Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10
Sept. 2, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Starting quarterback Jacob Eason left Georgia’s season opener with a left knee injury and though he was eventually cleared to play before the Bulldogs’ game against Tennessee, it was too late to win the job from true freshman Jake Fromm. After a season of close calls in 2016, there was no doubt during the opener. Georgia led 31-0 before giving [...]
Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10
Sept. 2, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Starting quarterback Jacob Eason left Georgia’s season opener with a left knee injury and though he was eventually cleared to play before the Bulldogs’ game against Tennessee, it was too late to win the job from true freshman Jake Fromm. After a season of close calls in 2016, there was no doubt during the opener. Georgia led 31-0 before giving up a touchdown and a field goal in the final five minutes.
Quotable:“Jake Fromm, he did exactly what I thought Jake Fromm would do. There’s not been a moment that’s been too big for Jake Fromm since he was a little kid. He’s always been that way. He played in our scrimmages just like he played out there. He knows how to manage the game really well.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 20, Notre Dame 19
Sept. 9, 2017
Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.)
Recap: Receiver Terry Godwin’s one-handed first-half touchdown catch helped propel the Bulldogs to a huge win over a then-No. 24 Notre Dame in Georgia’s first-ever trip to South Bend. Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship knocked in a 30-yard field goal after a strong fourth-quarter drive by Fromm and Davin Bellamy sacked Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush and forced a fumble that was recovered by Lorenzo Carter to seal the win that some players considered a momentum builder.
Quotable: “For us to come in and beat them in their home environment, an environment like this in a historic stadium, that means the world to us.”
- Receiver Terry Godwin
Georgia 42, Samford 14
Sept. 16, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Georgia offered a glimpse of just how deep it is at running back in the rout. Senior Nick Chubb ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Freshman D’Andre Swift had an 11-yard touchdown run, and seven players, not including Sony Michel, who was held out of the game because he was “dinged up,” combined to tally 284 yards and three scores.
Quotable: “We felt like that’s one of our deepest positions so if we could hold him, we wanted to be able to hold him (Michel) and those other guys came in and did a good job. D’Andre Swift is a good back, Brian Herrien, Elijah Holyfield. Nick gave us the same work he does all the time. We’re very fortunate to have the guys we have at that position.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 31, Mississippi State 3
Sept. 23, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Mississippi State had a ton of momentum after a win over LSU the week before it headed to Athens, and entered the game as the top-scoring team in the SEC. But Georgia was the team that ended up making a statement. The Bulldogs held Mississippi State to 280 yards of offense, the lowest mark in nine seasons under Dan Mullen.
Quotable: “I think we really came out here and made a statement that we’re a team to be reckoned with. We’re becoming a great football team and we’re kind of not worried about anybody else. We’re just trying to fix ourselves every week.”
- Outside linebacker Davin Bellamy
Georgia 41, Tennessee 0
Sept. 30, 2017
Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Recap: Georgia posted its first shutout since 2014 and first road shutout since 2012 on its way to the 800th win in program history. Georgia’s defense was again dominant, holding the Volunteers to 142 yards of total offense and just seven first downs.
Quotable: “During halftime, I didn’t need to go over and see the defensive players, they had it under control, they were doing the adjustments, doing a really nice job so give credit where credit is due. The kids play hard, they bought in to playing with toughness and practicing that way.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 45, Vanderbilt 14
Oct. 7, 2017
Vanderbilt Stadium (Nashville, Tenn.)
Recap: Georgia wasn’t particularly pleased with its defensive effort, but racked up 423 rushing yards as it pounded Vanderbilt. It was the most rushing yards for Georgia since tallying 454 against the Commodores in 1987. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel each rushed for more than 100 yards, with Chubb finishing with 138 and two scores on 16 carries and Michel tallying 150 on 12.
Quotable: “It’s not really a scoreboard deal. We really want to see if we can make the other team quit. If you can try your best to make them quit and you start seeing them falling in on the defensive line, the pushing and the movement, you know that you’ve got them where you want them. That’s kind of what our guys look to enjoy that moment.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 53, Missouri 28
Oct. 14, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Georgia’s offense again had a big night on offense, tallying 696 total yards, enough for second-best in program history. Jake Fromm passed for a career high 326 yards and went 18 of 26 with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a score. Another true freshman, D’Andre Swift, led Georgia with 94 rushing yards.
