Georgia defeated Marshall 45-7 in Sanford Stadium to kick off the 2025 season. The offense could not have had a better start, scoring touchdowns on the first two drives from key runs by Dwight Phillips Jr. and Gunner Stockton. The Bulldogs cruised to an easy victory with many players getting reps ahead of the daunting SEC schedule ahead.
The win marked the 32nd straight home victory, which continues to be a program record and is the longest in SEC history. While the Bulldogs were heavily favored (although they didn’t cover the point spread) to beat Marshall, winning at home during this dominant run continues to show how impactful the crowd at Sanford Stadium is for the opposition.
One of the biggest storylines this offseason for the Bulldogs was how Gunner Stockton would fare as the new starting quarterback. In his first start of the season, you really could not have asked for much more. He had zero turnovers, did not force too many throws and just played a solid game of football under center. What I was most impressed with was his running ability. The read options were killing the Marshall defense, and that style of offense is something this Georgia program has not seen for a very long time.
Bulldog fans have often complained that the Bulldogs need a “running quarterback.” Though Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck both had their mobile moments, it was nothing like what we saw out of Stockton on Saturday. Yes, the Thundering Herd are not a team to get too hyped up about playing well against, but there wasn’t much more Stockton could have done to lead the Bulldogs to a commanding victory. Many teams across college football are a bit frustrated with how their new quarterbacks performed in week 1, so it is great to see Georgia’s quarterback play at a high level.
The Branch brothers have officially made their mark in Athens.
Zachariah Branch, the transfer from USC had an unbelievable day, going for 95 yards and a touchdown on just three receptions. His explosiveness that was shown during his limited play is something that Georgia fans have been longing to see, as it feels like the past few seasons since Bowers and McConkey have lacked a play-maker like Branch. His brother Zion Branch led the defense with seven tackles, which could very well be a telling sign of what’s to come with these Branch brothers.
The defensive side of the ball looked elite, as well. Marshall had just seven first downs and just over 200 yards of total offense. When Georgia was in their back-to-back titles era, it seemed like opposing teams had a hard time crossing the 50. Yes, this team does not have players such as Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith, but who’s to say that this year’s defense cannot have that dominant feeling to it. Seeing that kind of play continue will certainly do wonders for Bobo and Stockton as they continue to develop this new offense.
The Bulldogs will host Austin Peay in week two at home as they continue to get players good reps and fine tune this team before heading to Knoxville to truly begin this season. The Governors defeated Middle Tennessee 34-14 to begin their year, so we will see if they can have more success in Athens than Marshall.