgia hardly sounds bothered by the ranking shuffle. Stockton is still in the mix, just in a different way now, with the Bulldogs more interested in keeping him upright and building toward a national championship than chasing an individual trophy in September. [Read more 🡒]