Georgia defeated FCS foe Austin Peay 28-6 on Sept. 6 in a game that included a two-hour lightning delay.
The Bulldogs overcame a sloppy performance on offense to beat the Governors. Their two turnovers were drive killers, as running back Nate Frazier coughed up the ball on the first drive of the game. Wideout London Humphreys also lost possession of the ball on the second drive of the third quarter.
Georgia also had four plays to convert a 4th-and-goal situation from the Austin Peay 1-yard line at the end of the first half — and failed.
Head coach Kirby Smart was most upset with the Governors’ goal-line stand.
“Not ideal,” Smart said. “We had a great drive. We got the ball back, moved the ball down the field. We had four plays where the ball was inside the one and didn’t score. Over and over and over, we didn’t cash it in. That was frustrating and left a bad taste in our mouth before the break, but we needed some adversity, and that gave us some.”
The Bulldogs held a 14-3 advantage over Austin Peay at the half. Running back Chauncey Bowens had a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, and Frazier added another 2-yard score in the second.
The long weather delay came right after Georgia’s failed attempt to score a touchdown at the end of the first half. The Bulldogs then came out with some juice to start the second half and scored on their first drive.
Frazier capped off a 7-play, 60-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, putting Georgia up 21-3. The next drive was when Humphreys fumbled the ball, giving Austin Peay possession starting at the Bulldog 31. But Georgia’s defense stepped up, forcing a field goal to make it a 21-6 ball game midway through the third quarter.
Smart said he felt like the long break energized his players.
“We strategically handled that well. I thought we came out of the delay with some juice. It was cool out, the music was good, the fans were excited, players were excited, it wasn’t nearly as hot,” he said. “We came out and got a three-and-out, came down to score, and seized the momentum, so I was really proud of our guys for that.”
Georgia’s final touchdown came on a 99-yard drive after the defense made its own goalline stand. Frazier, who didn’t score at the end of the first half, crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run, extending the lead to three scores.
The Bulldogs rushed for a season-high 190 yards, with Frazier leading the offense with 69 yards and two touchdowns. Bowens totaled 56 yards and two scores, while Dwight Phillips added 55 yards on the ground.
Smart said he thought Bowens toted the rock well.
“Really physical. I thought he got yards after contact. He was running violently,” Smart said.“He’s got really good power in his lower body. He runs behind his pads. We’ve noticed that all camp. He’s broken a lot of tackles. I thought he had a little more burst and spring in his step, and he got yards after contact, which is big for us.”
Bulldog quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 26 of 34 passes for 227 yards but struggled to see open receivers downfield. He completed 26 passes, but 14 of them were behind the line of scrimmage on screen routes for 79 yards.
The redshirt said he hopes he can get those issues cleaned up before facing Tennessee on the road next week.