Georgia Hosts Western Kentucky For Unleashed White Out Game

Saturday, September 12

Athens, Ga.

12:45 p.m.

University of Georgia

Western Kentucky

Tickets From $45 - $85

Georgia Hosts Western Kentucky For Unleashed White Out Game

September 08, 2026 | Football

Complete Game Notes Game Notes Index Gameday Central

Game & Broadcast Info

Kickoff: Saturday, September 12 - 12:45 p.m. ET
Location: Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (93,033) | Athens, Ga.
2026 Records: Georgia (1-0, 0-0), Western Kentucky (0-1, 0-0)
2026 Rankings: Georgia #3, Western Kentucky NR
TV: SECN: Taylor Zarzour (PxP), Matt Stinchcomb (Analyst), Michella Chester (Sideline)
Video Stream: SECN+
Radio: 95.5 FM WSB - Bulldog Network | Affiliates | Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Learfield): Jeff Dantzler (PxP), Jon Stinchcomb (Analyst), D.J. Shockley (Sideline)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM- 175 or 228 and the app
Web Stats: georgiadogs.com
Twitter: #WKUvsUGA
SECN ReBroadcast: 9/13 4-7 a.m., 9/13 4-7 p.m.
GameCenter: View
History: Georgia vs. WKU All-Time Series Results: UGA 1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia won 48-12 in Athens, Ga., 9/2/2006
Tickets: SeatGeek

Georgia-WKU Quick Comparison

	Georgia	Western Kentucky
Scoring Offense/Game:	63.0	14.0
Rushing Offense/Game:	272.0	164.0
Passing Offense/Game:	388.0	203.0
Total Offense/Game:	660.0	367.0
Scoring Defense/Game:	3.0	49.0
Rushing Defense/Game:	10.0	323.0
Passing Defense/Game:	99.0	163.0
Turnover Margin:	Even	-1

Storylines On The 2026 Bulldogs

The Bulldogs were preseason ranked No. 3 (AP). They are among the teams with designs on advancing to the College Football Playoff and challenging for another title. Georgia features seven returning starters on offense including fifth-year All-SEC quarterback Gunner Stockton and All-SEC junior tailbacks Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens. Eight starters return on defense including All-American juniors KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson IV and veteran starters in seniors Raylen Wilson, Jordan Hall and Gabe Harris Jr., plus junior Quintavius Johnson. Also, the special teams unit is headlined by senior All-SEC placekicker Peyton Woodring. In 2025, the Bulldogs were one of the youngest teams in the country with 54 percent of the roster consisting of players in their first or second season in Athens. In 2026, the Bulldogs brought in only nine scholarship transfers, the fewest in the SEC.

Selflessness: In the offseason, the Bulldogs studied the 2025 NBA Champion OKC Thunder and noted how they led the league in eight major defensive and team statistical categories and most importantly, "seflessness," according to Coach Kirby Smart. He aims for the 2026 Bulldogs to showcase that trait.

Georgia opened the season with a 63-3 home victory over Tennessee State, tallying 660 yards of total offense on 60 plays while allowing just 99 yards on 58 plays. In 2025, Georgia's scoring defense ranked 10th nationally at 17.6 ppg while the scoring offense averaged 32.1 ppg, good for 28th nationally. This Saturday, the Bulldogs face Western Kentucky (0-1) who fell 49-14 at Nevada last week. WKU registered 367 yards of offense on 82 plays. Nevada managed 486 yards of offense on 58 plays.

Six of Georgia's top seven pass catchers from 2025 have moved on to the NFL or graduation. They accounted for 68 percent of the receptions, 70 percent of the receiving yards and 64 percent of the TD catches. In the season-opening win over TSU, 15 Bulldogs caught a pass. Junior Sacovie White-Helton and sophomore Talyn Taylor had a team-high three catches apiece. Taylor, Jeremy Bell and tight ends Jaden Redell, Elyiss Williams and Kaiden Prothro all had a TD reception, which was the first of their career for everyone except Williams.

Senior Raylen Wilson plus juniors Chris Cole and Justin Williams along with sophomore Quintavius Johnson headline the linebacking unit. Georgia's pass rush and sack total last season were questioned by the media almost weekly. In the season opener, Georgia had three sacks including 1.5 by freshman OLB PJ Dean and one by freshman Elijah Littlejohn. Cole had a team-high 4.5 sacks in 2025 and 0.5 against TSU to start 2026. The Bulldogs have a new OLB coach in Larry Knight. The native of Augusta, Ga., replaced Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who joined the Dallas Cowboys as their OLB coach.

Georgia's secondary features preseason All-Americans KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson IV, but there is competition to fill Daylen Everette's spot as he started a team-best 41 games from 2023-25 before departing for the NFL/Pittsburgh. Senior Athens native Khalil Barnes, a Clemson transfer with seven career INTs, started at star against TSU. The Bulldogs welcome back a healthy Kyron Jones as the senior strong safety started the first six games last year before missing the rest of the year due to a foot injury. He started the season opener while junior DB Demello Jones made his first career start. TSU threw for just 99 yards on 15 completions in 26 attempts.

Week Two Whiteout

For this Saturday's game against Western Kentucky, Georgia will wear an all-white uniform (helmets, jerseys and pants) for the first time in school history.

Georgia is 4-0 in an alternate uniforms under Kirby Smart including black jerseys against Louisiana in Athens in 2016, versus Miss. State in Athens and Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl in the 2020 season. Also, to honor the 1980 national championship team, Georgia wore white jerseys and red pants in the 2020 season opener at Arkansas.

