Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw for 261 yards and a touchdown while leading No. 1 Georgia to a 37-20 victory over host Vanderbilt at Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday.
Beck was 29-of-39 passing with an interception for the Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC), while connecting with 10 different receivers, including Missouri transfer Dominic Lovett, who had nine catches for 72 yards and a TD.
Georgia’s Daijun Edwards ran 20 times for 146 yards, while the Bulldogs’ defense held Vandy (2-6, 0-4) to 18 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Georgia gained 542 yards of total offense to Vandy’s 219, ran 78 plays to the Commodores’ 44, converted 11 of 16 third downs compared to Vandy’s 2 of 9 and did not punt.
Even without gaudy statistics, Vanderbilt pulled within 27-14 on the opening play of the fourth quarter when Ken Seals hit Richie Hoskins with a 3-yard touchdown pass.
After Georgia went up 30-14 on Peyton Woodring’s third field goal, the Commodores’ CJ Taylor intercepted Beck and returned it to the Bulldogs’ 1-yard line, setting up Sedrick Alexander’s scoring run on the next play. But Seals’s 2-point conversion throw failed as Georgia led 30-20.
Edwards ripped off a 62-yard run to the Vandy 6 on the Bulldogs’ next drive, setting up his 1-yard scoring run and a 37-20 advantage with 3:13 remaining.
Georgia ran 38 plays to Vanderbilt’s 23 in taking a 24-7 lead at halftime.
The Commodores, who hadn’t scored a touchdown in the last four meetings with Georgia, delivered on the game’s opening drive when London Humphries caught a pass from Seals and went untouched for a 49-yard touchdown.
Beck fumbled on the ensuing possession at the Bulldogs’ 32, but Georgia forced a missed field goal.
The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their next two drives with Beck’s 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a 2-yard scoring scamper from Kendall Milton early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs tacked on Woodring’s field goal with 3:40 left in the half on their next trip.
Georgia’s Tykee Smith intercepted Seals and ran it back to the Georgia 45 with 37 seconds left, setting up Beck’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Lovett with 25 seconds remaining before half.
Georgia All-American tight end Brock Bowers left in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.
–Field Level Media
