It is no secret that Georgia fans travel well on the road. With Georgia Tech reeling at 3-8 entering the game and Georgia sitting pretty as the No. 1 team in the country, most anticipated it would be about a 50/50 split.
That would be doing a disservice to how well Georgia fans showed out for this game. Bobby Dodd Stadium was filled with red and black, creating a home atmosphere for Georgia as they rolled the Jackets 45-0 on the way to completing a perfect 12-0 regular season.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” said Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. “The fans came out and supported as always. I love UGA fans. It felt like a rivalry atmosphere; it wasn’t just us battling on the field, you felt the crowds kind of going back and forth.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said earlier this week that he did not have to worry about his team overlooking this game because of their focus. He was right. Starting quarterback questions are no longer relevant in Athens with the way Stetson Bennett has played this year.
Bennett had one of his best games on Saturday, tearing up a shaky Yellow Jackets defense for 255 yards and four touchdowns. It was all about efficiency for the Bulldogs’ offense, who scored their 45 points despite having the lower time of possession on Saturday.
Also, Georgia only had to punt once, while scoring six offensive touchdowns. Brock Bowers scored two of Georgia’s touchdowns on just three catches for 100 yards. The Bulldogs also stayed disciplined, not committing a penalty in a game for the first time since 2019 when they played Georgia Tech. That becomes even more impressive when you factor in the rivalry aspect of the game.
“I think they’re hungry to play their best,” said Smart on his team. “We’re still getting better. What excites me is that the strength of our team is our team. It’s not like the strength of our team is this or that, it’s the leaders and the players that are the strength of the team… when they speak people listen.”
It marked the first time Georgia has finished a regular season undefeated since 1982 and the first time ever that the Bulldogs have posted a 12-0 mark in the regular season. While it is a historic achievement, Georgia players and coaches will not have much time to celebrate with by far their biggest test of the season lying ahead next Saturday against Alabama.
“Right now, we’ve got some more business to take care of,” said Bennett. “It’s cool to look at and hopefully 20 years from now, we’ll be able to look back and say we went undefeated through the regular season but right now, we’re gonna take what this game gave us and move forward.”
Georgia’s defense continued their season-long domination, shutting out an opponent for the third time this season. The Bulldogs held the Yellow Jackets to just 171 yards of total offense all day, even with many of the second and third-stringers in for the second half. Georgia officially gave up the fewest number of yards per game and fewest number touchdowns in the country with the 45-0 win on Saturday.
Now, all eyes are ahead on a game Georgia fans have been anticipating for months. No. 1 Georgia will face Alabama with a chance to clinch the top College Football Playoff spot.
“The SEC Championship is one of the greatest environments there is in all of college sports,” said Smart. “It compares with the Final Four, it compares with the College World Series. It’s one of the greatest events.”
Stetson Bennett said it best after the win, “now the real fun starts.”