Five takeaways from No. 2 Georgia football's 33-0 shutout of FCS Samford

There will probably be some Saturdays to come for No. 2 Georgia where they will have to dig deep, to make a big defensive stop or convert a crucial third-and-long with a game on the line.

There’s no guarantee it will be a cakewalk the Bulldogs to get back to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. Maybe next week’s noon game at South Carolina will offer Georgia its first bit of significant resistance from an opponent this season.

Samford, an FCS team picked to finish sixth in the Southern Conference, certainly didn’t provide much in the Bulldogs home opener Saturday in a 33-0 runaway in Sanford Stadium.

“Our defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs!” Brook Whitmire announced during the starting lineups.

Catch up: Commentary and updates from UGA's win vs. Samford at Sanford Stadium

Also: Chronicling Georgia football WR Ladd McConkey's rise as one of UGA's most electric players

Georgia has looked the part again with another lopsided win after a 49-3 takedown of a top 15 Oregon team in the opener. Samford held Georgia to just 3 second half points, but the fourth quarter was shortened to 12 minutes by mutual agreement with the threat of inclement weather a factor.

"They were outmanned and outmatched today," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "They played really hard and physical today. They did the best job they could. We’ve got to play better. We didn’t play our best game. We know that. Our kids acknowledge that."

Here are five takeaways from Georgia’s easy win with a score that wasn’t as big as might have been expected:

Georgia football defense pitches a shutout

Georgia’s defense will head into the road game in Columbia, S.C., still not having allowed a touchdown this season

"We don't worry about that," outside linebacker Nolan Smith said. "We just play football. If they don't score, they don't win.".

Samford, a team that went to Florida last November and lost a 70-52 shootout, was held to a single first down in the first half and 59 total yards for an average of 2.6 yards per play.

Samford finished with 128 total yards. It was the fewest yards Georgia had given up since holding Vanderbilt to 77 on Sept. 25, 2021.

"You win championships with great defense," Samford coach Chris Hatcher said. "They are always in the right place. and they do such a good job of mixing their blitzes and their stunts to keep you off balance."

Georgia didn’t give up a play longer than 11 yards in the first three quarters. Samford got a 36-yard completion with under 10 minutes to go against mostly backups for Georgia.

Georgia handed Samford its first shutout 52-0 at Auburn on Nov. 23, 2020.

"They were outmanned up front. Had to get rid of the ball quick," Smart said. "They don’t have the dynamic guys that we play against on the perimeter."

Georgia posted three shutouts in 2021 against Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Georgia Tech.

"It wasn't perfect," said inside linebacker Smael Mondon, who led UGA with four tackles. "but a zero on the scoreboard, that's the goal."

The defense forced its third turnover of the season when safety Dan Jackson caused a fumble that redshirt freshman Xavian Sorey recovered. That led to a field goal.

Former West Virginia defensive back Tykee Smith, coming off a torn ACL, had 3 tackles and saw plenty of snaps at the nickel back spot. Javon Bullard, the starter at the position, broke up a fourth down pass in the second quarter to end a Samford drive.

Freshman defensive end Mykel Williams rang up Georgia’s first sack of the season in the fourth quarter.

"It was good to get out there and get after the quarterback," Smart said. "They weren’t going to let us rush their quarterback; they’re trying to keep their quarterback healthy for the rest of the season, so the ball is coming out really quick."

Georgia football QB Stetson Bennett doesn’t hurt his rising Heisman stock

Stetson Bennett had a different Dawg Walk then any other in his time at Georgia. He walked in with younger brother Luke, a freshman walk-on wide receiver.

"I had to wait on him too long," Bennett said. "He was taking forever. I think he was in the last bus and I was in the first. ...It was like three minutes. I was like, 'Jeez, dude, we've got to get this thing going.'"

Bennett’s stock rose as a Heisman Trophy candidate—yes it was only week one--after his bangup opening game against Oregon when he threw for a career-high 368 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.

He finished 24 of 34 for 300 yards with a touchdown this time and added another score on a 3-yard touchdown run. He was pulled for Carson Beck with 2:34 to go in the third quarter and Georgia up 30-0. It could have been much more.

"I think we're all upset that we didn't execute as well as we could have in the first half and then came out in the second half and did it again," Bennett said.

Bennett’s streak of leading Georgia on touchdown drives this season ended at 6 when Georgia was forced to kick a pair of Jack Podlesny field goal to start the game. Bennett throws to the end zone went off the hands of Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington one drive..

Georgia got points on their first six drives of this game until Bennett’s Hail Mary before the half went incomplete in the end zone. That ended 14 straight drives that ended with a score for Bennett going back to the last two drives of the national title win over Alabama last January.