Simply The Best (Since 2021)

Georgia owns the best record in the FBS since 2021 at 66-7. This run includes back-to-back CFP national titles (2021-22) and three SEC titles (2022, 2024-25). The next best is Ohio State at 60-10.

Georgia and Ohio State are the only FBS schools to win 11+ games every season since 2021.

Dominating Dawgs

Georgia's 2026 Senior Class owns a record of 37-6 with back-to-back SEC titles. The 2025 Senior Class went 51-6 with a national title (2022) and three SEC crowns in their career. They were the third straight class to register 50 wins, joining the 2023 group (50-4) and the record-setting 2024 class (53-5).

Georgia owns the nation's longest active bowl streak at 29 seasons but has dropped its last two CFP quarterfinal match- ups at the Sugar Bowl. Prior to these losses to Notre Dame and Ole Miss, Georgia had won seven straight CFP/bowl games. Overall, the Bulldogs have made 64 appearances in a bowl/CFP game with a 38-23-3 mark. The appearances and wins rank second in FBS.

Georgia has a current winning streak over every SEC team except Ole Miss that equals 77 games. The streaks ranges from one game up to 16 straight.

Bulldogs Scoring With Stockton's Arm and Legs

Fifth-year Gunner Stockton is a 6-1, 215-pound native of Tiger, Ga.

13-3 Career Record as a starter, 3rd Team Coaches All-SEC selection and MVP of 2025 SEC Championship Game (20-for-26, 156 yards, 3 TDs).

Started 2026 opener versus TSU and built 35-0 lead, going 15-for-16 for 202 yards and 3 TDs in first five possessions before giving way to backups.

2025 Finalist for Manning Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, semi-finalist for Maxwell, Davey O'Brien and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards.

5-2 against ranked teams in 2025 including a 83.7 Completion Percentage in the 4th quarter of those games (36-for-43, 383 yards, 7 TDs, 0 INT)

Accounted for 5 TDs in 35-10 win over No. 10 Texas, tying his career-high with four passing and one rushing, finishing 24-for-29 for 228 passing yards

Directed three 4th quarter comebacks in 2025 including over #5 Ole Miss, #15 Tennessee in Knoxville and versus Florida in Jacksonville.

Led Georgia to scoring drives on each of its first 8 drives in win over #5 Ole Miss, the first team to do that against an AP Top-10 team since 2016.

Successful home debut in the 2025 opening win over Marshall as the team's leading rusher (73 yards on 10 attempts with 2 scores) plus threw for 190 yards and 2 TDs...First Georgia player to have two passing TDs and two rush-ing scores in a season opener in the past 80 years per ESPN Stats.

Stockton's Career Highs

Passing Yards	304 @ #15 UT, '25
Completions	26 (2x, last #5 OM'25
Attempts	37 @ AU, '25
TD Passes	4 (#5 OM & #10TX '25)
Longest Pass Play	67 vs. #5 ND, '25
Longest TD Pass	64 @ MSU '25
Long Rush	73/10 vs. MU '25
Interceptions	1 (7x, last @ #23 GT '25)

Stockton's Career Passing Statistics

Year	G/GS	Cmp.	Att.	Pct.	Yds.	INT	TD	Eff.	LG
2023	4/0	12	19	63.2	148	1	2	152.8	31 FSU
2024	5/1	45	64	70.3	440	1	1	130.1	67 ND
2025	14/14	269	386	69.7	2,894	5	24	150.6	64 MSU (TD)
2026	1/1	15	16	93.8	202	0	3	261.7	25 TSU
Total	24/16	341	485	70.3	3,684	7	30	151.6	67 ND

Stockton's Career Game-By-Game

Game	Cmp.	Att.	Pct.	Yds.	INT	TD	SK	EFF	LG
2023
UT Martin	3	5	60.0	29	0	0	0	108.7	20
Ball State	1	1	100.0	4	0	0	1	133.6	4
UAB	2	3	66.7	19	1	0	0	53.2	15
#4 FSU (Orange)	6	10	60.0	96	0	2	0	206.6	31
2024
#14 Clemson	0	0	00.0	0	0	0	0	-	-
Tenn. Tech	10	12	83.3	90	0	0	1	146.3	21
UMass	3	4	75.0	45	0	0	0	169.5	23
#2 Texas (SEC)	12	16	75.0	71	1	0	2	99.8	18
#5 ND(CFP Qtr.) (L)	20	32	62.5	234	0	1	4	134.2	67
2025
Marshall (W)	14	24	58.3	190	0	2	0	152.3	47TD
Austin Peay (W)	26	34	76.5	227	0	0	0	132.6	19
@ #15 UT (W)	23	31	74.2	304	0	2	3	177.9	45
#17 Alabama (L)	13	20	65.0	130	0	1	1	136.1	38TD
Kentucky (W)	15	23	65.2	196	1	1	0	142.5	36
@ AU (W)	24	37	64.9	217	0	0	2	141.4	30
#5 OM (W)	26	31	83.9	289	0	4	0	204.8	36
vs. UF (W)	20	29	69.0	223	1	2	2	149.4	42
@ MSU (W)	18	29	62.1	264	0	3	0	172.7	64TD
#10 Texas (W)	24	29	82.8	229	1	4	2	187.7	30TD
Charlotte (W)	17	21	81.0	196	1	0	1	149.8	38
@ #23 GT (W)	11	21	52.4	70	1	0	2	86.6	24
#9 UA{SECCG} (W)	20	26	76.9	156	0	3	1	165.4	19
#6 OM {CFP/Sug} (L)	18	31	58.1	203	0	1	2	123.7	31
2026
TSU (W)	15	16	93.8	202	0	3	0	261.7	25

Behind Stockton, Georgia's QB room with game experience includes junior Ryan Puglisi (8 career games), sophomores Ryan Montgomery (2 games), and Hezekiah Millender (1 game). Montgomery made his debut against Charlotte in 2025 and went 1-for-1 for 12 yards, and then in the 2026 opener against TSU, he connected with Jeremy Bell for a team-long 54-yard TD. He finished 2-for-2 for 60 yards. Millender made his debut in 2026 against TSU, going 1-for-1 for 17 yards plus two rushes for 22 yards.

