Report Card: Georgia hammers Vanderbilt 55-0

Georgia has reached its only bye week of the 2022 season with an undefeated record thanks to a 55-0 beatdown of Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs had started slow the previous two weeks but that was not the case against the Commodores.

We’ve shared our instant reactions to the game. Now it’s time to tell you what we think of the win after having a chance to go back and watch. Scroll down to see our weekly report card.

Georgia quarterbacks

Stetson Bennett hit on 90 percent of his passes in the first half and got the Bulldogs off to a roaring start. He also ran the ball really well and extended some plays. Carson Beck entered late in the second quarter and looked really sharp in leading Georgia to three touchdown drives. Grade: A

UGA running backs

After struggling to break tackles and pick up yards after contact through the first few weeks, the Georgia tailbacks have turned into machines the past few weeks. Kenny McIntosh ran extremely hard on Saturday and was rewarded with one receiving touchdown and one rushing. Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson continued their good work and Cash Jones got into the end zone as well. Grade: A-

Georgia receivers and tight ends

Four Georgia pass catchers had at least four catches in this game. Darnell Washington was the best of the bunch with four grabs for 78 yards and boy did he make some touch catches. Dillon Bell had the best game of his career with five grabs for 54 yards and a score. Ladd McConkey did some good things before getting banged up and Dominick Blaylock got back in the end zone for the first time since 2019. Grade: A

UGA offensive line

It was an overall good day for the offensive line but there were some struggles. Vanderbilt brought some heavy pressure over different stretches of the game and Georgia, at times, had a tough time sorting it out. The push was good at the point of attack for the most part but the Bulldogs did allow some quick penetration. Mostly good, some bad. Grade: B

Georgia defensive line

Vanderbilt brought a pretty solid rushing attack to Athens and the Georgia defensive front shut it down. Nazir Stackhouse, Zion Logue, Warren Brinson, and the rest of the crew controlled gaps and didn’t allow Vandy much room to run. The Commodores’ longest run with for eight yards and it came from a receiver. The interior pass rush could have been a little more effective but still a great day from the d-line. Grade: A-

UGA linebackers

Georgia was without Smael Mondon for the second straight week but the inside guys handled their business. Jamon Dumas-Johnson had another stellar game with Rian Davis also playing well. Trezmen Marshall got back into the mix and we saw some good things out of true freshman Jalon Walker.

The outside linebackers didn’t have a massive impact outside of Nolan Smith’s sack (via intentional grounding) at the end of the first half. That made Vanderbilt’s ensuing field goal attempt tougher and, as the score indicates, it missed the mark. Grade: A-

Georgia defensive backs

Fifth-year senior safety Christopher Smith had a big game. He led the team in tackles and had a tackle for loss plus a fumble recovery. Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith both did some nice things from the STAR position. Smith had a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Bullard was flying around as well. Georgia tackled poorly at times and it got away with a mistake from Kelee Ringo that should have been an interception but the ball ended up falling to the turf after the Vandy wideout dropped it. Ringo did pitch in with two pass breakups and a tackle for loss. Grade: A-

Georgia special teams

The Bulldogs had a good day in this area. Jack Podlesny connected on both field goal attempts. McConkey and Kearis Jackson combined to return five punts for 59 yards. Georgia gave up nothing in the return game and Brett Thorson’s lone punt came down inside the Vanderbilt 20. Grade: A

Overall

The plan was good. The execution was good. There are really just two negatives from this game and they weren’t problems throughout the game. Georgia didn’t tackle well at times. Georgia didn’t block well at times. Those are basic things that the Bulldogs will be working on during the bye/work week coming up. Grade: A