Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs Georgia Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Sep 05, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 5, 2015

ATHENS, Ga. -- Saturday's opener between Georgia and Sun Belt member Louisiana-Monroe wasn't expected to be much of a challenge for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs.

It wasn't.

Although the Bulldogs weren't perfect and mistakes were made, Georgia simply had too much offensive firepower and used it to roll past the Warhawks 51-14 in a game that was ultimately called in the fourth quarter due to lightning in the Athens area.

Georgia (1-0) had plenty of stars.

Sophomore Heisman Trophy candidate Nick Chubb picked up where he left of, rushing 16 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns while Greyson Lambert made his debut as Georgia's starting quarterback and completed 8 of 12 passes for 144 yards and two scores, including one each to Malcolm Mitchell and Jeb Blazevich.

Running back Keith Marshall also enjoyed a big day. After playing in just three games last year after tearing his ACL in 2013 against Tennessee, Marshall rushed 10 times for 73 yards with two touchdowns.

For ULM, redshirt freshman quarterback Garrett Smith enjoyed a strong debut, completing 23 of 29 passes for 206 yards while wide receiver Rashon Ceaser enjoyed a career day with 13 catches for 153 yards.

Ultimately, Mother Nature did her part to put a damper on the afternoon.

Lightning in the Athens area delayed for 1:04 before resuming with 8:35 left in the third quarter with Georgia leading 35-14, at which point the Bulldogs quickly doused any hopes the Warhawks had of making an improbably comeback.

A blocked punt by Bulldogs freshman D'Andre Walker resulted in a quick safety and allowed Lambert to ice the game with 28-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell, extending Georgia's advantage to 44-14, a lead that later grew to 51-14 before the game was suspended a second time and ultimately called with 9:54 to play.

The Bulldogs wasted little time getting the game off on the right foot.

After a blocked punt but Lorenzo Carter on ULM's first possession set Georgia up at the Warhawk 22, it took the Bulldogs just two plays to find the end zone, courtesy of Chubb who strolled in untouched from 14 yards out.

Thanks to cornerback Aaron Davis, Georgia's offense wasn't off the field for long after intercepting Garrett Smith to set up the Bulldogs on the 15. On the first next play, Lambert hit Blazevich for the score and the rout was on.

The Bulldogs would go on to add three more scores in the first half, getting a second touchdown run from Chubb, a 3-yard score by Keith Marshall and a 23-yard screen pass from Brice Ramsey to Sony Michel before ULM finally got on the board with 20 seconds left in the second to make the halftime score 35-7.

NOTES: RB Keith Marshall's 3-yard run in the second quarter was his first touchdown since 2013 against South Carolina after tearing his ACL later that same year against Tennessee. ... Saturday's game was the first of two against SEC foes by Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks, who played at LSU, Kentucky and Texas A&M last year, travel to Alabama on Sept. 26. ... Lorenzo Carter's blocked punt was the first of his career and first for Georgia since current Cincinnati Bengal Shawn Williams against Nebraska in the 2001 Capital One Bowl.