Podlesny booted four field goals from 27, 25, 26 and 25 as the Bulldogs stalled repeatedly in the red zone.

"The offense didn’t score the touchdowns they needed to," Smart said. "We have to get better at that. We can’t get end games just kicking field goals."

Georgia football pass catchers all get into the act

AD Mitchell caught the first pass of the game for Georgia for 4 yards on the sideline, but came to the sideline banged up with an ankle injury. The sophomore and third leading receiver last year went into the injury tent and then to the locker room, but Smart said could have returned.

Georgia freshman Dillon Bell saw plenty of snaps and on one second quarter drive he made his first reception in college and added his first touchdown catch on a 3-yard pass from Bennett on the right side to make it 20-0.

Eleven different Georgia players caught passes in the first half and 17 in the game.

"We have a good system that allows us to put people in places to say, 'Is he a give-the-ball-to guy?'" Smart said. "'Cause you better know who those guys are when you play elite opponents."

Redshirt freshman Jackson Meeks was targeted 4 times and had 3 catches for 31 yards.

Bell, from Houston, had 22 yards on 3 catches.

"He’s got to go out there and play," Smart said. "AD being out allowed him to play a little more, and Jackson to play a little more. He gave us a little more confidence."

Freshman De'Nylon Morrissette had a pair of catches for 22 yards.

"De’Nylon is a guy who’s had a really good week of practice, but he didn’t get all that stuff in camp that Dillon got," Smart said. "So we need those two guys, and CJ (Smith), to grow up, we need Arian (Smith) back. There’s guys there we’ve got to get to be able to stretch the field vertically to have a complete offense.”

Smith underwent surgery for a high ankle sprain but Smart's comments make it seem likely he'll return this season. Smart said he didn't know when that may be.

Kenny McIntosh, who led the SEC in pass catches after week one with 9, led with 5 catches for 61, all in the first half. Brock Bowers had 3 catches for 57 yards.

Dominick Blaylock and Morrissette became the 13th and 14th different player to catch passes from Bennett on the day.

"Stetson is doing a great job of spreading the ball around, showing everybody love," said wideout Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint who had two catches for 18 yards.

Georgia Bulldogs win big but not so big

Centre (Ky.) and Marion, your more than 100-year record for worst beating delivered to Samford’s football team remains more than safe. Centre put a 120-0 hurting on Samford on Oct. 9, 1920 and Marion leveled a 101-0 shellacking on Nov. 28, 1918.

Georgia didn’t come close to approaching its most lopsided victories in the last 40 years: 66-0 against Troy in 2014 and 62-0 vs. Vanderbilt last season.

The Bulldogs were favored by 52 ½ points and were on pace to cover that at halftime.

Georgia came up empty on its first two drives of the third quarter and stalled on its third, setting for another Podlesny field goal.

"I just was disappointed altogether with, you know, execution would probably be the right word on offense," Smart said. "It just wasn't crisp as it should be."

Bennett held the ball too long a on a third down when he took a sack for a 17-yard loss. Georgia tried a 54-yard Podlesny field goal that was a few yards short. An Arik Gilbert false start forced Georgia to punt on its next drive after a 4th-and-1 at the Samford 38.

Bennett said Smart told him after he went down to throw the ball away., but Bennett didn't realize he was as deep as he was.

"You can't take that sack," Smart said. "You can't do that. You've got to throw that ball or away or just run it and ensure that we get three whatever yardage you get."

More FCS games on horizon for Georgia football

Barring a change to future scheduling which is certainly possible given an expanded SEC could move to nine conference games, fans should get used to seeing FCS programs come to Sanford Stadium like it or not.

Tennessee-Martin is on the schedule for 2023, Tennessee Tech in 2024, Austin Peay in 2025, Florida A&M in 2028, North Carolina A&T in 2030 and Western Carolina in 2031.

“You know, I think it depends on where it goes,” Smart said leading up to the game. “What they require you to do and where the FCS, some of those conferences end up with the realignment and some of those things, it's going to depend a lot on…the scheduling, how many conference games you're playing. …Some of these programs cannot, cannot survive without these games. That doesn't mean that I embrace them and love them. It just means that the programs can't survive without these kind of funding without these games.”

Samford received $500,000 for the game.

Georgia beat Samford 42-14 in 2017 in Athens.

"We appreciate the opportunity to play them and we’ll take some of the good things that we did and move forward with it," Samford coach Chris Hatcher said. "Hopefully this will prepare us as we move back into FCS play next week.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA football shuts down Samford 33-0. Here are five Bulldogs takeaways