Georgia’s road to the SEC championship

Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10

Georgia opened its season with an unexpected result, although not in terms of the final score of the game. Starting quarterback Jacob Eason went down with a knee injury and freshman Jake Fromm entered in relief. Fromm sparked what was a struggling Georgia offense early en route to an easy victory. The defense did a good job locking down Appalachian State running back Jalin Moore by holding him to only 38 yards on 13 carries. Nick Chubb scored a pair of touchdowns for Georgia, with Sony Michel adding one as well.

Georgia 20, Notre Dame 19

Notre Dame Stadium was infiltrated by a rabid sea of red, which was quite the site inside the historic venue. Many Georgia fans made the trip to the Midwest to see the Chicago Cubs play Friday night (with Vince Dooley throwing the first pitch) and for the Bulldogs to take on the Fighting Irish. And it was quite the game to remember. Needing a touchdown in a key moment in the first half, receiver Terry Godwin brought down a one-handed touchdown by his fingertips. Georgia trailed 19-17 in the fourth quarter when Fromm lofted a pass that receiver Javon Wims high-pointed for a 31-yard gain. That helped set up what would be the game-winning field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship. Lorenzo Carter sealed the game by sacking quarterback Brandon Wimbush and recovering his fumble.

Georgia 42, Samford 14

Chubb had an impressive game against the FCS opponent, running for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This also proved to be a good confidence-building game for Fromm, who tossed three touchdowns. Samford was never much of a match for Georgia through the four-quarter game. Godwin had a big day as a receiver as he snagged four receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia 31, Mississippi State 3

Before this game kicked off, Mississippi State was a trendy pick, considering it came off a blowout win over LSU. But on Georgia’s first offensive play of the game, it ran a flea flicker, with Fromm finding Godwin wide open down the middle of the field for a touchdown. That set the tone for the game, with Georgia jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Georgia then scored 17 points in the third quarter while keeping Mississippi State from scoring outside of a second-quarter field goal. Georgia’s defense kept Mississippi State’s offense to only 280 total yards, with linebacker Monty Rice getting a goal-line stop at the end of regulation to prevent a touchdown.

Georgia 41, Tennessee 0

The beginning of the end of the Butch Jones era at Tennessee was starting to set in before Georgia came to Knoxville. And the Bulldogs made sure not to take it easy on the Volunteers, no matter what kind of drama was setting in with their program. Georgia led 24-0 at the half and was in control of the game from the start. The Volunteers only managed 142 total yards, with the Bulldogs wreaking havoc on quarterback Quinten Dormady. And even on Tennessee’s best offensive play, a short catch that running back John Kelly turned into a 44-yard gain, Georgia recovered a fumble at the end of it.

Georgia 45, Vanderbilt 14

Georgia’s fans once again made their presence felt at a road venue, filling a lot of spaces at Vanderbilt Stadium in red. And the Bulldogs didn’t disappoint the traveling fans. Georgia’s offensive line mauled the Commodores defense from the start. Michel carried the ball 12 times for 150 yards and a touchdown, and Chubb toted the ball 15 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Elijah Holyfield even got into the ground game action with seven carries for 51 yards and a score.

Georgia 53, Missouri 28

The Bulldogs received an initial scare from a pesky Tigers team that went blow for blow in the early going. Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw three touchdowns, which included two from 63 yards out, to even the score at 21-21. But Georgia was able to pull away from there by scoring 26 unanswered points to move ahead 47-21. The rushing attack totaled 370 yards and four touchdowns, which included a 71-yard run from D’Andre Swift. Michel tallied two touchdowns in the victory.

Georgia 42, Florida 7

Georgia entered this game having lost the past three against Florida. A couple of Gators even talked some trash before the game. They would go on to eat their words as the Bulldogs scored 21 quick points in the first quarter. Florida’s offense could never sustain any momentum, with quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire combining for only 66 passing yards. Michel only needed six carries to reel off 137 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 74-yard score. This would wind up being former Florida head coach Jim McElwain’s last game with the program as he was fired the day after Georgia’s win.

Georgia 24, South Carolina 10

While this game never felt in doubt, it marked the first time since the Notre Dame win that Georgia didn’t pull away before the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the defense had another strong performance by holding the Gamecocks to 270 total yards. The secondary picked off South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley twice and the front seven held running back A.J. Turner to 35 yards. This marked the third consecutive season Georgia has beaten South Carolina.

Auburn 40, Georgia 17

Georgia hadn’t faced an offense as balanced as Auburn’s, and as the game wore on, that was quite evident. Georgia’s run defense had stopped just about everybody in its nine previous games. But Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson repeatedly ran over and around the Bulldogs on defense. Johnson totaled 167 rushing yards and added 66 receiving yards and a touchdown in the victory. Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw three touchdown passes. Georgia did itself no favors with many self-inflicted mistakes. D’Andre Walker committed a penalty on an Auburn punt that helped lead to a Tigers touchdown. Mecole Hardman muffed a punt that set up an Auburn touchdown. In the third quarter, the game got away from Georgia, which led to Auburn’s blowout victory. Georgia was held to 46 rushing yards.

Georgia 42, Kentucky 13

Perhaps still feeling the sting from the Auburn loss, it took a while before Georgia looked like the team of old. The Bulldogs finally built out to a 21-6 lead with 1:51 to go in the second quarter, with Michel hitting a 37-yard touchdown run. While Kentucky running back Benny Snell cut Georgia’s lead to 21-13 early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs rolled from there, scoring 21 unanswered points and kept the Wildcats from scoring the remainder of the game. Chubb ran for a season-best 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter in during which, according to teammate and close friend Michel, he hit a speed of 22.3 mph.

Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 7

The Yellow Jackets never stood a chance in this one. Sure, it took the Bulldogs until the third quarter to put a lot of distance between the two teams. But from the opening kickoff, it was apparent Georgia possessed the better team. Entering the game averaging 313.9 rushing yards, Georgia Tech was held to 188 on the ground. The Bulldogs got a great performance from Fromm, who totaled 224 passing yards and two touchdowns. Michel, Chubb and Swift all scored a touchdown apiece, and linebacker Roquan Smith came up with nine tackles and a sack. Georgia avenged last season’s loss to Georgia Tech and brought the Governor’s Cup back to Athens.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Georgia’s road to the SEC championship."