Georgia offensive lineman Solomon Kindley hoists wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman while celebrating Holloman’s touchdown catch against Florida during the first quarter of the Bulldogs’ 36-17 win Saturday in Jacksonville.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Georgia sophomore receiver Jeremiah Holloman made his first college start Saturday.
He made the most of it.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore from the Atlanta suburb of Covington turned in a performance to savor with four catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-17 win over Florida. It was Holloman’s first four-catch contest, and his touchdown tally matched that of his first 16 games with the Bulldogs.
“This was great,” Holloman said. “Being here in this atmosphere with all the fans who traveled here and to do what I’m capable of doing – it was just a great feeling. My teammates and coaches trusted in me to go out and make plays. I had better games in high school, but this was my most emotional game for sure.
“Florida never offered me (a scholarship), and last year I didn’t get to travel to this game. It was my first start, so it was an emotional game for me.”
Holloman’s two touchdowns came on timing patterns, with Jake Fromm finding him from 16 yards out midway through the first quarter and from 12 yards out early in the third quarter. In each case, Holloman caught the ball at the expense of Gators cornerback C.J. McWilliams.
“It’s really just about forcing my way to the back pylon and getting my head around fast to try and find the ball,” Holloman said.
His biggest catch, however, occurred with 10 minutes remaining in a 23-17 game. Facing third-and-11 from Georgia’s 39-yard line, Holloman hauled in a 15-yard reception from Fromm to Florida’s 46. Five plays later, Fromm and Terry Godwin connected for a 24-yard score that made it 29-17.
“We saw it was cover-2, and I ran at the safety and broke out as soon as I got by him,” Holloman said. “It was a corner route, and I was wide open. It’s stuff we practice over and over again.”
When asked about Holloman after the game, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said: “This guy comes in and meets, lifts and works out, blocks and plays on special teams, and he never says a word. He just works, and it paid off for him today. He has a good rapport with Jake and feels comfortable with him.”
Make it 13 straight
For the 13th consecutive year, the team that rushed for the most yards won the Georgia-Florida game. D’Andre Swift rushed 12 times for a career-best 104 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown with 4:29 remaining, while Elijah Holyfield added 20 rushes for 71 yards.
The Bulldogs outgained the Gators 189-170 on the ground.
“Those guys are competitors,” Smart said. “We finally listened to you guys and gave them the ball.”
Swift and Holyfield had 128 yards on just 19 combined carries in the 36-16 loss at LSU on Oct. 13.
Shuffling the line
Georgia was forced to shuffle its offensive line after starting left tackle Andrew Thomas injured his right ankle with 2:22 left in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs shifted freshman Cade Mays from right guard to left tackle and brought freshman Trey Hill in at right guard, but they didn’t stick with the lineup long, inserting Kendall Baker at left tackle and moving Mays back to right guard. Thomas returned to the game in the fourth quarter.
“I was proud of Kendall Baker,” Smart said. “Here’s a kid who started all these games last year. He’s been resilient. He continues to work. He doesn’t pout or whine. He just plays all the positions on the front.”
Despite the mixing and matching, Fromm was sacked just once for 5 yards and remarked, “I don’t remember getting hit a whole lot today, which is always a great feeling.”
Redshirt sophomore Ben Cleveland, the former starter at right guard who fractured his fibula at Missouri on Sept. 22, dressed out Saturday but did not play.
Odds and ends
Sophomore inside linebacker Monty Rice racked up 11 tackles and forced a fumble, while junior cornerback Tyrique McGhee had five tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. The Bulldogs increased their series advantage to 52-43-2 according to Georgia records and to 51-43-2 according to Florida records. Representatives from the College Football Playoff, as well as the Sugar, Orange and Citrus bowls were in attendance Saturday. Georgia freshman defensive lineman Jordan Davis made his first college start. Georgia redshirt freshman linebacker Robert Beal missed Saturday’s game to attend a funeral. The Bulldogs have slipped to fourth in the 247Sports.com team rankings for the 2019 recruiting cycle after five-star running back John Emery of Destrehan, Louisiana, announced that he was decommitting.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.