ATHENS, Ga. - On a college football Saturday in which Southeastern Conference Eastern Division teams struggled against heavy underdogs, the Georgia Bulldogs played right along.
Overcoming two costly turnovers that resulted in a second-half game of catch-up, the Bulldogs finally subdued Georgia Southern 23-17 in overtime before a nervous crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium. The Eagles were stuffed by linebackers Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins on their overtime possession before sophomore tailback Sony Michel bolted 25 yards to the end zone on Georgia's first play.
"All I saw was daylight," Michel said. "Thanks to the offensive line, they opened up the hole and did a great job all night. We fought through all types of adversity."
Earlier Saturday, South Carolina lost 23-22 at home to The Citadel, a Championship Subdivision program from the Southern Conference, and Florida escaped Florida Atlantic 20-14 in overtime. The Owls of Conference USA entered the Swamp with a 2-8 record.
"We were aware of those games, but we were really trying to focus on Georgia Southern," Michel said. "Our coaches emphasized all week that this wasn't going to be a small team coming in here to play. They just came off the FCS and are in the FBS, and they've been winning for years."
The Bulldogs survived to improve to 8-3 overall, clinching at least eight wins for the 14th time in Mark Richt's 15 seasons as coach.
A 65-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Georgia Southern cornerback Caleb Williams early in the third quarter gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead and stunned the sold-out audience. The Bulldogs tied the game late in the third quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Greyson Lambert to Terry Godwin, and the two teams exchanged field goals midway through the fourth quarter.
"I am proud of these guys," Richt said. "There is a lot that they have had to overcome, but they have kept their poise and stayed together as a team."
The Bulldogs took their opening possession 61 yards in seven plays, grabbing a 7-0 lead on Isaiah McKenzie's 23-yard touchdown run around left end. It was Georgia's first touchdown on its inaugural drive all season.
Georgia was driving to extend its lead late in the first quarter, but Malcolm Mitchell fumbled after a 16-yard reception from Lambert at the GSU 8-yard line. The Eagles, couldn't capitalize on that turnover, with Younghoe Koo missing a 31-yard field goal, but they did drive 69 yards in 11 plays and tied the game on a 1-yard run by L.A. Ramsby with 3:47 before halftime.
"I spent the whole game thinking about that," Mitchell said. "I was looking in front of me and wasn't paying attention to what was behind me, and the ball was a little loose. I am glad we won."
Georgia will conclude its regular season next weekend at Georgia Tech, which dropped to 3-8 Saturday with a 38-21 loss at Miami. Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas suffered a first-half injury that knocked him out for the game, and coach Paul Johnson did not immediately know his status for this week's showdown.
The kickoff time and television network for the Georgia-Georgia Tech game is expected to be announced today.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.