ATLANTA, Ga- The no. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (11-0 8-0 SEC) lead the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-8, 2-6 ACC) 24-0 in front of a Bobby Dodd Stadium crowd and a nationally televised ABC audience.
Stetson Bennett finished the first half 10-of-15 passing for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brock Bowers was the lone receiver with multiple catches as he posted 96 receiving yards including a touchdown on just 2 receptions. Jermaine Burton and Ladd McConkey also added touchdown receptions.
James Cook led the Bulldogs on the ground as he finished with 20 yards on just 5 carries. Zamir White followed close behind with 19 yards on 4 carries.
Nakobe Dean led all Bulldog defenders with 5 tackles including a combined sack with Quay Walker. The Bulldog defense forced 6 punts as they held the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the half. This would be the 6th first half shutout for the Bulldog defense this season.
After forcing a three-and-out on the Yellow Jackets first possession, the Bulldogs began their first drive at the Yellow Jacket 44-yard line. The drive began with an 11-yard competition to Kenny McIntosh, but later stalled on third down. Kicker Jack Podlesny was called on and nailed a 38-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs an early 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs found success through the air on their second drive as quarterback Stetson Bennett connected with Kearis Jackson over the middle for 16-yards to start the drive. Bennett later connected with tight end Brock Bowers for 14-yards and later capped off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown strike to Jermaine Burton to extend the Bulldog lead to 10-0 with 4:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Following a Yellow Jacket punt, the Bulldogs put together a 7-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a Ladd McConkey 11-yard receiving touchdown. The Bulldog scoring drive that included a 30-yard reception from Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and an 18-yard reception from tight end Darnell Washington gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead with 13:33 remaining in the first half.
Georgia’s fourth drive of the half produced a third-straight touchdown as Brock Bowers would take a catch over the middle 77-yards for a score giving Georgia a 24-0 lead. The 77-yard catch and run would be Bowers team-leading 9th touchdown reception of the year and 10th total touchdown.
The Yellow Jackets’ fifth drive of the half consumed just under 8 minutes of game clock over 12-plays. The 39-yard drive would stall at the UGA-36 following an incomplete pass on third down.
Following an exchange of punts, the Bulldogs take one more shot down the field to end the half, but Stetson’s deep ball intended for Dominick Blaylock fell incomplete.
