Georgia Bulldogs win TaxSlayer Bowl over Penn State, 24-17
By John Buhler
The Georgia Bulldogs win their bowl game over the Penn State Nittany Lions, 24-17. This gives Georgia their 10th win on the year for back-to-back seasons.
Despite having the remnants of the 2015 Mark Richt staff, the Georgia Bulldogs were able to move to 10-3 on the season under interim head coach Bryan McClendon by beating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Saturday afternoon, 24-17. This gives UGA back-to-back 10 win seasons and the senior class 40 since joining the program in 2012
It was a strong showing for the Georgia Bulldogs’ running backs, accumulating 166 of the Dawgs’ 327 total yards of offense. Sony Michel had 20 carries for 85 yards and a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. In his final game for the Georgia Bulldogs, running back Keith Marshall had 14 carries for 62 yards. Isaiah McKenzie had a run for 26 yards as well.
As I had expected, the UGA offense would focus primarily on the ground game while relying on solid defense to beat Penn State. Greyson Lambert completed 10 of 20 passes for 118 yards and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Terry Godwin inside the final minute of the first half.
More from UGA Football
- Georgia Football: Past, Present and Future on Display in Win
- Georgia Football: Road Game Becomes a Home Game for Bulldogs
- Georgia Football: 2nd Half Dominance By Young Defense Brings Hope
- Georgia Football: Bulldogs Smartly Cruise Versus Vanderbilt
- Georgia Bulldogs 10 Days From Opening Game With Vanderbilt
Terry Godwin had a fantastic day for the Georgia Bulldogs. Not only did he have four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, he also completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Malcolm Mitchell in the second quarter. Mitchell had a great final game for the Dawgs with five receptions for 114 yards and the Terry Godwin touchdown reception.
Georgia entered the final quarter up 24-3 to Penn State before squandering two late touchdowns to make things interesting. However, the Georgia Bulldogs’ 21-point lead entering the fourth quarter was too big of a deficit for the Nittany Lions to overcome. UGA once again got the best of a James Franklin-led football team.
It is the end of an era in Georgia Bulldogs football, as the Kirby Smart era will completely take over on January 12th after the Alabama Crimson Tide play for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday, January 11th.
Next: Georgia Bulldogs face Penn State in TaxSlayer Bowl
I did not expect the Georgia Bulldogs to cover the 6.5-point spread by half a point, but this game was lower than the 43 over/under set by OddsShark.com. For as much turmoil that surrounded the UGA program with the Nick Chubb injury, the firing of Mark Richt, the commitment of Jacob Eason, the Georgia Bulldogs finished their 2015 season at 10-3 and have a favorable chance of finishing in the AP Top 25.
While UGA doesn’t have a marquee victory this season, only three losses in the Power 5 should help the Dawgs finish in the 20s somewhere in the final AP Poll. Great win. Go Dawgs!