UGA Football News

Passing game powers Bulldogs past Vandy

by
UGA Sports Communications
Oct 3, 2026

Photo: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga. — The No. 2-ranked Georgia football team relied on a prolific passing attack to knock off Vanderbilt, 38-14, at Sanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Gunner Stockton threw three touchdown passes and the Bulldogs gained 295 yards through the air in the Homecoming win.

With the Bulldog rushing attack held in check for much of the game, Stockton and the passing game picked the Commodores apart on numerous lengthy drives. Stockton completed 25 of 32 passes for a season-high 295 yards. He also ran the ball seven times for 22 yards. Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC), which got a 59-yard run from Bo Walker in the final minutes, finished with 176 rushing yards on 34 carries.

Defensively, Georgia held Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2) to 293 yards of offense, including just 61 in the second half. Safety KJ Bolden and linebacker Raylen Wilson had seven tackles each to pace the defense. It was the Bulldogs’ seventh straight win over the Commodores.

Georgia’s defense forced a Vandy punt on the game’s opening drive, and then the Bulldog offense drove 80 yards in 10 plays for a 7-0 lead. No Georgia running backs ran the ball on the drive, though Stockton had a pair of rushes — one on a scramble and the other a designed run — and back Dwight Phillips, Jr. had a 16-yard reception to the 14-yard line. Stockton completed all eight of his passes on the drive, including a 2-yard touchdown to Landon Roldan with 6:57 left in the first quarter.

Neither team got a first down on their next drive, and Georgia punter Drew Miller booted a 47-yarder that died at the Vandy 5. The Commodores gained 11 yards on first down to get some breathing room, and then quarterback Blaze Berlowitz hit wideout Junior Sherrill on third-and-9 at the 40 for a 60-yard touchdown up the left sideline, tying the game 7-7 with 12 seconds left in the quarter. It was the first time this season that the Bulldogs have been tied other than at 0-0, and they were the first points scored against Georgia in the opening quarter this season.

Georgia needed just three plays to regain the lead. On first down, Stockton hit tight end Elyiss Williams for 19 yards to the Bulldog 44. Stockton went deep on his next throw, hitting Roldan for a 55-yard completion to the Vandy 1. Running back Chauncey Bowens scored on the next play to make it 14-7.

With 7:33 left in the half, Georgia’s Jordan Hall blocked a 58-yard field goal attempt by Brock Taylor. It was the Bulldogs’ first blocked field goal since Dan Jackson blocked one against Auburn in 2024. Georgia’s offense took over at its 40, and it initially looked like Phillips scored on a 31-yard touchdown catch out of the backfield. After a review, he was ruled down at the 1; Georgia scored on the next play, on a 1-yard run to the right by tight end Jaden Reddell, making it 21-7 with 3:58 to go before halftime.

Vanderbilt put together a 10-play drive late in the half and cut the Bulldog lead to 21-14 with 33 seconds left, scoring on a 2-yard Sedrick Alexander run up the middle. At the break, the Commodores had 234 yards of offense, converting 5 of 9 third-down attempts, while Georgia had 215 yards, with 195 of those through the air.

Tight end Lawson Luckie made the most of some Bulldog luck on Georgia’s opening drive of the second half. On third-and-4 at the UGA 43, Luckie caught a deflected pass and ran free for a 43-yard gain to the Vandy 14. A few plays later, Stockton hit Williams for a 1-yard touchdown and a 28-14 lead with 8:21 left in the third.

Vanderbilt was driving into Georgia territory on the ensuing possession and had converted a fourth-and-1 at the 50. But when the Commodores went for it again, on fourth-and-2 at the UGA 40, a short pass that was initially ruled complete was determined to have hit the ground, giving the Bulldogs the ball at their 40 with 1:15 left in the third.

Georgia couldn’t take full advantage of the defensive stop. The Bulldogs drove to the Vandy 27 before eventually having to settle for a 39-yard Peyton Woodring field goal, pushing the lead to 31-14 with 12:27 to play. On the next play from scrimmage, Vandy threw deep, and Bulldog cornerback Ellis Robinson IV pulled in his first interception of the season, and fifth of his career, at the UGA 30.

The Bulldogs added to their lead with 6:02 to play. Stockton led the offense on a 12-play drive that chewed up more than six minutes and ended when the quarterback hit Phillips for a 12-yard touchdown up the right sideline, making it 38-14.

It was Phillips’ second touchdown of the season and first receiving. He finished with a game-high five receptions for 75 yards and five carries for 27. Phillips was one of eight Bulldogs with at least two receptions.

The Bulldogs head to Tuscaloosa next week for a matchup against No. 7 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide beat No. 16 Mississippi State, 56-23, in Starkville on Saturday.

POST-GAME NOTES

Looking Good: Second-ranked Georgia is off to a 5-0 start for the seventh time in 11 seasons under head coach Kirby Smart.

*The Bulldogs have scored 257 points, and that’s the second best five-game total to start a Georgia season, trailing only the 1910 team (258).

*The Bulldogs are now 122-21 overall including 60-5 at home under Smart.

*With a 38-14 victory today, the Bulldogs improved to 3-0 in the SEC and 33-4 in SEC home games in the Smart era.