Puglisi's Career Passing Statistics

Year	G/GS	Cmp.	Att.	Pct.	Yds.	INT	TD	Eff.	LG
2025	7/0	16	27	59.3	161	2	1	106.8	27 UK
2026	1/0	7	13	53.8	109	0	1	149.7	27 TSU
Total	8/0	23	40	57.5	270	2	2	120.7	27 (2x)

Puglisi made his debut in a 45-7 win over Marshall in 2025, directing four possessions in the second half with one TD drive covering 80 yards in eight plays...Finished the game 5-for-8 for 59 yards and one TD, a 23-yard strike to TE Elyiss Williams...Went 1-for-2 for 4 yards versus Austin Peay...Tried Hail Mary on final play of first half at No. 15 UT and resulted in INT...Played most of the second half in the win over Charlotte (7-for-11, 49 yards).

Georgia added one more QB this season in 6-2, 200-pound freshman Bryson Beaver, a native of Murrieta, Calif. He originally signed with Oregon but en-tered the portal after Ducks starting QB Dante Moore opted to return.

Puglisi's Career Highs

Completions: 7, 2x last TSU '26	Attempts: 13 vs. TSU '26
TD Passes: 1, 2x last TSU '26	Passing Yards: 109 vs. TSU '26
Longest Pass 27, 2x last TSU '26	Longest TD Pass: 23 vs. MAR '25
Rush Yards: 13 vs. MAR '25	INTs: 1 (2x, last vs. UK '25)

Georgia's Explosive Plays In 2025 (12-yd Rush, 16-yd Comp.)

Game	Georgia	Opp.	Final (AP rank then CFP)
TSU	19 (8R, 11P)	1 (0R, 1P)	#3 Georgia, 63-3

Longest Rush by Georgia: 48-yd TD by Nate Frazier (TSU)
Longest Rush by Opp.: Longest Rush by Opp.: 7-yd by Trevor Pearson/Daylin Lee (TSU)
Longest Completion by Georgia: 54-yd TD (Montgomery to Bell vs. TSU)
Longest Completion by Opp.: 17-yd (McNair to Gaston, TSU)

Frazier & Bowens Headline Ground Attack

Georgia averaged 10.1 yards a carry in the 63-3 rout of TSU to open the 2026 season. The Bulldogs gained 272 yards on 27 attempts. In 2025, Georgia averaged 182.1 rushing yards/game with 31 TDs.

Junior Nate Frazier started against TSU and tied his career high with three TDs in only four carries! His first touch resulted in a 48-yard TD, his second was a 14-yard TD and his final carry was a three-yarder for a score. His final line of the day was 72 yards on four carries (18.0 avg) and three TDs.

Frazier (team-high 947 yards, 6 TDs in 2025), a 3rd Team Coaches All-SEC selection, started 10 games last year.

Chauncey Bowens (526 yards, 6 TDs in 2025) earned Coaches Freshman All-SEC honors last season. In the 2026 opener, he had four carries for 24 yards against TSU and added two catches for 32 yards.

Georgia also welcomes back Dwight Phillips Jr., Bo Walker and and fresh-man Jae Lamar and Nick Peal. UK senior transfer Dante Dowdell is out due to an injury. Against TSU, Walker had a team-high five carries for 35 yards. Lamar scored the game's final TD, an 11-yarder as he finished with 15 yards.

Options Abound At Wideout

Four quarterbacks saw action in the rout of TSU to open the 2026 season, and they combined to complete 25 passes to 15 different Bulldogs for 388 yards and five TDs.

The leading receivers against TSU were junior Sacovie White-Helton (3-34) and sophomore Talyn Taylor (3-28, 1 TD plus a 31-yard rush). White-Helton will contribute on special teams too as he tallied four punt returns for 59 yards and added one kickoff return for 18 yards against the Tigers.

In 2025, the Bulldogs averaged 220.2 receiving yards/game with 25 TDs. The Bulldogs will have to lean on a new cast with six of the top seven pass catchers off to the NFL or have graduated. The departed group includes junior Zachariah Branch (81-for-811 yards, 6 TDs), now with the Atlanta Falcons. He led the SEC in receptions with a Bulldog record 81 catches last year.

Senior London Humphreys (18-for-276 yards, 3 TDs in 2025) is the top returning receivier. He had THE catch of the 2025 season. Down 38-30 with 2:38 remaining in the game at No. 15 UT, it was 4th-and-6 when he hauled in a 28-yard touchdown strike from Gunner Stockton.

After limited action last year, the following Bulldogs will be looking for an increased role: Jeremy Bell, CJ Wiley, Thomas Blackshear, Landon Roldan and Tyler J. Wiliams. Bell caught a 54-yard TD strike from Ryan Montgom- ery against TSU while Williams made a nifty 27-yard catch in traffic.

Bulldog newcomers include junior transfer Isiah Canion along with fresh-men Craig Dandridge Jr., Dallas Dickerson, Ryan Mosley and Tre Shields. Dandridge had two catches for 36 yards against TSU plus a nine-yard punt return.

