No. 2 Georgia's defense dominates in shutout of Samford

Updated Sep. 10, 2022 6:55 p.m. ET

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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Stetson Bennett passed for 300 yards while throwing and running for touchdowns and No. 2 Georgia's rebuilt defense delivered another dominant performance in the Bulldogs' 33-0 win over Samford on Saturday.

One week after giving up only a field goal in a 49-3 season-opening rout of then-No. 11 Oregon, Georgia's defense again played up to the standard it set while winning last season's national championship. Samford (1-1) was held to 128 yards and three first downs.

Georgia (2-0) has reloaded on defense after losing eight players in this year’s NFL draft, including five in the first round. Overall, Georgia had a record 15 players taken in the draft.

Bennett completed 24 of 34 passes, including a 3-yard scoring pass to freshman Dillon Bell.

One year ago, Samford gave another SEC East team a scare, leading Florida 42-28 in the first half before the Gators rallied for a 70-52 win. Samford couldn’t repeat that offensive showing against Georgia.

Kendall Milton led Georgia with 85 yards rushing on 10 carries. Kenny McIntosh had a 1-yard scoring run and caught five passes for 61 yards.

Georgia gave up only one first down in the first half and led 30-0 at the break. Late in the third quarter, Carson Beck replaced Bennett and Georgia's third quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, completed the game.

Samford's second possession ended with Georgia safety Dan Jackson forcing a fumble by quarterback Michael Hiers. Xavian Sorey's recovery set up the second of four field goals by Jack Podlesny.

Samford's Michael Hiers completed 13 of 21 passes for 62 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Samford: Hiers, who was impressive in a season-opening win over FCS Kennesaw State was unable to establish consistent offense. The visiting Bulldogs were held to 59 yards in the first half. Backup Quincy Crittendon's 36-yard pass to Ty King in the fourth quarter was the biggest gain of the day.

Georgia: There was no evidence of Georgia looking ahead to next week's Southeastern Conference opener at South Carolina — or back at its rout of Oregon. The only disappointment was the Bulldogs' inability to reach the end zone when they moved inside Samford's 10 on their first two possessions. The only bad news came when receiver Adonai Mitchell limped off the field during the Bulldogs’ opening drive and was ruled out with a left ankle injury.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Georgia should hold its No. 2 spot in the AP Top 25 and could receive more support for the top spot following No. 1 Alabama's 20-19 win over unranked Texas.

UP NEXT

Samford: Plays at Tennessee Tech, a member of the FCS Ohio Valley conference, next Saturday.

Georgia: Opens SEC schedule at South Carolina next Saturday. The Bulldogs have won the last two games in the series, including a 40-13 home win last season.

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Stetson Bennett

Carson Beck

Georgia Bulldogs