Georgia football, the reigning national champions, were pretty much unstoppable and clicking on all cylinders as they completely dominated Oregon on Saturday.
No. 3 Georgia opened their 2022 college football season by defeating No. 11 Oregon, 49-3, in the Bulldogs' first game since winning the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
Stetson Bennett IV finished the game passing 25-of-31 for 368 yards and two touchdowns. That included 154 yards in the first quarter to set the tone. In the most comprehensive performance of his career, Bennett found nine different receivers and threw two touchdown passes. He threw one to Ladd McConkey in the second quarter and another to Adonai Mitchell in the third.
The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on each of their first seven possessions. This included rushing TDs by Ladd McConkey, Bennett, and Kenny McIntosh. The Oregon Ducks were only able to score with a field goal early in the second quarter.
Georgia football's touchdown drives were all 56 yards or longer. The biggest was a seven-play, 92-yard drive that ended on the opening play of the second quarter. The 49-3 winning margin went down as the highest in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. It surpassed Alabama's 42-3 victory over Duke to start the 2019 season.
Bo Nix, the Ducks' rookie quarterback, was unpredictable and inconsistent all day. He did complete 21-of-37 passes for 173 yards but also threw two interceptions in the first half that opened a big hole from which the Ducks couldn't pull themselves out.
It was such a lopsided opening win for Georgia football, and here are three takeaways from the defending champions' win over Oregon.
DAWGS ON 🔝#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/oP9Uu073aj
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 3, 2022
3. Watch out for Georgia football DB Malaki Starks
Georgia football had multiple interceptions in just five games last season. Their new-look defense, however, needed just 18 minutes to get two INTs on Saturday.
Last year, Georgia recorded three interceptions against UAB and two apiece against Vanderbilt, Florida, Michigan, and Alabama in the national championship game.
In the first half, freshman safety Makail Starks and fellow safety Christopher Smith both had interceptions.
Starks impressed. He stands 6'1 and weighs 205 pounds, leaping up to intercept a ball intended for Oregon wide receiver Seven McGee as he tumbled backward.
“He’s a great player man,” Smith said of Starks in the post-game presser. “I’ve seen him do that a bunch of times. Definitely, one of the greatest interceptions I’ve ever seen. He laid out for it.”
Dan Jackson actually started at safety alongside Smith, but Starks ended up leading the Bulldogs with eight tackles, five of which were solo. Certainly looks like Georgia got a defensive stud in Starks.
2. Georgia football defense is stout and scary
The revamped Georgia football defense was so overwhelming that the Oregon offense failed to score a single touchdown. It also turns out that both co-defensive coordinators remained on the field for Georgia. Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp both stayed on the sidelines and did not go upstairs to the press box.
Nobody can argue with the results, of course. The Bulldogs' D was quite effective. Oregon gained just 5.1 yards per play in the first half and was restricted to a 35-yard field goal by Camden Lewis.
“Defensively, we were a little bit more bend but not break,” head coach Kirby Smart said post-game.
Georgia did a fine job hurrying former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix and even better covering his targets. Nix, for instance, fired an incomplete pass with 1:22 remaining after the Ducks had advanced to the Georgia 2.
It's a great sign for a Georgia football defense that lost five first-round draft choices and eight total defenders in the NFL draft last April.
To illustrate the depth and balance of the Bulldogs' defense, eight different players had multiple tackles in the first half. Remember that this defense allowed just 10.2 points per game last season. That's the best mark since Alabama in 2011, and the Bulldogs' D didn't lose a beat in their season opener.
1. Stetson Bennett is THAT guy
What can Stetson Bennett do for an encore after being named offensive MVP of the Orange Bowl and winning the national title over Alabama?
How about going 18-of-21 for 254 yards and a touchdown on top of a 1-yard touchdown run in the first half as Georgia established a 28-3 lead?
Yep. Bennett is THAT guy.
Stetson Bennett, magic man 🪄
Four possessions, four touchdowns for No. 3 Georgia vs. former DC Dan Lanning and Oregon in the first half.
🎥 @GeorgiaFootballpic.twitter.com/hymSecqZg4
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 3, 2022
Yes, he did have three incompletions in the first half that included two balls he threw away efficiently under pressure and a third that he threw behind A.D. Mitchell. Bennett, however, also completed his first three passes of the second half.
The sixth-year veteran finished the game 25-of-31 for 368 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions before being replaced by Carson Beck with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter.
With 21 seconds left in the first period, Bennett fired a 4-yard touchdown throw to Ladd McConkey. After unloading the pass to a wide-open McConkey in the left corner of the end zone, Bennett ran to the right, cut back, eluded a tackler, and took a hard hit. He was rock-solid all throughout.
“I think Stetson did a good job of being able to move the ball on the perimeter and he is elusive,” Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning said after the game.
This was Bennett's 18th start at Georgia but just his first in a season opener for the Bulldogs. Something tells me he'll continue to start and dominate in the games to come.
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