— By David Walsh
No. 5 Georgia took control with scores on its first two possessions and rolled to victory, 45-7, over Marshall to take some luster off the debut of Tony Gibson as head coach of the Thundering Herd in the season opener for both teams.
Gunner Stockton performed as hoped as a dual-threat at quarterback for the Bulldogs as he ran for two scores and passed for two as he played into the third period on the sunny Saturday in front of 93,033 fans in Sanford Stadium in Athens. The home team finished with 249 passing yards and 239 on the ground for 488 total yards and extended its home-win streak to a nation-leading 32.
The Herd’s JacQai Long worked his way up the depth chart at quarterback during preseason practice and earned the start. However, the redshirt freshman from Hurricane had a long day as did backups Zion Turner and Carlos Del-Rio Wilson. Long totaled 19 yards passing. Turner racked up 100 and marched the Herd to its only score in the fourth period. Wilson had just 10.
“We couldn’t get any momentum until late in the game,” Gibson said on the Herd radio network’s postgame show. “On offense we couldn’t get out of our own way. We’ve got a lot to get fixed up on that side of the ball. Proud of the defense. The blocked punt (second quarter) swung the momentum of the game. We had a chance for a couple of fourth-down stops guys could’ve made, but some guys weren’t in the right place at the right time. Take this loss on me and my staff. We weren’t prepared well enough yet.”
The Herd and Bulldogs last played in 2004. The SEC power beat the current Sun Belt champs 13-3.
Georgia came in favored by nearly 40 points. Marshall’s undergone a roster makeover, along with a coaching change, since it won the Sun Belt title last December. The transfer portal had a big effect on both teams. The Herd came in with 70-plus new faces. Charles Huff, Herd head coach for the SBC title run, is now head coach at Southern Miss.
Georgia is now 10-0 in season openers under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs have won 12 straight season openers (102-27-3 all time). The Bulldogs finished 11-3, won the SEC title and made the College Football Playoff last season.
Stockton, in just his second start, completed 14-of-24 passes for 190 yards and two scores. He carried 10 times for 73 yards and scored twice.
“A big concern coming in,” Gibson said of Stockton. “He’s a very smart player. We threw a lot at him early. They settled in. They’ve got good running backs. We faced a tall task today and came out on the wrong end of it. Got wore down a little. Their depth, they kept rolling guys in and out. Heat played a role, too. Caught up to us.”
Stockton took the Bulldogs 70 yards in seven plays on its first possession. He completed a 25-yard pass to Zachariah Branch (transfer from Southern Cal) and scooted for 14 yards on a run to set up a 17-yard TD run by Dwight Phillips Jr. On the next drive, Stockton capped it with a 13-yard run when he pulled the ball on a read option, Herd defenders went after the wrong man and he sprinted to paydirt. The Bulldogs blocked a Herd punt in the second and capitalized when Stockton scored on an 11-yard run off the read option and keep. Peyton Woodring booted 43-yard field goal right before the half for 24-0 advantage.
Stockton threw his second TD pass, a 2-yard strike to Landon Humphreys on fourth-and-goal. In the fourth, backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi found Elyiss on a 23-yard TD strike for a 45-0 lead.
Turner came on and drove the Herd 84 yards for its lone score. He completed a 44-yard strike to Xayvion Bradshaw to set up a 1-yard TD run by Joshon Barbie and 10:27 left to play.
Georgia ran 76 plays to 52 for the Herd.
Marshall will play its home opener next Saturday against Missouri State. Kickoff at Joan C. Edwards Stadium is 6 p.m. The Bears, who are in year one in FCS and Conference USA, played Saturday at Southern Cal.
“I can give out excuses. Nobody wants to hear them,” Gibson said. “I don’t want to talk about it. We’ll be better next week. I promise you that.”