Category: UGA Football

UGA Football: Smart, Bulldogs Preview SEC Championship Game

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, along with several players, spent time with media on Monday to preview this week’s Southeastern Conference Championship game against Alabama.

 

Smart and the Bulldogs offered the following comments.

 

Head Coach Kirby Smart

Opening Statement …
“We are looking forward to the SEC Championship game. Always a great venue, a great event. I spoke on this yesterday. I feel like I’m saying the same thing twice, but it’s just an incredible atmosphere to play in. I never had a chance to play in it as a player, but have coached in it a lot of times, and it’s just a special atmosphere. And the fan bases of both teams regardless of who’s in it, are always so passionate, and excited for our players to get an opportunity to play in it. I guess it’s the first time since we’ve been here that we’ve got less of a portion of guys that have played in it. Our upperclassman have. Some have played in two of them, some in one, and some in zero. Very important to keep your composure and have a good plan of attack and then execute.”

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UGA Football: Dan Lanning Named Broyles Award Finalist Again

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator/outside linebackers coach Dan Lanning has been named one of five finalists for the 2021 Broyles Award, making him a finalist for the second time in three years.

The four other finalists for the Broyles Award, which is presented to college football’s assistant coach of the year, are Baylor offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Grimes, Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Michigan offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Josh Gattis and Wake Forest offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Warren Ruggiero.

Lanning was also a finalist in 2019.  Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart won the 2009 honor and was a finalist in 2015 while at Alabama.

The five finalists are invited to travel to Little Rock, Ark., on Dec. 6-7 where the 2021 Broyles Award winner will be announced.

In his third year as defensive coordinator and fourth overall with the Bulldogs, Lanning has established Georgia’s defense as one of the nation’s best year in and year out.  The Bulldogs lead the country in Scoring Defense (6.9 points/game), Total Defense (230.6 yards/game) and Red Zone Defense (54.5 percent), are second in Passing Yards Allowed (151.6 y/g) and are third in Rushing Defense (79.0 y/g).  The Bulldogs have allowed an FBS best 83 points in 2021.

Georgia is on the verge of setting several all-time UGA marks.  The school record for fewest average points allowed in a season with 12 or more games is 12.6 in 2019.  The fewest points allowed in a season with 12 or more games is 176 also in 2019.  The defense has posted three shutouts this year, including two in Southeastern Conference play.

The No. 1 Bulldogs (12-0, 8-0 SEC) face No. 4 Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC) in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday.  CBS will televise the matchup at 4 p.m.

UGA Football: SEC Issues Fan Advisory for Championship Game

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Fans attending the 2021 SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta on December 4 are encouraged to become familiar with policies related to fan enjoyment and security for the game.

The 2021 SEC Football Championship game will kick off at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT on December 4 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will be televised by CBS. The game is sold out.

  • Mobile Tickets – All tickets will be digital for the game. Fans should familiarize themselves with the mobile ticketing process at http://www.secsports.com/mobile.
  • Gates of Mercedes-Benz Stadium will open at 1:30 p.m. ET for early-arriving fans.
  • SEC Clear Bag Policy – For security purposes, only clear bags are permitted in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Bags will be inspected before entry.
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium Cashless Policy – By accepting only credit cards, debit cards and mobile payments, transactions take place faster and allows concessions and merchandise vendors to operate more efficiently for customers.
  • SEC Ticket Exchange – Fans should be aware of counterfeit tickets and should use the SEC Ticket Exchange at http://www.secticketoffice.com/ to purchase verified tickets.
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium Pom-Pom Policy – Pom-poms or shakers must have paddle handles to be admitted into the stadium. Pom-poms or shakers with stick handles are prohibited for safety reasons.
  • Tailgating will be allowed in The Home Depot Backyard West Lawn and M Lot.

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UGA Football: 12-0 – A Tough Start, A Perfect Finish

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

ATLANTA — We didn’t know what we knew back on Sept. 4, when Christopher Smith returned an interception for a touchdown and the defense led Georgia to a 10-3 grind-it-out win over then-No. 2 Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, N.C.

OK, we knew that this might be a really good Bulldog defense. But the rest — the offense, special teams, injuries, the schedule, this bounce and that deflection, the million unknowns that are slowly revealed from the start of September through the end of November — we had to wait and wonder and watch.

We know a lot more now, including how crazy good this defense actually is.

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UGA Football: Warren McClendon Chat

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

You can have the turkey on Thursday, but bring Warren McClendon the ham.

McClendon, a 6-foot-4 and 300-pound Georgia offensive lineman from Brunswick, Ga., is all about the ham on Thanksgiving. His fellow big lineman with a big appetite, Xavier Truss, feels the same way.

Though he’s the nephew of former All-SEC tailback Willie McClendon, who starred in the late 1970s, McClendon, a redshirt sophomore, has forged his own path and made his own name for himself. He’s been the top-ranked Bulldogs’ starter at right tackle all season after starting nine times in 2020.

