Daniels plays quarter as No. 2 Georgia dominates Vandy 62-0

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By Teresa M. Walker | The Associated Press

Georgia players permission the tract aft a triumph implicit Vanderbilt successful an NCAA assemblage shot crippled Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, successful Nashville, Tenn. Georgia won 62-0. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Georgia manager Kirby Smart spent the week talking astir Mike Tyson, pushing his Bulldogs to commencement accelerated and play up to the modular helium wants this season.

His Bulldogs did conscionable that.

JT Daniels threw for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns playing lone the archetypal 4th arsenic No. 2 Georgia dominated Vanderbilt 62-0 Saturday successful the Bulldogs’ biggest triumph successful a bid that started successful 1893.

This crippled was efficaciously implicit erstwhile Georgia (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led 35-0 aft the archetypal quarter. The Bulldogs started 3 of 4 drives successful Vandy territory. They recovered a fumble connected a kickoff to acceptable up 1 TD, past Christopher Smith intercepted a walk to acceptable up a 2nd TD little than 30 seconds later.

“You got to beryllium elite each the time,” Smart said. “You can’t beryllium immoderate of the time. It’s not however elite teams play, and our guys clasp that and I was arrogant of them.”

Bulldogs’ fans turned this into their location distant from Sanford Stadium successful what Smart called an “incredible” turnout with Georgia reddish adjacent successful seats down the Vanderbilt bench. They got to ticker the Bulldogs station their archetypal shutout this season, forcing Vandy three-and-out 9 times.

Georgia astir had much points than Vandy managed yards, outgaining the Commodores 524-77 nary substance however heavy Smart substituted.

“We accidental cipher successful our extremity zone,” Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith said. “That’s the standard, that follows for everybody.”

Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-1) mislaid its 4th consecutive to Georgia and its 14th consecutive SEC game, a skid that could beryllium longer if COVID issues hadn’t forced Vandy to cancel its visit connected Georgia’s Senior Day past season. A programme that won successful Athens successful 2016 showed however overmuch rebuilding first-year manager Clark Lea faces.

“We came retired flat, we turned the shot over, we made mistakes particularly successful the peculiar teams area,” Lea said. “And look. It doesn’t substance who you play against. You’re mounting yourself up for disappointment. For me, this isn’t astir them. It’s astir us. It’s astir however we perform.”

Tight extremity Brock Bowers started the scoring with a 12-yard tally connected an extremity astir with 11:21 left, and helium became the archetypal Bulldogs’ subordinate to tally for a TD and drawback a TD walk successful the aforesaid crippled since Todd Gurley did it against Florida successful 2013. Bowers aboriginal caught a 29-yard walk from Bennett successful the 3rd quarter.

Ladd McConkey besides caught a TD walk and scored connected a 24-yard tally of his own.

Smart pulled Daniels, who is present 7-0 arsenic a starter, aft the archetypal quarter. Stetson Bennett threw for 151 yards and a TD himself.

“It was a concern we felt similar we could get Stetson immoderate reps, and things kept rolling,” Smart said of the aboriginal substitution astatine quarterback.

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia: Smart was capable to smother Vanderbilt astir literally. Bennett finished with 151 yards and a TD arsenic the backup quarterback. Nine antithetic Bulldogs had astatine slightest 1 rush, portion 9 antithetic Bulldogs caught astatine slightest 1 pass.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores did person immoderate moments. The defence turned Georgia implicit connected downs precocious successful the archetypal half, stopping James Cook for nary gain connected fourth-and-1 astatine the Vandy 3. Ethan Barr got the interception disconnected a breakup by Jaylen Mahoney.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Georgia did thing to wounded its spot successful the Top 25, though the Bulldogs’ scout squad mightiness person offered a amended scrimmage.

UNUSED ADVICE

Smart says an NFL GM told him the champion happening helium could archer his Bulldogs was to play good capable for their teammates to play.

“I didn’t person the guts to accidental it, but they did,” Smart said. “They went and played good and the different guys got to play due to the fact that they played well. So our squad got to turn arsenic a portion due to the fact that of our quality to play a batch of players.”