Paving The Way Up Front

The offensive line had an eventful season in 2025 due to injuries. Georgia used a different starting OL unit in its first six games, then had the same unit for the next four contests before resting a pair (All-America C-Drew Bobo, RT-Earnest Greene III) in the win over Charlotte. Bobo left the game versus No. 23 Ga. Tech with a leg injury. C Malachi Toliver started three of the final four games for him. Micah Morris (LG) was the only linemen to start every game in final year. The Bulldogs employed three different starting RGs, two different LTs, two different Cs and four different RTs. Junior LT Monroe Freeling, a 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC selection, had the longest the starting streak at 10 games. He was a first round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers.

Bobo, a 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC pick, and Greene III are the veteran leaders of the unit. They were joined by sophomores Dontrell Glover (LG) and Juan Gaston Jr. (RT) plus freshman Zykie Helton (RG) to round out the starters in the opener versus TSU.

Greene III now has a team-best 33 career starts. Last year, Gaston Jr. started at RG and RT while Glover, who earned FWAA Freshman All-America hon-ors, started the last 10 games at RG.

Helton became just the third true freshman offensive lineman to start an opener in the Kirby Smart era. The others were Andrew Thomas (2017-RT) and Gaston (2025-RG). Overall, 14 true freshmen have started an opener un-der Smart.

Georgia returns Jahzare Jackson, Toliver and Michael Uini who made spot starts last year. Along with Helton, a freshman to watch is Ekene Ogboko. Ekene is the younger brother of Bulldog DL Nnamdi Ogboko.

Tight Ends Always In The Game Plan

Tight ends have been a staple of the Bulldog offense and the player devel-opment is notable. Five former Bulldogsare in the NFL in 2026, most notably two-time John Mackey Award winner Brock Bowers (Las Vegas). The Bull- dogs aim to continue that trend with a stocked room in 2026 as only Oscar Delp graduated from the group. He is now with the New Orleans Saints.

In 2025, Lawson Luckie and Delp led the room. Jaden Reddell appeared in every game while Elyiss Williams played in 13 games as a rookie and Colton Heinrich saw action in four games. Last year, Ethan Barbour went down with a leg injury in game two (Austin Peay) and eventually returned for the CFP.

Georgia's additions to this room include freshmen Kaiden Prothro, Brayden Fogle and Lincoln Keyes.

In the win over TSU, Georgia's tight ends combined for 100 receiving yards on six catches including three touchdowns. Reddell (2-38, 1 TD plus a 29-yard rush), Williams (2-26, 1 TD), Prothro (1-16, 1 TD) and Barbour (1-10). It was the first career TDs for Reddell and Prothro.

The '26 Defense And The Final Numbers From 2025

Georgia has had 55 players drafted over the past five seasons, including 30 on defense and 11 of those defenders have gone in the first round.

In 2026, Georgia opened with a 63-3 rout of FCS-member Tennessee State. The Tigers field goal came in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs allowed 10 points or fewer in each of their final four games before the CFP, the longest streak in a season since an eight-game stretch during the 1971 season, according to ESPN Research.

However, No. 6 Ole Miss scored 20 points in the 4th quarter to win the CFP quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl 39-34.

In 2025, opponents scored 71 points in the 1st quarter (21 of those at #15 UT) and 53 in the 2nd quarter. However, in the 2nd half, the Bulldogs allowed a total of 122 points (plus 3 points in OT).

Overall, opponents scored 246 points in 2025 (17.6 ppg/10th nationally).

Stopping The Run Starts Up Front

In 2025, Georgia ranked fourth nationally by allowing only 81.5 rushing yards a game. In the 2026 season opener against TSU, the Tigers managed 10 yards on 32 attempts as the Bulldogs collected three sacks.

Senior Jordan Hall and senior Gabe Harris Jr., and Elijah Grifin were the starters up front in the opener. For Griffin, a FWAA Freshman All-American last year, it was the first start of his career.

Returnees on the line include Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Justin Greene, Nnamdi Ogboko, Josh Horton, JJ Hanne, Isaiah Gibson, Nasir Johnson and London Seymour.

Newcomers to watch here include freshmen Preston Carey, Carter Luckie (younger brother of Bulldog senior Lawson Luckie), Valdin Sone, Anthony Lonon Jr.. Junior transfer Amaris Williams (Auburn) is out with a knee injury.

Steady Play From The Linebackers

The good news is two-thirds of the starting trio return in Raylen Wilson and Quintavius Johnson while All-American and tackle leader CJ Allen is off to the NFL as a member of the Buffalo Bills.

Wilson finished third on the team with 74 tackles plus had 6.5 TFL and 2.5 Sacks. Johnson tallied 35 tackles on the year. The next wave who flashed in 2025 and look to make a bigger impact includes Chris Cole, Justin Williams and Zayden Walker.

Wilson, Cole, Williams and Walker were among the seven Bulldogs who tied for the team-high in tackles (three) against TSU. Cole had a 0.5 sacks too.

Also, Georgia's depth here includes Terrell Foster, Isaiah Gibson, Darren Ikinnagbon, Anthony Kruah and Chase Linton plus freshmen PJ Dean, Nick Abrams II, Khamari Brooks, Elijah Littlejohn and Terrence Penick.

In the season opener against TSU, Dean made an immediate impact with a team-high 1.5 sacks for a loss of 20 yards plus two tackles.

Littlejohn made three solo stops and his first career sack against TSU while Brooks ranked among the tackle leaders too with three stops.

