Continuing the momentum, Beck threw a 15-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dominic Lovett, extending the lead to 21-7. Beck capped the offensive outburst with a 34-yard touchdown strike to Arian Smith, sending Georgia into the break with a 28-14 lead.
Beck became only the third quarterback in SEC history in the last 10 seasons, alongside Brandon Allen (2015) and Tua Tagovailoa (2019), to throw for four touchdowns in the first four possessions of the first half.
Kirby Smart’s Halftime Thoughts
“We gotta tackle better. If we tackle better, we put them in more third and longs. We haven’t played any good defense,” said Smart at halftime.
The numbers back up his critique. UMass gained 166 yards on the ground in the first half, outpacing Tennessee’s 152 yards the previous week. Issues included missed tackles, poor angles, and a lack of intensity plagued Georgia early in the game.
On Georgia’s offense
“They have been playing complementary football all year. They have picked us up when needed to,” said Smart.
Second-Half Turnaround
The Georgia defense tightened up in the second half, allowing only 60 rushing yards and limiting UMass’s passing game. The defense did allow a 75-yard touchdown pass from quarterback AJ Hairston to Jakobie Keeney-James, who beat defenders Daniel Harris and Dan Jackson.
On offense, the Bulldogs shifted to a ground-heavy attack to assert their dominance in the second half. Freshman running back Nate Frazier powered the offense with three rushing touchdowns, helping to stretch the lead beyond 20 points.
The exclamation point came from the defense, as sophomore edge rusher Gabe Harris Jr. recorded a sack and forced a fumble. Freshman linebacker Chris Cole scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, sealing the 59-21 victory.
