Field Level Media
Sep 15, 2018
Another game, another easy win for third-ranked Georgia.
This time, the victim was Middle Tennessee State, which saw the Bulldogs (3-0) explode for 42 first-half points, easing to a 49-7 victory to stay unbeaten on the year.
Quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields shared the offensive spotlight and combined for a successful afternoon.
Fromm completed 10 of 12 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns, while Fields connected on 6 of 8 attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown. The freshman also collected his first rushing score on a 15-yard run before turning the game over to freshman walk-on Matthew Downing to start the fourth.
Five different receivers found the end zone for the Bulldogs, with Tyler Simmons (a 56-yard run), Jeremiah Holloman and Jayson Stanley tallying their first collegiate scores.
Bulldog junior Elijah Holyfield led all rushers with eight carries for 100 yards, the first 100-yard game of his career.
Quarterback Brent Stockstill endured a tough afternoon but was still the biggest offensive performer for Middle Tennessee (1-2), including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Smith for the Blue Raiders' only score. Stockstill, the school's all-time leading passer, completed 19 of 29 passes for 138 yards and one score before coming out of the game early in the fourth.
Most of the damage by the Bulldogs occurred in the first half.
Georgia went into the locker room up 42-7, outgaining the Blue Raiders 382-205. Five different players scored for the Bulldogs.
Hardman accounted for two scores, first on a 5-yard pass from Fromm and later on a 70-yard punt return to put Georgia up 28-0 midway through the second quarter.
In between, Holloman accounted for his first collegiate score when he caught an 11-yard pass from Fromm, prior to a 56-yard jet sweep for a score by Simmons.
A Stockton-to-Smith connection finally put the Blue Raiders on the board with 4:21 left in the second. Georgia responded with two more touchdowns to put the game well out of reach.
Again, it was Fromm, this time connecting with Riley Ridley for a 12-yard pass before Fields capped the first-half scoring with a 15-yard run.
Georgia returns to action next week when the Bulldogs resume SEC play at Missouri, while the Blue Raiders dive into Conference USA play against Florida Atlantic.
--Field Level Media