Quotable: ”I thought that was probably sloppiest game organizationally and the things we’ve got to do to be a great team, but I don’t want to diminish what that offense just went out there and did. They executed well, they ran the ball well, they threw and caught the ball well. Jake made good decisions. I thought they grew up from a passing standpoint.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 42, Florida 7
Oct. 28, 2017
EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Recap: Georgia broke a three-game losing streak to Florida behind a big afternoon from Sony Michel, who had 137 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. Florida barely avoided a shutout by scoring with just under three minutes remaining against Georgia’s backups.
Quotable: “We pride ourselves on offenses not scoring because if you can’t score, you can’t win. The second team got in there and didn’t take advantage of a few things, but it is okay. We can clean up a few things and come back to work next week and improve.”
- Linebacker Roquan Smith
Georgia 24, South Carolina 10
Nov. 4, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Georgia clinched the division for the first time since 2012 with what coach Kirby Smart called a “grind-like win” and an Ole Miss upset of Kentucky. The Bulldogs also played at home as the top-ranked team in the country in the College Football Playoff rankings. Georgia was held to its second-lowest point total of the season.
Quotable: “We’re not really thinking about that (winning the division). We know we’re in control of what we want to do. We let everything else handle itself.”
- Running back Nick Chubb
Auburn 40, Georgia 17
Nov. 11, 2017
Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn)
Recap: Auburn stifled Georgia’s run game and handed the Bulldogs their most lopsided loss on the Plains since 1990. Special teams mistakes and sloppy and costly penalties piled up as Georgia stumbled in front of a loud crowd at Auburn. Auburn ran for 237 yards, while Georgia finished with 46 yards on 32 carries.
Quotable: “A season’s not built on one game. This team will be defined by how they respond, not how they did tonight.”
- Coach Kirby Smart
Georgia 42, Kentucky 13
Nov. 18, 2017
Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Recap: Georgia rebounded from the loss at Auburn by holding the Wildcats to 262 total yards, including 124 on the ground. The game also served as senior day, and Nick Chubb and Sony Michel each scored in their final home game at Sanford Stadium. The win also marked the first time Georgia has finished undefeated at home since 2012.
Quotable: “(Auburn’s) Kerryon Johnson is a great running back and (Kentucky’s Benny Snell) is a great running back, too. We knew it was going it be a tough test for us. We came in and put up our best effort to go against them.”
- Defensive back Aaron Davis
Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 7
Nov. 25, 2017
Bobby Dodd Stadium (Atlanta)
Recap: The Bulldogs wrapped up the regular season by avenging a 28-27 loss to Georgia Tech in Athens in 2016. Georgia held Georgia Tech, which was averaging 30.2 points and 319.3 rushing yards per game, to a touchdown and 188 rushing yards. The Yellow Jackets tallied 226 total yards, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart called Roquan Smith ‘a tackling machine’ after the junior had a big afternoon with eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
Quotable: “It gives us a confidence booster. Coming off a win is always good, but we’ve still got a big game ahead of us.”
- Receiver/returner Mecole Hardman
Georgia 28, Auburn 7
Dec. 2, 2017
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Recap: Georgia rebounded from its loss to Auburn earlier in the season to win its first SEC title since 2005 and earn its first-ever spot in the College Football Playoff. Georgia held a 13-7 lead entering the fourth quarter and then scored 15 points in five minutes to stretch the lead. Linebacker Roquan Smith earned MVP honors.
Quotable: “Everybody’s worked so hard from top to bottom—trainers, coaches, players. This is just a huge testament to what we’ve done all year and super excited, man, that we get to have this moment.”
- Tight end Isaac Nauta
Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 (2OT)
Jan. 1, 2018
Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.)
Recap: Georgia looked like it was going to miss out on the national championship game when the Bulldogs fell behind 31-14 just before halftime. But the Bulldogs scored 24 unanswered points, withstood Oklahoma’s response and tied the game at 45-45 with under a minute to go. In the second overtime period, Lorenzo Carter blocked a field goal attempt and Sony Michel scored on a long run to give the Bulldogs a spot in the national title game.
Quotable: “When I scored a touchdown, I knew it was over. We finally get a chance to play for something big.”
- Running back Sony Michel