ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia set a program record Saturday afternoon at chilly Sanford Stadium by scoring 30 or more points for a fifth straight game.
The Bulldogs established the mark with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first half on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Murray to A.J. Green, one of many plays they celebrated in a 55-7 humbling of Idaho State.
Georgia got the bulk of its output in a 35-point second quarter, the most for the Bulldogs since they amassed 35 in the second quarter of a 59-24 dismantling of William & Mary in 1988.
Green played barely over a half but racked up six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 21 receiving scores for his career.
“I feel like whenever the ball is in my hand, I can make a play,” Green said. “The first guy is not going to be able to tackle me.”
The only Georgia player ever to accumulate more touchdown catches is Terrence Edwards, who had 30 from 1999 to 2002.
Idaho State marked the first FCS foe Green had faced since his debut game against Georgia Southern in 2008. He missed last year’s game against Tennessee Tech with a bruised lung.
Georgia improved to 5-5 in matching its largest victory margin in the Mark Richt era and now can turn its full attention to Auburn, which improved to 10-0 with Saturday’s 62-24 victory over UTC. That focus will begin with trying to stop Tigers quarterback Cam Newton, who leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing and threw for a career-high 317 yards and four scores against the Mocs.
“He’s a great player and great competitor,” Bulldogs linebacker Akeem Dent said. “They have a great team, so we’ve got to go out there and be ready to compete. We’re going to be up for it.”
Said Richt: “Every man on the team – I’m sure even before the clock hit zeros – was thinking about going to Auburn and playing this game.”
The Bulldogs played in the early going as if they were sulking over last week’s overtime loss to Florida in Jacksonville. They had to settle for a 38-yard Blair Walsh field goal on their opening possession when Caleb King was stopped for no gain on third-and-2 at the ISU 20, and they had to punt after their second possession after having it first-and-10 at the ISU 34.
Murray was just 5-of-11 for 39 yards and endured a sack in the first 15 minutes, but his 22-yard pass to Tavarres King to start the second quarter opened the floodgates. He completed 14 of his final 16 attempts for 189 yards and three touchdowns.
“I just wasn’t making the passes,” Murray said of his start. “I was going to the right guys, but I wasn’t as accurate as I would like to be.”
This week’s game will be televised by CBS, and the Bulldogs could be double-digit underdogs for the first time this season. Georgia has won four straight in the Deep South’s oldest rivalry, which Auburn leads 53-52-8.
“We’ll definitely be the underdog,” Murray said. “We just have to be hungry and ready for the fight.”