A Passing Grade In The Secondary

In the season opener, TSU finished 15-for-26 for 99 yards and no TDs as the Bulldogs collected three sacks. The starting unit featured preseason All-Americans KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson IV plus Demello Jones, Ky-ron Jones and local product and Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes.

Kyron Jones started the first six games of 2025 before missing the rest of the season due to a foot injury while Demello Jones (no relation) appeared in 12 games last year before making his first start against TSU in the 2026 opener.

The Bulldogs made four portal additions in the secondary: Along with Barnes, Georgia's depth in the secondary includes fifth-year Gentry Williams (Oklahoma), junior Ja'Marley Riddle (ECU) and junior Braylon Conley (USC). The Bulldogs return Jontae Gilbert, Jaylan Morgan and Todd Rob-inson. From the high school ranks, Georgia added Justice Fitzpatrick, Zech Fort, Tyriq Green, Caden Harris, Jordan Smith and Blake Stewart.

Green is getting a look as a a kickoff returner too as he had one for 25 yards against TSU.

We're Going For It!

In the Kirby Smart era, the Bulldogs have a 64% success rate on 4th Down Conversion attempts (96-for-150) with 17 TDs.

In 2026, Georgia is 0-for-1 on 4th Down, however it came on a botched hold during a field goal attempt in the season opener and led to an incomplete pass.

In 2025, Georgia ranked second nationally in 4th Down Conversions at 75%(15-for-20) with 3 TDs. Some of the more memorable ones from last year included a 4th-and-3 at the Auburn 40 with 5:14 left in the contest. It was part of the clinching go-ahead TD drive that lasted a school record-tying eight minutes and 45 seconds. Down 38-30 with 2:38 remaining in the game at No. 15 Tennessee, Georgia converted a 4th-and-6 at the UT 28 for a TD (Stockton pass-to-Humphreys).

Did You Know? Prior to the UT game last year, the only other fourth quarter 4th down conversion featuring a TD pass when Georgia was behind under Smart came in 2016 at Missouri. The Bulldogs trailed 27-21 with 1:31 left in the game and faced a 4th-and-10. Jacob Eason hit Isaiah McKenzie for a 20- yard TD in a 28-27 win.

It's Miller Time

With elite distance, hang time, placement and a strong coverage unit, All-America punter Brett Thorson captured the 2025 Ray Guy Award to cap his Bulldog career. The Bulldogs ranked fourth nationally in Net Punting at 43.5. Thorson missed the 2025 opener while still recovering from offseason knee surgery and Drew Miller served as the punter.

Miller actually got his first taste of action in the 2025 CFP Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl after Thorson was injured in the 2024 SEC Championship Game.

A native of Mediapolis, Iowa, Miller, now a junior, handled the punting duties against TSU in the season opener. He had just one and it covered a career-long 65 yards with a touchback for a net of 45 yards.

Senior Will Snellings was on for all the snapping against TSU.

The returning gunners include KJ Bolden, London Humphreys, Jeremy Bell and Talyn Taylor.

Single Game Career Highs For Miller

Punts: 6 (MU25)
Long: 65 (TSU '26))
Avg. (Min 2 punts): 48.0 on six (MU25) with 14 PR yards

Geaux Dawgs

Senior All-SEC specialist Peyton Woodring, a native of Lafayette, La., is a three-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist. In 2025, he was a 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC pick and twice named SEC Specialist of the Week.

Woodring's Career FG% of 88.06% (59-of-67) is on track for a school record as the current mark belongs to Rodrigo Blankenship who posted an 82.47% from 2016-19, making 80-of-97 attempts. Blankenship holds the Georgia and SEC record for Career PATs, going 200-for-200. Woodring is 180-for-180 in PATs.

In 2025, he had a team-high 105 points (17-19 on FGs, 54-for-54 on PATs, 84 Kickoffs, 61 Touchbacks, 4 Out of Bounds).

Also, Geogia has freshman PK Harran Zureikat. He took care of the final two PATs in the 63-3 season-opening win over Tennessee State.

Kickoff returns under Woodring have been rare but look for Kyron Jones, Raylen Wilson, Justin Williams and Chris Cole to be among those with special teams tackles. In the 2026 season opener against TSU, Woodring had eight kickoffs with six touchbacks and two were fair caught.

Did You Know? After missing three of his first seven field goal attempts as a freshman in 2023, Woodring has been good on 55 of his past 60 FG (4 of those misses were from 50+ yards while one was from 45 yards).

Single Game Career Highs For Woodring

Points: 15 (UK23);
PATs: 9 (vs. FSU23, Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
FGA: 3 (11x, last vs. #6 Ole Miss in CFP Qtrfinal at Sugar Bowl '26)
FGM: 3 (8x, last @ #23 Ga. Tech in MBS '25)
LG: 55 (vs. Clemson '24 in MBS, Atlanta)

Did You Know? Georgia's last game-winning field goal with two minutes or less to play came in the 2021 Peach Bowl against undefeated and No. 8 Cincinnati. Jack Podlesny hit a 53 yarder with three seconds left for a 22-21 lead. The Bulldogs would register a safety on the last play for a 24-21 final.

Back Deep For The Bulldogs

With the departure of All-SEC wideout/returner Zachariah Branch and senior Cash Jones to the NFL, the Bulldogs have competition in the return game. In the season opener against TSU, junior Sacovie White-Helton had four punt returns for 59 yards including a 35-yarder. Also, he had one KOR for 18 yards. Last year, he had five punt returns for 57 yards. Also against TSU, freshman Tyriq Green had one KOR for 25 yards while freshman Craig Dandridge Jr., had one PR for nine yards.

