ATHENS, Ga. - The first big play for Louisiana-Monroe occurred early in the second quarter, when quarterback Garrett Smith ran a keeper up the middle for 24 yards across midfield.
Smith was tracked down by Bulldogs senior nose tackle Chris Mayes, all 323 pounds of him.
"I saw the quarterback sprinting, and I was like, 'Man, I've got to go get him,'" a smiling Mayes said. "The next thing I know, I'm on the sideline and people are saying, 'Dude, you saved a touchdown.'"
Smith weighs 211 pounds, and Mayes admits he was surprised as he gained ground.
"I had so many things going through my head," he said. "What if I miss this tackle? What if I cause a fumble? Then I was like, 'Just get him down.'
"I'm not going to lie, it was a great feeling. It was kind of unreal to me."
In a 51-14 rout halted by nearby lightning with 9:54 remaining, Mayes may not be getting the headlines today of quarterback Greyson Lambert or tailback Nick Chubb. His effort on that downfield tackle, however, did not go unnoticed.
"I wasn't expecting that, to be honest," senior receiver Malcolm Mitchell said. "I was shocked. I said, 'Was that Chris?' I told him that I didn't know he could run somebody down."
Said coach Mark Richt: "Chris has really gotten himself in tremendous shape. He trimmed down, and he's moving better and starting to make plays for us."
Ramsey in reserve
Georgia second-team quarterback Brice Ramsey made the most of his limited time Saturday.
Ramsey completed both of his passes for 51 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown to Sony Michel that gave the Bulldogs a 35-0 lead with 2:06 before halftime. It was by design that he entered the game after the midway point of the second quarter to replace Greyson Lambert, who completed 8 of 12 passes for 141 yards and two scores.
"I thought I had a pretty good day," Ramsey said. "I still view this as a competition, and I'm working hard every day. At the end of the day, we're all on the same team and we all want the same common goal."
Getting their kicks
Bulldogs senior kicker Marshall Morgan made his 184th career extra point in the fourth quarter, tying Blair Walsh for the school's all-time mark. That figure also ranks third in SEC history.
Senior punter Collin Barber also did well, punting four times for a 43.8-yard average with a long of 50. Barber handled six kickoffs and Morgan two, with Barber collecting four touchbacks.
"I love contributing as much as I can to the team," Barber said, "and to be able to kick off and not give them a return was awesome. This will be like every other position. We've got to compete, and whoever is doing better that week will play."
Odds and ends
Cornerback Rico McGraw of Nashville was Georgia's only true freshman to start, but the Bulldogs started two other newcomers with Lambert and transfer inside linebacker Jake Ganus. Lorenzo Carter and D'Andre Walker gave the Bulldogs two blocked punts in the same game for just the fifth time in school history. Touted freshman defensive lineman Trenton Thompson did not play until late in the third quarter. Junior inside linebacker Reggie Carter and redshirt sophomore tailback A.J. Turman did not dress out.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.