Category: UGA Football

On Saturday, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m., top-ranked Georgia (1-0) plays host to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (0-1) for its 2024 home opener at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. Following the two-phase renovation in 2023-24, capacity has increased slightly to 93,033. Georgia remains ninth among the top 10 largest on-campus stadiums.

One part of the latest renovation is a new Sanford Stadium Press Box now located on levels 4 and 5 at the west end of the Sky Suites on the south side of the stadium. This replaced the Dan Magill Press Box which was built in 1967. There is no change to the field level Frank Lumpkin Media Center, which serves as the photographer work and hospitality area as well as the head coach’s interview room.

The Bulldogs have won 12 straight home openers. Tennessee Tech, under new coach Bobby Wilder, opened its season on the road against Middle Tennessee and nearly spoiled the debut of Blue Raiders head coach Derek Mason. MTSU put together a seven-play, 75-yard TD drive to take the lead with just 16 second left in the contest and added a two-point play for the 32-25 final.

Georgia holds a 2-0 advantage in the series with the Golden Eagles, winning 67-0 in 1943 and 38-0 in 2009, posting both shutouts in Athens.

With its 34-3 demolition of No. 14 Clemson, top-ranked Georgia improved to 101-27-3 in season openers including 9-0 in the Kirby Smart era. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight openers. Also, the win over the Tigers gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 record in ranked matchups to start a season including 4-0 under Smart. The 18th-ranked Bulldogs beat No. 22 North Carolina 33-24 in Atlanta in Smart’s debut in 2016. In 2021, then No. 5 Georgia stifled No. 3 Clemson in Charlotte. In 2022, No. 3 Georgia crushed No. 11 Oregon 49-3 in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs opened the 2024 season ranked No. 1 in the AP and US LBM Coaches poll for the third time in school history (2008, 2023). After dispatching No. 14 Clemson last Saturday, Georgia (1-0) should remain No. 1 this week. The Bulldogs have the longest active streak of being ranked in the AP top 10 (50 straight polls). The Bulldogs will face five teams preseason ranked in the top 15 including three of those on the road in No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Ole Miss and the fourth at a neutral site (No. 14 Clemson in Atlanta).

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ATLANTA — Georgia’s versatile and explosive wide receiver Dillon Bell summed things up well Saturday afternoon, following the top-ranked Bulldogs’ 34-3 throttling of No. 14 Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Bell, who had four receptions for 32 yards and a 27-yard rush, said there are “a lot of playmakers on our roster.” And the Bulldogs used a lot of them effectively in the second half to blow open what was a 6-0 game at halftime. Some are familiar names, like quarterback Carson Beck and safety Malaki Starks, while others, such as tailback Nate Frazier and receiver London Humphreys, made big plays in their first games in the red and black.

Yes, the Bulldogs have lost a lot of offensive and defensive playmakers to the NFL over the past couple of seasons — standouts like Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Kamari Lassiter and Javon Bullard — but as we see year after year, that just creates opportunities for new guys to emerge.

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ATLANTA, Ga. — Led by a stifling performance from its defense, the top-ranked Georgia football team opened its 2024 season Saturday with a dominant 34-3 win over No. 14 Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff Game at a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Bulldogs (1-0) were leading 20-3 in the fourth quarter when quarterback Carson Beck hit sophomore wide receiver London Humphreys for a 40-yard touchdown to lift much of the crowd of 78,827 to its feet and blow the game open with 9:57 remaining. Beck finished 23 of 33 passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns, the Georgia offense racked up 447 yards, and the Bulldog defense, which got an interception from safety Malaki Starks in the fourth quarter, held the Tigers (0-1) to just 188 yards.

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