Did You Know? Georgia's last punt return for a TD came in 2023 (Mekhi {MUH-kye} Mews vs. Ball State, 69 yards)

Did You Know? Georgia's last KOR for a TD came in 2016 (Terry Godwin @ South Carolina, 43 yards)

It's Blocked

Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have blocked nine punts and eight field goals. There's one player on the current squad with a block for Georgia.

In the 2025 opener against Marshall, KJ Bolden blocked a punt that led to an eventual TD after a 20-yard drive.

Did You Know? Georgia's last blocked field goal came in 2024 by Dan Jackson against Auburn. He is now with the Detroit Lions.

O Brother Where Art Thou?

This Saturday, former Bulldog All-America offensive linemen Matt and Jon Stinchcomb will be in the press box working for the SEC Network and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Radio Network. Matt will be the analyst for the SEC Network while Jon will be the analyst for Georgia's radio broadcast. Matt suited up for the Bulldogs from 1995-98 while Jon played here from 1999-2002. Both went on to play in the NFL.

Matt has been with the ESPN/SEC Network since 2009 while Jon is in his first year on the Georgia radio broadcast. Jon has called New Orleans Saints preseason telecasts for the past 13 seasons.

Going For Three In A Row

The Bulldogs won their 16th SEC title after a 28-7 rout of No. 9 Alabama in the 2025 SEC Championship Game. This marked the first time Georgia won two straight SEC titles since it claimed three in a row from 1980-82.

Georgia is in its 11th season under Smart, who has a record of 118-21 with two national titles and four SEC crowns in that span.

A Look At The 2026 Schedule

The SEC goes to a nine-game league slate this year, and the two-time defending SEC champion Bulldogs open league play at Arkansas on Sept. 19. Georgia's SEC home opener will be Sept. 26 with the first-ever visit by Okla- homa. The rest of the home schedule features Vanderbilt, Auburn, Missouri and Ga. Tech.

The Bulldogs are 10-0 in their first SEC road game each year of the Smart era, winning at Tennessee (twice), South Carolina (twice), Vanderbilt (twice), Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Missouri.

Georgia has three other SEC roadtrips to Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina while the Florida game will be held in Atlanta on Oct. 31 at Mer- cedes-Benz Stadium. This marks the first time since 1995 that the Bulldogs and Gators square off somewhere other than Jacksonville, Fla. Everbank Sta- dium is being renovated for the next two seasons. The 2027 Georgia-Florida game will be in Tampa, Fla.

Georgia is 40-3 in its last 43 SEC regular season games with two losses to UA and one to Ole Miss.

Georgia's All-Time Overtime Record (11-7)

Home: 2-2; Away: 5-2; Neutral: 4-3
Bowl Game/CFP: 3-2 !SEC Games: 4-4
!Includes SECCG & CFP National Championship)

The Bulldogs are 3-2 in overtime games under Kirby Smart. Georgia's complete overtime history can be found on page 110 of the media guide.

Overtime In The Kirby Smart Era (4-2)

Home: 1-1; Away: 1-0; Neutral: 2-1
(Bowl Game/CFP: 1-1; *SEC Games: 2-2)

Includes SECCG & CFP National Championship)

Jan. 1, 2018: #3 Georgia beat #2 Oklahoma 54-48 (2-OT) in Pasadena, Calif. (CFP Semifinal: Rose Bowl Game)
Jan. 8. 2018: #4 Alabama beat #3 Georgia 26-23 in Atlanta, Ga. (CFP National Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Oct. 12, 2019: S.C. beat #3 Georgia 20-17 (2-OT) in Athens, Ga.
Nov. 29, 2024: #7 Georgia beat Ga. Tech 44-42 (8-OT, SEC Record) in Athens, Ga.
Dec. 7, 2024: #2 Georgia beat #5 Texas 22-19 in Atlanta, Ga. (SEC Championship, Mercedez-Benz Stadium)
Sept. 13, 2025: #6 Georgia beat #15 Tennessee 44-41 in Knoxville, Tenn.

"Hard To Kill" In 2025

In 2025, Georgia went 7-1 in the SEC gauntlet, trailing early and/or late in seven of those contests. The Bulldogs rallied to beat No. 15 Tennessee and Auburn on the road for their ninth straight victory in those series. They outlasted No. 5 Ole Miss 43-35 in Athens and never had to punt. Georgia won its fifth straight over Florida in Jacksonville. Georgia erased an early 7-0 deficit at MSU with 38 unanswered points and eventually recorded a 41-21 decision for the program's 900th all-time win. Georgia used a 21-point fourth quarter to defeat No. 10 Texas 35-10 to close out the SEC regular season.

The only league contest in the regular season where Georgia led wire-to-wire was a 35-14 home win over UK while the only comeback that fell short came to then No. 17 UA 24-21 in Athens.

The Bulldogs dominated No. 9 UA in the SEC Championship Game becoming the first team to shut out their opponent for the first three quarters of the title game.

Big Plays (25+ yards) In 2026

Georgia has six big plays. Opponents have none.

The longest each game is listed below.

G1: 6 (54-yd. TD pass Montgomery-Bell);
TSU: 0

Points Off Turnovers In 2026

Georgia is Even in Turnover Margin.
Georgia has no points off no turnovers.
Opponents have no points off no turnovers

TSU: No TO forced by either team.

Bulldog Career INTs & Pick-Six

Georgia had 9 INTs in 2025: Ellis Robinson IV-4 (AP, UK, CHAR, @GT), KJ Bolden-2 (UT, TX), Joenel Aguero-1 (UT), Daniel Okonkwo-1 (CHAR); Daylen Everette-1 (#9 UA) ;

Opp. had 7 INTs.

