ATHENS, Ga. — In what amounted to a glorified scrimmage, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck needed a little more than a half to tie a program record.
Beck threw five touchdown passes — to five players — before leaving the game less than three minutes into the third quarter, leading the top-ranked Bulldogs to a 48-3 rout against outmanned Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
“I thought our wide receivers had a really good day,” Beck said. “We have so many athletes on the field. They went out there and made plays. When guys are wide open, it makes my job really easy.”
Beck’s five touchdown passes matched a feat that had been done by a Georgia quarterback seven other times, most recently by Stetson Bennett against the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021.
With a brief respite in its daunting schedule, Football Bowl Subdivision power Georgia (2-0) breezed past a Football Championship Subdivision opponent that received $550,000 to make the trip to Athens for a beating that was never in doubt.
“We were considered better than that opponent,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We should execute at a high level.”
Beck completed 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards before calling it a day. He had scoring throws of 22 yards to Dillon, 6 yards to Colbie Young, 10 yards to Dominic Lovett, 50 yards to Arian Smith and 37 yards to Lawson Luckie.
Many in the announced crowd of more than 93,000 headed for the Sanfor Stadium exits at halftime on a sweltering day with temperatures in the upper 80s. They didn’t miss much as the Bulldogs pulled most of their starters shortly into the third quarter.
Tennessee Tech (0-2) started second-stringer Jordyn Potts at quarterback after losing Dylan Laible, a transfer from Missouri, to an injury in its season-opening loss to Middle Tennessee State University.
The Golden Eagles also gave some snaps to receiver Jordan Yates in a futile effort to bolster the offense, which had only 18 passing yards and didn’t crack 100 overall yards until the closing minutes.
In a moral victory for the visitors, Tennessee Tech called a timeout with a couple of seconds left to allow Hayden Olsen to kick a 32-yard field goal on the final play and avoid the shutout.
“I wanted to get points on the board. I wanted to get something positive out of the game,” coach Bobby Wilder said. “We are going to need that at some point to win a football game. As bad as it probably looked to everybody else, it was good for Tennessee Tech to score some points there.”
With the Bulldogs leading 45-0, the fourth quarter was reduced to 10 minutes. Georgia finished with a 498-134 lead in total yards.
“That is the most impressive football team I have seen in person,” Wilder said of the Bulldogs, who missed the College Football Playoff last season after losing the Southeastern Conference title game to Alabama, ending their bid to win a third straight national title.
The main benefit for the Golden Eagles was a hefty payday that will bolster their tight athletic department budget. They finally scored for the first time in three meetings against the Bulldogs after losing 67-0 in 1943 and 38-0 in 2009.
The Bulldogs got a chance to give playing time to a bunch of backups, which may pay dividends later in the season. Gunnar Stockton took over for Beck and completed 10 of 12 passes for 90 yards. Branson Robinson scored on a 13-yard run.
Fifteen players had at least one catch for the Bulldogs. Smith had four for 73 yards, while Bell chipped in with four for 46.
“We were able to play a lot of players,” Smart said. “That helps grow our team and grow our depth.”
Running back Trevor Etienne made his Georgia debut, carrying the ball five times for 78 yards. The transfer from Florida showed his speed with a 45-yard run in the second quarter, which got the Bulldogs started on an 80-yard touchdown drive.
“A lot of talent there,” Beck said. “I’m excited to see as the offense progresses and he progresses, what he’s able to do.”
Etienne was suspended for Georgia’s season opener a week earlier after an offseason arrest.
Georgia tight end Oscar Delp didn’t return after leaving Saturday’s game with a slightly sprained ankle.
“He could’ve gone,” Smart said, “but there was no need to.”
Georgia defensive star Mykel Williams sat out after spraining his left ankle in the 34-3 win against Clemson. Smart isn’t sure when the junior lineman will be able to return.
The Bulldogs open their SEC schedule next Saturday night at Kentucky.