ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia Southern entered Saturday night leading the nation with 378.9 rushing yards a game.
Georgia held the Eagles well below that, as their triple-option attack managed 233 yards on 52 rushes in Georgia's 23-17 overtime escape. GSU running back Matt Breida came in averaging 138 yards a game and 8.9 yards per carry, but he was held to 66 yards and 3.3 per rush.
"They scored one touchdown on defense, so when you hold a team like that to 10 points, that's not bad," Bulldogs defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt said. "You would like to hold them to zero, but that doesn't happen a whole lot in this day and time. We didn't play perfect this game, but when we needed to make some plays, some guys stepped up and made them."
Georgia Southern finished with 277 yards overall.
Jordan Jenkins had 13 tackles and Leonard Floyd 12 for the Bulldogs, with Floyd making 3.5 tackles for lost yardage. Jake Ganus, Quincy Mauger, Malkom Parrish and Davin Bellamy each had a tackle for loss as well.
"Defensively, I think we did great," Mauger said. "We played 60-minute football and then some. We rallied to overcome adversity. They were averaging a really high number of rushing yards, so we knew what we were up against."
Gales recognized
Devon Gales, the Southern University receiver who was paralyzed from the waist down in the Sept. 26 game at Georgia, was honored midway through the first quarter. Gales has spent the last several weeks at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta and has been unable to see Southern play, but he was decked out in a Georgia hat and a sweatshirt that read "GALES" and included the "G" logo.
"I miss the feel of being out here," Gales said. "It's phenomenal."
Several Bulldogs players hugged Gales before the game, including senior kicker Marshall Morgan, who collided with Gales on a kickoff. Morgan had visited Gales in the hospital.
Pressure cooker
Morgan will never forget his final game in Sanford Stadium, having to make a 43-yard field goal with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter to get the Bulldogs even at 17.
"I don't think I've ever had a game where I had to have one of those kicks," Morgan said. "I've had some to win the game, but I can't remember one to keep one alive. I'm glad Sony (Michel) took care of things in overtime."
Morgan, who actually missed a chance to tie last year's game at South Carolina, scored five points against the Eagles and has 396 for his career. Former Bulldogs kickers Blair Walsh (412) and Billy Bennett (409) are the only two players in SEC history to score more points.
Odds and ends
Uga X, also known as "Que," assumed the role as Georgia's official English Bulldog mascot during a pregame ceremony. Linebackers Jordan Jenkins (13) and Leonard Floyd (12) each has a career high in tackles. The Bulldogs are now 7-5 in overtime games and 1-1 in Sanford Stadium.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.