Bulldog	INT	TD	Last INT
Ellis Robinson IV, DB	4	0	@GT25
KJ Bolden, S	3	0	#10TX25
Kyron Jones, Star	1	1	UTM23
Daniel Okonkwo	1	0	CHAR25
!Khalil Barnes (CLEM)	7	0	vs. SMU24
!Ja'Marley Riddle (ECU)	6	^1	FAU25
!Gentry Williams (OU)	4	0	@Texas23

Note: ! INTs at previous school; ^ 55-yd-Temple24

Bulldog Career Fumble Recoveries

Georgia had 4 FR in 2025; Opp. had 5 FR.

Bulldog	FR	Last FR
Chris Cole, LB	2	UMass24
KJ Bolden, S	1	@ MSU25
Kyron Jones, S	1	@ AU25
Raylen Wilson, LB	1	UMass24
!Khalil Barnes (CLEM)	^1	@ SC23
!Ja'Marley Riddle (ECU)	1	FAU25
!Gentry Williams (OU)	1	@Texas23

Note: ! FR at previous school; ^ 42-yd TD

Bulldog Career Sacks

Georgia has 3 sacks in 2026. Opponents have none.

Bulldog	'26	'25	'24	'23	Total
Chris Cole, LB	0.5	4.5	0	n/a	5.0
Raylen Wilson, LB	0.0	2.5	1.5	0.5	4.5
Gabe Harris Jr., LB	0.0	1	2	0	3
Quintavius Johnson, LB	0.0	2	0	n/a	2
Zayden Walker, LB	0.0	2	n/a	n/a	2
PJ Dean, DL	1.5	n/a	n/a	n/a	1.5
Elijah Littlejohn, LB	1.0	n/a	n/a	n/a	1.0
KJ Bolden, S	0.0	0	1	n/a	1
Elijah Griffin, DL	0.0	1	n/a	n/a	1
Nnamdi Ogboko, DL	0.0	1	0	n/a	1
Jordan Thomas, DL	0.0	0	1	n/a	1
!Khalil Barnes, S (CLEM)	0.0	0	0	1	1
!Zion Branch, CB(USC)	0.0	0	1	0	1
!Amaris Williams, LB(AU) inj.	0.0	2	0.5	n/a	2.5

Note: ! Sacks at previous school

Four First-Time Starters In 2026

TSU (4): E. Griffin (DL), Z. Helton (RG), D. Jones (DB), T. Taylor (WR)

True Freshmen Getting A Taste

The Bulldogs had 26 true freshmen make their debut in the 2026 season-opening win over TSU. Last year, 22 Bulldogs saw action in the opener against Marshall.

The Bulldog Captains In 2026

TSU: Drew Bobo, Chris Cole, Jordan Hall, Peyton Woodring

HEAD COACH KIRBY SMART QUICK FACTS

Career Record: 118-21 (.849), 11th year at Georgia
2021 & 2022 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2017 CFP national runner-up
One of just two active coaches with multiple national titles (Dabo Swinney-Clemson, '16 & '18)
Most wins (117) in NCAA FBS history in the modern era (last 100 years) for a coach in his first 10 seasons.
T5th fastest coach in NCAA FBS history to win 100 games, doing it in 117; Fastest to do it in SEC history
Best record & winning percentage (85-15, .850) after his first 100 games of any coach in SEC history
2017, 2022, 2024 & 2025 SEC Champions
Georgia has been ranked in the top five nationally in Scoring Defense five times including leading the nation in 2019 & 2021; Been ranked in the top 10 in Scoring Offense three times (2021-23)
2017 George Munger award (National Coach of the Year by Maxwell Club); 2025 Eddie Robinson Finalist
Three-Time SEC Coach of the Year, 2017, 2021-22
Bulldogs have won three Butkus Awards and two Mackey Awards, one Outland Trophy, Bednarik Award, Thorpe Award, Groza Award, Mannelly Award, Manning Award, Ray Guy Award & Burlsworth Trophy, two NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards & one Heisman Trophy finalist
28 1st-team All-Americans
21 First Round NFL Draft picks, 84 total draft picks
354 players on SEC Academic Honor Rolls

THE KIRBY SMART RECORD

Year	W	L	Pct.	SEC	Bowl	AP Rank
2016	8	5	.615	4-4	Liberty	NR
2017	13	2	.867	8-2#	CFP Rose/NCG	2nd
2018	11	3	.786	7-2#	Sugar	T7th
2019	12	2	.857	7-2#	Sugar	4th
2020	8	2	.800	7-2	Chick-fil-A	7th
2021	14	1	.933	9-1#	CFP Orange/NCG	1st
2022	15	0	1.000	9-0#	CFP Peach/NCG	1st
2023	13	1	.929	8-0	Orange	4th
2024	11	3	.786	7-2 *	CFP Sugar (Qtr.)	6th
2025	12	2	.857	8-2	CFP Sugar (Qtr.)	6th
2026	1	0	1.000	0-0	--	--
Total	118	21	.849	*74-18

#5-6 (includes 2017-19, '21-'25 SECCGs, 2018 & 2022 CFPNC, 2026 CFP Quarterfinal at Sugar Bowl)

