It was as much about an afternoon to salute Georgia football players–especially a defensive star who has become the face of the nation’s top-ranked team–who were making their last appearance playing in Sanford Stadium as it was about a game.
Charleston Southern, an FCS program with a losing record, had no chance against the team that was dominating its schedule against other big boy programs.
Georgia did the expected Saturday, thrashing the Buccaneers 56-7.
Star nose guard Jordan Davis afterwards stood on the Redcoat Band director’s ladder, saluted his fellow students, and held up a band jacket and then led a rendition of “Glory, Glory,” with his teammates behind him. It was a special scene for a special season.
“You could feel the love in the air,” Davis said. “I don’t know where they found that, but I’m just glad they have one in my size.”
The Bulldogs are 11-0 heading into a noon Saturday game at rival Georgia Tech. A win would make this just the fourth Georgia team to complete a regular season unbeaten and untied along with the 1946, 1980 and 1982 teams.
Here are five takeaways from a lopsided affair:
Jordan Davis adds to his Heisman Trophy resume
It was short yardage time and the crowd knew what was coming as a buzz off anticipation grew in the first quarter.
Big Jordan Davis — 6-foot-6 and somewhere around 350 pounds — had a chance to make the type of play that could help get a defensive lineman already in the Heisman Trophy conversation to New York as a finalist.
More: Georgia football’s Jordan Davis scores touchdown on Senior Day
He lined up in his usual spot on the line on the goal line package and then shifted to the backfield for his first college carry. He was hit as he took the ball on second-and-goal from the 2 and fell a yard short.
Undaunted, the nose guard again shifted into the backfield with his hand in the dirt about four yards behind the line of scrimmage and took the handoff and was hit, but this time fell over right guard and over the goal line for a touchdown to put Georgia ahead 7-0 nearly six minutes into the game.
Davis celebrated as six teammates surrounded him to soak in the moment. Linemen Jalen Carter, Xavier Truss and Devin Willock were among those offering pats on the helmet. Davis flipped ball to official like he’s been there before.
Davis, who did not record a tackle in the game, was one of 30 players honored before the game on Senior Day, but many could choose to return taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA due to the pandemic.
“It’s looking like anybody that stays for their extra year will count against your 85,” coach Kirby Smart said on his Thursday radio show. “You’re dealing with the dilemma of do they want to stay, do you want them to stay, what role do they take on? A lot of them want to get on with their careers and on with their lives whether it’s NFL or graduation and move on.”
Davis was the last player introduced and he received the loudest ovation.
He narrated a game day video trailer that was shown prior to kickoff.
Close friend and fellow defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt joined in on the family photo with Davis and Smart.
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Game, set, match
Charleston Southern stopped Georgia’s first drive when Stetson Bennett was picked off at the Chanticleers’ 20-yard line.
It went downhill from there quickly for the visitors, who picked up a $500,000 guarantee for playing this game.
The Bulldogs scored five straight touchdowns on its next five possessions and on seven of the next eight to build a 49-0 halftime lead.
It’s what should happen when a team that led fellow SEC member Vanderbilt, 35-0, in the first quarter goes up against an FCS team that finished the season with a 4-6 record.
Every available scholarship running back scored a touchdown in the first two quarters: Kenny McIntosh (32-yard touchdown catch), Zamir White (40 yard touchdown run where a middle linebacker had no chance to catch him), James Cook (3-yard touchdown run) and Daijun Edwards (6-yard touchdown run).
Tight end Brock Bowers added two touchdowns in the half to give him eight TD catches on the season with scores from 4 and 7 yards.
Georgia’s top five tacklers were all true freshmen led by linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s 6.
Daniels and other backup QBs get work
Stetson Bennett’s day was done with 12:04 left in the second quarter and a 35-0 lead after a so-so outing. He completed 8 of 14 passes for 105 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.
JT Daniels saw his fifth appearance of the season and first since the Missouri game two weeks ago. He was 7 of 12 for 73 yards and a touchdown.
On his first possession, a short pass to AD Mitchell caromed off him incomplete and a deep shot to Jaylen Johnson hit off the former walk-on receivers’ hand and fell incomplete Georgia punted for the first time on the day after a three-and-out.
Daniels hit Mitchell on right side on next drive for a first down and completed a screen to tight end Bowers on catch-and-run for 20 yards. Daniels fumbled an exchange with Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, but hit Bowers for a 7-yard touchdown on the right side on the next play.
He worked with Georgia’s offensive starters mostly but Truss was in at right guard for Ericson.
Carson Beck followed Daniels and went 5 of 10 for 77 yards with a touchdown and interception and true freshman Brock Vandagriff entered in the fourth quarter and his lone pass went incomplete.
No halftime speeches needed in this one
Georgia outgained Charleston Southern 368 to 28 in the first two quarters so no halftime speech was needed this time. The Bulldogs led 49-0 then, tying a school-record for most points in a half with the first halves in 2011 against New Mexico State and 1994 against Northeast Louisiana.
It turns out coach Smart’s mother wasn’t too pleased to hear the leaked viral R-rated speech he gave to the team against Florida Oct. 30, but his wife and kids seemed to get a kick out of it.
Mary Beth Smart was on Athens radio 960 the Ref Friday morning and said she let her kids listen to the speech from the 34-7 rout in which Kirby Smart threw around plenty of curse words including saying: “This is our expletive year!” and with a 24-0 lead after two quarters that “physically I want to break them.”
“They loved it,” she said. “They’re like that’s awesome.”
She said she listened to it 10 times with her daughter and showed “his passion and intensity for the school.” The former UGA women’s basketball guard said: “We’re Dawgs. We hate Florida. We hate Tennessee. I really hate Tennessee.”
Smart had pulled most of his defensive starters more than halfway through the second quarter with Georgia up 42-0. Freshman Xavian Sorey had his first college interception off a tipped pass in the third quarter, but the Chanticleers ended the shutout when wide receiver Garris Schwarting stripped the ball from Sorey and raced 65 yards for a touchdown.
Welcome back Dominick Blaylock. George Pickens next?
George Pickens cut across the middle and snatched a ball out of the air on a throw from Stetson Bennett.
It was only in pregame warmups, but the star wide receiver was dressed out and running routes, a sign that perhaps his return could be soon for the championship run.
Pickens sustained a torn ACL in March. He wore a sleeve on his right leg.
Another player coming back from a torn ACL — his second — made his season debut and first action since the 2019 SEC championship game.
Dominick Blaylock saw special teams snaps initially including being back on a couple of line drive punts.
Three things to know about Georgia football wide receiver Dominick Blaylock
He got a warm reception when he returned the second 10 yards.
He caught his first pass on a slant from Beck for 10 yards later in the third quarter and had another reception for 1 yard early in the fourth quarter.
Georgia was missing starting safety Christopher Smith who was in a walking boot and crutches on the sidelines.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Recap: Five takeaways from UGA football’s win over Charleston Southern