With all-everything tight end Brock Bowers returning to the lineup, second ranked Georgia scored touchdowns on its first four possessions to extend its school record win streak to 27 games as the Bulldogs cruised to a 52-17 win over ninth ranked Ole Miss Saturday night in Athens.
Bowers had missed Georgia’s last two games following an October 16 tight rope procedure on his left ankle. The junior from Napa, California caught three passes for 34 yards including a fourth quarter touchdown as the Bulldogs improved their record to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the SEC. The touchdown catch for Bowers was the 25th of his career, trailing only Terrence Edwards who set the school record with 30 from 1999-2002.
The Bulldogs clinched their third straight SEC East title and their sixth in the last seven years and will play Alabama in the SEC Championship game December 2 in Atlanta.
Georgia built a 28-14 halftime lead as Daijun Edwards ran for two touchdowns, Kendall Milton scampered for another, and Carson Beck threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to birthday boy Ladd McConkey. Saturday was McConkey’s 22nd birthday as he finished the game with four catches for 81 yards and the first quarter TD.
Beck completed 13 of 15 passes for 214 yards in the first half and finished the game 18 of 25 for 306 yards including the touchdown passes to McConkey and Bowers.
Georgia posted 611 yards of offense with 311 coming thru the air and 300 on the ground.
“We have good players on offense and good coaches,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who improved his career record to 91-15 in eight seasons. “That combination is hard. We have pass protectors and run blockers, and the backs I thought ran really hard tonight. Carson (Beck) put us in the right place. #19 (Bowers) and #84 (McConkey) are really tough to deal with.
The Bulldogs have now won a school record 37 straight regular season games dating back to 2020. Georgia also set a school record with its 26th straight regular season SEC victory, breaking the old mark set from 1980 to 1983.
The Bulldogs are also in a stretch where they have won 43 of their last 44 games.
Georgia’s defense came up big limiting Ole Miss to 21 points and 125 yards less than the team’s season averages. Freshman linebacker C.J. Allen was making his first career start replacing the injured Jamon Dumas-Johnson and led the Bulldogs with a career high nine tackles including his first career sack.
This year’s senior class is now 47-3 overall which ranks second in wins for one class in Georgia history. The Bulldogs’ senior class of 2022 won 49 games including two national titles.
“I was talking with my D-line coach, coach Tray Scott, earlier,” said Lebanon, Tennessee senior defensive lineman Zion Logue. “It feels like just the other day that I was playing Arkansas State in my freshman year. Time waits for no man, and you have to grow up very fast here. This place has taught me everything that I know, and I’ll forever be grateful for Athens, Georgia.”
Georgia gets back in action next Saturday at Tennessee for a 3:30 kickoff at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The Volunteers are 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC after losing to Missouri 36-7 earlier in the day in Columbia.
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