Duck hunting in the state of Georgia started early this year as the No. 3 Bulldogs trounced No. 11 Oregon 49-3 on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia dominated in all facets of the game, but especially on offense and defense. The two Bulldog units clicked together in the first half, which led to a 21-point second quarter.
“I was really proud of the way our kids played,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “We tried to talk about coming out and playing as if we were hunting, and we wanted to play connected football. That was what we talked about all week. We’re going to play connected; we’re going to play aggressive; we’re going to be a hunter.”
The Bulldogs hunted, indeed.
UGA reached the end zone on its first seven offensive possessions. The Bulldogs’ scoring frenzy started with a 12-play, 85-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Ladd McConkey scored on a nineyard rush off a reverse.
The Ducks responded by picking up a few first-downs on the ensuing possession before quarterback Bo Nix tossed his first interception to Bulldogs cornerback Malaki Starks. The freshman defensive back leaped in the air and came down with the pick.
“He’s been probably our most productive defensive back all camp, which means he gets lots of hands-on balls,” Smart said.
“Batted balls; he knocked down balls; he had picks. He’s a really good football player. We wanted to get him in the game early, and fortunately, it was a play where he was one-on-one. He made a great play.”
Georgia drove 92 yards on eight plays and scored following Nix’s first interception. The possession was highlighted by quarterback Stetson Bennett’s long pass completions to Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers and McConkey. Those three combined plays of 79 yards set up the sixth-year senior signalcaller for a one-yard touchdown run.
Nix was picked off again by senior Bulldog safety Christopher Smith on the next Oregon drive. Washington and sophomore wide receiver AD Mitchell made big-time grabs for Georgia. That set up senior running back Kenny McIntosh for a short touchdown run a few plays later. The Ducks then got on the board with a 35-yard field goal on the next possession.
However, the Bulldogs didn’t let their foot off the gas just quite yet. McIntosh made another big-time play on a 39-yard catch-and-run.
Bennett continued his dominant presence in the pocket as he connected with McConkey for a four-yard score a few players later.
Georgia’s ability to spread around the wealth on offense led to a 28-3 advantage at the half.
“You take what the defense gives you, right?” Smart asked.
“If they’re willing to give you a chance to make those plays and throw the ball around, we think Stetson does it well. We think we’ve got good skill players.
Scoring points is the name of the game.”
The Bulldogs’ relentless effort on both sides of the ball continued into the second half.
Georgia running back Kendall Milton scored on the first drive of the second half, punching it in from 12 yards out. That Bulldogs’ six-play, 64-yard possession gave them a 35-3 lead. They would score two more times before finally having to punt.
Oregon continued to struggle in the second half, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Ducks were limited to 313 yards of total offense. Georgia forced two turnovers, but let Oregon convert 47 percent on its thirddown plays. The Bulldogs also didn’t record a sack on Nix, but wreaked enough havoc, forcing him to make mistakes. Those two interceptions proved to be the difference in momentum as the Georgia offense scored 14 points off turnovers.
“We’re always trying to make a statement every time we step out onto the field,” Smith said. “I just think the way we played today attests to all the work we put in and how we wanted to execute the game plan. A lot of those guys, they got drafted off the defense last year and were over there cheering us on, so that definitely helped us out a lot.”
McIntosh was one of Georgia’s main catalysts on the offensive side of the ball. He rushed for 18 yards on five attempts with a score but had team highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (117). McIntosh also had 109 yards after the catch.
“I just thank God for putting me in this position,” McIntosh said. “I love making those plays.
I’ve been here a long time, so I’ve seen how it’s supposed to look. I think this is RBU (Running Back University).
This is RBU, being able to watch guys like DeAndre Swift go out there and compete at a high level each and every week.
It’s my time to be out there. I was just wanting it to look the same and keep the standard that’s here at Georgia.”