UGA Football: Smart, Brini, Ericson, and Camarda Speak to the Media

Georgia | 2021 Averages | UAB |
10.0 | Scoring Offense | 31.0 |
3.0 | Scoring Defense | 0.0 |
-1 | Turnover Margin | -2 |
256.0 | Total Offense | 517.0 |
121.0 | Rushing Offense | 147.0 |
135.0 | Passing Offense | 370.0 |
4.7 | Punt Returns | 16.3 |
25.0 | Kickoff Returns | — |
The 1-0 Bulldogs play host to UAB (1-0) on Saturday after the Blazers took down Jacksonville State 31-0 on Sept. 1. Georgia leads the all-time series with UAB 2-0. The teams met in 2003 (16-13) and in 2006 (34-0) in Sanford Stadium. In the first meeting, fifth-ranked Georgia jumped ahead 10-0 before the Blazers tied it up by halftime. UAB took a 13-10 midway through the third quarter before Billy Bennett made a 29-yarder to tie it. He added a 31-yarder early in the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead and become the leading scorer in school history at 355, passing Kevin Butler’s mark of 353. Bennett finished his career with 409. The current scoring record belongs to Rodrigo Blankenship (440 from 2016-19).
In the most recent meeting with UAB, Georgia’s defense posted its second straight shutout (previous week beat South Carolina 18-0) and Matthew Stafford became the first Bulldog freshman to start at quarterback since 1998. Stafford finished 10-for-17 for 107 yards and one rushing touchdown. The No. 10 Bulldogs held UAB to 167 yards of total offense.
On a related scoring note, Georgia entered the 2021 season with the sixth longest streak among FBS teams without being shutout at 328 games. Georgia’s streak dates back to 1995. Florida owns the longest streak at 410 games followed by Michigan, BYU, TCU and Virginia Tech.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Time after time Saturday night, big third down after big third down, the Georgia defense was getting into the backfield and disrupting or sacking Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
“Do we have an elite pass rush? I don’t know that yet. Can we affect the quarterbacks? Absolutely,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the fifth-ranked Bulldogs produced 7 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in a 10-3 win over No. 2 Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
It was just one game, Smart said postgame, and you can only learn so much from one game. But what a game, what a performance.