Georgia got its 2025 season off to an ideal start on Saturday with a convincing defeat of Marshall inside Sanford Stadium.
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s 2025 season is off to an ideal start with a tally in the win column. The Bulldogs jumped all over Marshall and coasted to a 45-7 victory.
Gunner Stockton‘s first home start saw him complete 14 of 24 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the football 10 times for 73 yards and two more scores. Zachariah Branch’s first game as a Bulldog was a success as he hauled in three passes for 95 yards and a score. Juniors Gabe Harris and Raylen Wilson paced the Bulldogs defensively with each recording two tackles for loss in the victory.
Georgia’s offense got off to a fast start with Stockton’s running ability playing a big role. He converted a fourth down on the opening drive with a keeper off speed option, setting up a 17-yard touchdown run by Dwight Phillips. The Bulldogs’ second possession ended with Stockton keeping a zone read, breaking a tackle, and scoring from 13 yards out.
The second quarter saw Georgia cross the goal line just once and it came after it blocked a punt to give the offense a short field. The Bulldogs needed just three plays to travel 20 yards with Stockton running it in from 11 yards out. The PAT staked UGA to a 21-0 lead and they added three more at the end of the first half when Peyton Woodring knocked a 43-yard field goal through the uprights.
It didn’t take Georgia long to grow that lead as it got the ball to start the second half. The Bulldogs needed just four plays to travel 75 yards with Stockton hitting Branch for a 47-yard touchdown. Branch caught a pass in the left flat, broke a tackle, and raced into the end zone for his first score at UGA. Woodring’s PAT put Georgia up by a score of 31-0.
Stockton’s second passing touchdown of the day grew the lead with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. He found London Humphreys over the middle in the back of the end zone from two yards out. The PAT pushed the lead to 38-0.
That was Stockton’s last snap of the day as Ryan Puglisi took over at the tail end of the third quarter. He quarterbacked Georgia to a scoring drive in his first game action, finding Elyiss Williams for a 23-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs tacked on the extra point and took a 45-0 lead.
Georgia turned to it’s reserves on defense after that drive and Marshall took advantage. Marshall turned to Zion Turner at quarterback and he connected on passes of 34 and 44 yards to set Jo’Shon Barbie up for a one-yard touchdown run. The Thundering Herd hit the PAT to cut Georgia’s lead to 45-7.
Kirby Smart and company will be back in Sanford Stadium next Saturday. Austin Peay comes to town for the second game of the season with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.
Category: General Sports