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UGA Football: Georgia Finishes Undefeated Season With Shutout of Tech

45
 Georgia 12-0 , 8-0
0
Georgia Tech 3-9 , 2-6
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
Georgia 10 14 14 7 45
Georgia Tech 0 0 0 0 0

Team Statistics

Team Statistics
Game Stats UGA GT
Total Yards 463 171
Pass Yards 255 73
Rushing Yards 208 98
Penalty Yards 0-0 5-43
1st Downs 21 9
3rd Downs 2-5 5-14
4th Downs 0-0 0-2
TOP 26:52 33:08

ATLANTA, Ga.– Posting its third shutout of the season, the top-ranked University of Georgia football team completed its first unbeaten regular season since 1982 with a 45-0 victory over rival Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon before 54,400 spectators at Bobby Dodd Stadium and an ABC national television audience.

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UGA Football: No. 1 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech Postgame Notes

Perfect 12-0 Regular Season: With today’s 45-0 victory, top-ranked Georgia improves to 12-0 for the first time since 1980 when the Bulldogs finished with that mark as consensus national champions. This is Georgia’s first undefeated regular season since 1982 (11-0) and just the fourth time in school history completing a perfect regular season with double-digit victories (1946, 1980, 1982). Georgia extends the nation’s longest active winning streak in the FBS to 16 games. This streak ranks as the second longest in school history. The Bulldog record is 17 games set during a three-year stretch from 1945-47. Georgia’s current winning streak includes nine on the road which is a school record. Also today, Georgia did not have a penalty for the first time since the 2019 win here versus Tech.

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UGA Football: Game Notes – No. 1 Georgia Renews Rivalry with Tech

Game & Broadcast Info
  • Kickoff: Saturday, November 27 – 12:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium (55,000) | Atlanta, Ga.
  • 2021 Records: Georgia 11-0 (8-0 SEC), Georgia Tech 3-8 (2-6 ACC)
  • History: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech All-Time Series Results: UGA 68-39-5
  • Rankings: Georgia #1, Georgia Tech NR
  • TV: ABC – Bob Wischusen (PxP), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
  • Video Stream: SECN+
  • Radio: WSB AM 750 – Bulldog Network | Affiliates | Scott Howard (PxP), Eric Zeier (Color), DJ Shockley (sideline)
  • Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
  • Satellite: SiriusXM: 81/81/81
  • Web Stats: StatBroadcast
  • Twitter: #UGAvsGT
  • ReBroadcast: SEC Network: TBA

 

Georgia 2021 Averages Georgia Tech
40.3 Scoring Offense 26.2
7.5 Scoring Defense 32.5
+2 Turnover Margin -2
440.0 Total Offense 385.2
201.1 Rushing Offense 175.5
238.9 Passing Offense 209.7
10.2 Punt Returns 3.8
18.5 Kickoff Returns 20.9

Dogs Atop The Polls

For a school record seventh straight week, Georgia is the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP and Coaches polls. This seven-week stretch of being the unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll matches Alabama’s run during the 2018 season for the longest ever going back to 1936. Currently, Georgia is ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff poll. The fourth 2021 CFP ranking will be released on Tuesday. Georgia is 4-0 versus ranked teams, including a pair of top-10 wins. The Bulldogs are the only team in the nation with eight wins versus opponents that have a winning record.

Aiming For An Elite Finish

This is the first time since 1982 that the Bulldogs are 11-0. Georgia looks to become only the fourth team in school history to finish a regular season undefeated and untied with double-digit victories and then play for a national title (1946, 1980, 1982). Vince Dooley’s 1980 consensus national champions was the last Georgia squad to go 12-0 after defeating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Incidentally, the school record for wins in a season is 13, and that’s been done twice (2002 under Mark Richt and 2017 under Kirby Smart).

Rivalry Rumblings
  • Georgia leads the series 68-39-5 and doesn’t count two Georgia Tech wins during WWII (1943-44) when the Yellow Jackets utilized players from a naval officer’s training program hosted on campus. The Bulldogs have won the past 10 meetings in Atlanta dating back to 2001 and the last three in a row in the series. The teams did not play in 2020 as the SEC played a 10-game league-only slate due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Since 1995, the winner of the Georgia-Georgia Tech game has been awarded the Governor’s Cup Trophy. Since then, the Bulldogs are 19-6 in that stretch.
  • The Georgia-Georgia Tech series is one of the nation’s oldest. There are only 13 other FBS rivalries that have been played more with Minnesota-Wisconsin at the top with 130 games and Georgia-Auburn tied for second now with 126. UW meets UM Saturday in Minneapolis, and the Badgers have a slight series lead at 62-60-8.
  • From 1917-24, Georgia and Georgia Tech did not play each other because of a dispute caused by a Georgia parade float that ridiculed Tech for playing football during World War I.
  • Georgia Tech’s 51-48 win in overtime in 1999 in Atlanta on ABC was the highest-scoring game in the series and featured 1,102 total yards of offense. In overtime, Georgia blocked the Yellow Jackets’ first field goal attempt on third down and the Jackets recovered it. Then, Luke Manget kicked a 38-yarder on the mulligan for the win.
  • In 1978, Georgia trailed 20-0 in the 2nd quarter when freshman Buck Belue came off the sideline and rallied the team to a 29-28 win, the biggest comeback in school history to that point.
  • Georgia closed out the 2002 regular season in Athens with a 51-7 thrashing of Georgia Tech on CBS. It was the most points ever for a Bulldog squad against the Yellow Jackets.
Dominating Defense & Offense Delivering Points

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UGA Football: Football Collects Flurry Of Finalists, Semifinalists For Awards

ATHENS, Ga. — Members from Georgia’s top-ranked football team were named finalists and semifinalists for a variety of national awards on Tuesday, according to an ESPN announcement.