19 VICTORIES WHEN TIED OR TRAILING LATE

SEASON	OPPONENT	START OF 4TH QUARTER OR DEFICIT	FINAL
2016	% #22 UNC	Trailed 24-23	33-24
2016	@ Missouri	Trailed 27-21	28-27
2016	@ Kentucky	Trailed 21-16	27-24
2016	#8 Auburn	Tied 7-7	13-7
2016	^TCU	Trailed Trailed 23-21	31-23
2017	@ #24 Notre Dame	Trailed 17-16, trailed 19-17 with 10:21 left	20-19
2017	$ #2 Oklahoma	Tied 31-31, trailed 45-38 with 0:55 left	54-48 2ot
2020	~ #8 Cincinnati	Trailed 21-10, trailed 21-19 with :03 left	24-21
2022	! #1 Alabama	Trailed 18-13 with 10:14 left	33-18
2022	@ Missouri	Trailed 19-12, trailed 22-12 with 14:09 left	26-22
2022	~ #4 Ohio State (CFP Semi)	Trailed 38-24, trailed 41-35 with 2:43 left	42-41
2023	@ Auburn	Tied 17-17, tied 20-20 with 6:21 left	27-20
2024	@ Kentucky	Trailed 9-6	13-12
2024	@ Kentucky	Trailed 9-6	13-12
2024	vs. Florida in Jax.	Tied 20-20 with 7:29 left	34-20
2024	Ga. Tech	Trailed 17-6; then 27-13 with 5:37 left; 40-34 in 2nd OT	44-42 (8-OT)
2024	#2 Texas (SECCG)	Trailed 19-16 in OT	22-19
2025	@ #15 Tennessee	Trailed 28-27; then 38-30 with 6:40 left; 41-38 in OT	44-41 (OT)
2025	#5 Ole Miss	Trailed 35-26 and outscored Rebels 17-0 to end the game	43-35
2025	vs. Florida	Tied 17-17; Trailed 20-17 with 14:52 left	24-20

%Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic; ^Liberty Bowl; $Rose Bowl Game; ~Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl; !CFP National Championship

TOP IND. SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCES UNDER SMART

Rushing Yards: 222, Nick Chubb vs. #22 UNC in Atlanta (9/3/16);
Rushing TDs: 3, Sony Michel vs. UK
(11/18/17); vs. #2 Oklahoma in CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl (1/1/18); Daijun Edwards vs. AU (10/8/22); Trevor Etienne @ #1 Texas (10/19/24); Nate Frazier vs. UMass (11/23/24); Bo Walker vs. CHAR (11/22/25); Nate Frazier vs. TSU (9/5/26);
Longest Rush: 83-TD, D'Andre Swift @ #9 UK (11/3/18)
Passing Yards: 459, Carson Beck vs. MSU (10/13/24);
Passing TDs: 5, C. Beck (TT-9/7/24, GT-11/29/24), S. Bennett (UAB-9/11/21);
Receiving Yards: 197 (8 rec.), Jermaine Burton vs. MSU (11/21/20);
Receiving TDs: 3, Lawson Luckie vs. #5 OM (10/18/25);
Longest Pass/TD Pass: 89-TD, S. Bennett to Brock Bowers vs. UAB (9/11/21);
Tackles: 15, Nakobe Dean vs. #8 UF in Jacksonville (11/7/20);
Sacks: 3, Trenton Thompson vs. TCU (12/30/16);
Azeez Ojulari vs. #8 UC in Peach Bowl (1/1/21); Channing Tindall @ UT (11/13/21); Jalon Walker @ #1 Texas (10/19/24);
TFL: 3, Azeez Ojulari vs. #7 AU (10/3/20), vs. #8 UC in Peach Bowl (1/1/21); Trenton Thompson vs. Nicholls (9/10/16); Channing Tindall @ UT (11/13/21); Jalon Walker @ #1 Texas (10/19/24) & #2 Texas in SECCG (12/7/24);

32 DEFENSE AND SPECIAL TEAMS SCORES UNDER SMART

The Bulldogs are 28-2 (losses versus #8 UF in 2020 & #6 OM In 2026 Sugar Bowl) when they register a non-offensive score under Smart. In the 2026 Sugar Bowl, Daylen Everette returned a fumble 47 yards for a TD. In 2024, Chris Cole returned a fumble 28 yards for a TD; In 2023, Kyron Jones returned an INT versus UT Martin 26 yards for a score; Mekhi Mews took a punt return 69 yards for a TD against Ball State; and Joenel Aguero blocked a punt for a safety versus Florida.

DEFENSIVE SCORING IN THE SMART ERA

120 Points: 18 TDs, 6 Safeties

2016: 14 points in 3 different games (Pick-Six, Fumble Ret., Safety);
2017: 6 points in one game (Fumble Ret.);
2018: 12 points in 2 different games (Pick-Six, Fumble Ret.);
2019: 18 points in 3 different games (2 Fumble Ret., 1 Fumble Rec.);
2020: 22 points in 4 different games (2 Pick-Sixes 1 Fumble Ret., 2 Safeties);
2021: 28 points in 6 different games (4 Pick-Sixes, 2 Safeties);
2022: none
2023: 8 points in two games (Pick-Six, Safety)
2024: 6 points in one game (Fumble Ret.)
2025: 6 points in one game (Fumble Ret.)

48 POINTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS IN THE SMART ERA

2016: 12 points in 2 games (KOR, PR);
2017: none;
2018: 12 points in 2 games (PR, Blocked Punt Ret.);
2019: none;
2020: none;
2021: 8 points in 2 games (Blocked Punt Ret.; Safety/Blocked Punt);
2022: 8 points in 2 games (Safety/Blocked Punt; Blocked FG Ret.).
2023: 8 points in 2 games (PR, Safety)
2024: none;
2025: none;