Georgia Tops Vandy in SEC Opener 31-14

Saturday, September 12

Nashville, Tenn.

3:30 PM

University of Georgia

Vanderbilt

September 12, 2015 | Football

Sept. 12, 2015

Georgia Leaves Nashville with 31-14 Win

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Touchdowns on special teams and defense helped No. 10 Georgia fight off Vanderbilt 31-14 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams in front of 37,185 at Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday.

The Bulldogs, who improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the league, scored their first and last touchdowns on long returns. In between, Georgia rolled up 422 total yards against the Commodores (0-2, 0-1).

"We did enough good things to be proud of but enough bad things that could've gotten us beat," Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. "We're thankful for the victory. We'll correct our mistakes and go forward. We've got things that need to be cleaned up. We all need to be man enough to look at the video and look at the circumstances and raise our hand."

The Bulldogs opened the scoring as receiver Isaiah McKenzie returned a punt a career-best 77 yards for a touchdown. That was the sophomore's third career punt return for a touchdown and his fourth overall return for a score.

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Then with Georgia clinging to a 24-14 lead in the closing minutes, defensive back Dominick Sanders picked off Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown - the fourth longest in school history - to seal the victory.

Tailback Nick Chubb paced the Bulldogs' offense with 189 yards on 19 carries. Tailback Sony Michel added 12 attempts for 56 yards, including a 31-yard score. Quarterback Greyson Lambert overcame a slow start to go 11-for-21 for 116 yards and he rushed for a touchdown.

Linebacker Jordan Jenkins spearheaded the defense as he notched 11 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and two sacks. Sanders, linebacker Jake Ganus and defensive back Reggie Wilkerson had interceptions. Sanders followed Jenkins with eight tackles.

The touchdowns by McKenzie and Michel gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead at the break. Georgia added a 20-yard field goal by kicker Marshall Morgan and the 5-yard touchdown run by Lambert to go up 24-6. Georgia outgained the Commodores 143-10 in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt found the end zone and recorded a two-point conversion to get within 24-14 with 4:33 left and then successfully executed an onside kick. Ganus' interception in the end zone, however, thwarted that drive. After a change of possession, Sanders snared a pass over the middle and ran it back for the closing touchdown.

The Bulldogs will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 19, at Sanford Stadium against South Carolina. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.

Passing Leaders
Georgia	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT
Lambert	11/21	116	0	0
Vanderbilt	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT
McCrary	24/50	293	1	2

Rushing Leaders
Georgia	CAR	YDS	TD
Chubb	19	189	0
Michel	12	56	1
Vanderbilt	CAR	YDS	TD
Webb	25	68	0
McCrary	8	17	0

Receiving Leaders
Georgia	REC	YDS	TD
Mitchell	4	36	0
Michel	2	30	0
Vanderbilt	REC	YDS	TD
Rayford	7	57	1
Woods	3	57	0

Georgia		Vanderbilt
19	1st Downs	21
4-13	3rd Down Conv.	7-21
0-0	4th Down Conv.	3-4
422	Total Yards	400
13-25-141	Passing	24-50-295
41-281	Rushing	39-105
10-79	Penalties	4-20
1	Turnovers	3
27:03	Possession	32:42