The finalists have now been named for the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) honors presented at The Home Deport College Football Awards.  This year’s awards show will air on ESPN live on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. ET.  ESPN’s Rece Davis will host the two-hour special, joined by analysts Dusty Dvoracek and Desmond Howard, with reporter Jen Lada.

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UGA Football: Game Notes – No. 1 Georgia Renews Rivalry with Tech

Game & Broadcast Info
  • Kickoff: Saturday, November 27 – 12:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium (55,000) | Atlanta, Ga.
  • 2021 Records: Georgia 11-0 (8-0 SEC), Georgia Tech 3-8 (2-6 ACC)
  • History: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech All-Time Series Results: UGA 68-39-5
  • Rankings: Georgia #1, Georgia Tech NR
  • TV: ABC – Bob Wischusen (PxP), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
  • Video Stream: SECN+
  • Radio: WSB AM 750 – Bulldog Network | Affiliates | Scott Howard (PxP), Eric Zeier (Color), DJ Shockley (sideline)
  • Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
  • Satellite: SiriusXM: 81/81/81
  • Web Stats: StatBroadcast
  • Twitter: #UGAvsGT
  • ReBroadcast: SEC Network: TBA

 

Georgia 2021 Averages Georgia Tech
40.3 Scoring Offense 26.2
7.5 Scoring Defense 32.5
+2 Turnover Margin -2
440.0 Total Offense 385.2
201.1 Rushing Offense 175.5
238.9 Passing Offense 209.7
10.2 Punt Returns 3.8
18.5 Kickoff Returns 20.9

Dogs Atop The Polls

For a school record seventh straight week, Georgia is the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP and Coaches polls. This seven-week stretch of being the unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll matches Alabama’s run during the 2018 season for the longest ever going back to 1936. Currently, Georgia is ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff poll. The fourth 2021 CFP ranking will be released on Tuesday. Georgia is 4-0 versus ranked teams, including a pair of top-10 wins. The Bulldogs are the only team in the nation with eight wins versus opponents that have a winning record.

Aiming For An Elite Finish

This is the first time since 1982 that the Bulldogs are 11-0. Georgia looks to become only the fourth team in school history to finish a regular season undefeated and untied with double-digit victories and then play for a national title (1946, 1980, 1982). Vince Dooley’s 1980 consensus national champions was the last Georgia squad to go 12-0 after defeating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Incidentally, the school record for wins in a season is 13, and that’s been done twice (2002 under Mark Richt and 2017 under Kirby Smart).

Rivalry Rumblings
  • Georgia leads the series 68-39-5 and doesn’t count two Georgia Tech wins during WWII (1943-44) when the Yellow Jackets utilized players from a naval officer’s training program hosted on campus. The Bulldogs have won the past 10 meetings in Atlanta dating back to 2001 and the last three in a row in the series. The teams did not play in 2020 as the SEC played a 10-game league-only slate due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Since 1995, the winner of the Georgia-Georgia Tech game has been awarded the Governor’s Cup Trophy. Since then, the Bulldogs are 19-6 in that stretch.
  • The Georgia-Georgia Tech series is one of the nation’s oldest. There are only 13 other FBS rivalries that have been played more with Minnesota-Wisconsin at the top with 130 games and Georgia-Auburn tied for second now with 126. UW meets UM Saturday in Minneapolis, and the Badgers have a slight series lead at 62-60-8.
  • From 1917-24, Georgia and Georgia Tech did not play each other because of a dispute caused by a Georgia parade float that ridiculed Tech for playing football during World War I.
  • Georgia Tech’s 51-48 win in overtime in 1999 in Atlanta on ABC was the highest-scoring game in the series and featured 1,102 total yards of offense. In overtime, Georgia blocked the Yellow Jackets’ first field goal attempt on third down and the Jackets recovered it. Then, Luke Manget kicked a 38-yarder on the mulligan for the win.
  • In 1978, Georgia trailed 20-0 in the 2nd quarter when freshman Buck Belue came off the sideline and rallied the team to a 29-28 win, the biggest comeback in school history to that point.
  • Georgia closed out the 2002 regular season in Athens with a 51-7 thrashing of Georgia Tech on CBS. It was the most points ever for a Bulldog squad against the Yellow Jackets.
Dominating Defense & Offense Delivering Points

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