*With the latest win, the Bulldogs lead the series with VU 62-20-2 and have won the past seven meetings. Also, Georgia improves to 84-18-2 in Homecoming Games.

*For the year, the Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents 257-67 for a +190 differential.

*Defensive Highlights: VU was blanked in the 2nd half and finished with 14 points on 293 yards on 51 plays today.

*In the 1st half, VU had 14 points on 234 yards. Senior QB Blaze Berlowitz made the start for freshman Jared Curtis who did not play. Coming in today, Georgia had allowed just 12 points in the first half.

*Georgia had not allowed any points in the 1st quarter this year until VU hit a 60-yard TD reception to Junior Sherrill on a 3rd-and-9 with 12 seconds left. It was the longest play and scoring drive allowed by the Bulldogs this year as VU went 95 yards on seven plays in 4:23 to make it 7-7.

*For the year, Georgia is outscoring its opponents 70-7 in the 1st quarter and now 154-26 in the 1st half.

*In the 2nd quarter, senior Jordan Hall blocked a 58-yard field goal attempt, the first by a Bulldog since 2024 when Dan Jackson did it against Auburn. Georgia took over at the UGA 40. It led to an eventual TD and a 21-7 lead with 4:15 left in the 1st half

*Senior Gabe Harris Jr., collected a sack in the 2nd half. It was his second this year and fifth of his career.

*The leading tacklers today were Raylen Wilson and KJ Bolden with seven apiece. Last week versus #24 OU, senior Wilson had a team-high 11 tackles, one sack, 1.5 TFL and a forced fumble.

*Junior Ellis Robinson IV had a nifty INT in the 4th quarter snagging a deep ball at the UGA 30. It was his first this year and fifth of his career. Then, the Bulldogs turned into a TD, going 70 yards on 12 plays in 6:14 for a 38-14 lead.

*Offensive Review: Georgia finished with 471 yards of offense on 66 plays, gaining 176 on the ground and 295 via the pass.

*Fifth-year QB Gunner Stockton went 15-for-18 for 192 yards and 1 TD in the 1st half and finished 25-for-32 for 295 yards and 3 TDs.

*Up 21-14 to start the 2nd half, Georgia went 75 yards for a TD on 11 plays in 6:39 capped by a one-yard TD pass to sophomore TE Elyiss Williams. For Williams, it was his second TD this season and third of his career.

*Georgia’s second possession of the 2nd half started at the UGA 41. It led to a 39-yard FG and a 31-14 lead with 12:27 left in the contest.

*Georgia posted 21 points in the 1st Half today with 215 yards of offense (20-rush, 195-pass) on 29 plays.

*Georgia’s opening possession resulted in a 10 play, 80-yard TD drive in 5:30. Stockton was 8-for-8 for 61 yards capped by a two-yard TD pass to sophomore Landon Roldan, the first of his career as a receiver for a 7-0 lead. Roldan had his first career rushing TD against WKU this year.

*With the game tied at 7 heading to the 2nd quarter, Georgia went 75 yards in three plays in just 43 seconds to claim a 14-7 lead. The drive was highlighted by a career-long 55-yard catch by Roldan from Stockton to the 1-yard line.

*Junior TE Jaden Reddell notched his first career rushing TD, a one-yarder to make it 21-7 late in the 2nd quarter.

*Senior TE Lawson Luckie snagged a deflected pass off the hands of Craig Dandridge Jr. for a career-long 43-yard gain in the 2nd half.

Rare Receiving Leader: Ten Bulldogs caught a pass today with sophomore TB Dwight Phillips Jr. posting a career day with five catches for 75 yards and one TD. He had a career-long 30-yard catch in the 1st half and a 12-yard TD catch in the second half. Coming in today, he had five career catches for 29 yards.

*In the 1st half, sophomore Thomas Blackshear led the team with a career-high three catches for 33 yards. He missed the 2nd half due to an upper body injury.

Rushing Numbers: Georgia managed just 20 rushing yards on 10 attempts in the first half and finished with 176 on 34 for a 5.2 average.

*Junior TB Chauncey Bowens had 10 rushes for 31 yards, 1 TD). Bowens picked up his team-leading sixth rushing TD on his 27th attempt this year. It put the Bulldogs up 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter. The leading rusher was sophomore Bo Walker with 71 yards on five attempts.

*Special Teams Summary: Senior PK Peyton Woodring scored eight points on one FG and five PATs plus he took care of the kickoffs.

*Junior Drew Miller posted a 44.0 average on two punts, landing one inside the 20 (at the 5).

*Points Off Turnovers: Georgia scored 7 points of one turnover. For the year, the Bulldogs have scored 59 points off 10 turnovers.

*Coming in today, Georgia was the SEC co-leader in Turnover Margin and for the year is now +6.

*Captains, Starters & Homecoming: Georgia’s captains were Chauncey Bowens, Dontrell Glover, Khalil Barnes and Jordan Hall.

*Georgia won the coin toss and elected to defer the football until the 2nd half.

*On offense, sophomore Thomas Blackshear (WR) and junior Jaden Reddell (TE) made their first career starts.

*After starting the same 11 Bulldogs on defense in the first four games, Georgia junior Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (DL) and sophomore Rasean Dinkins (SS) made their first starts this season. Sophomore Chase Linton (OLB) made his 2026 debut.

*Junior TB Nate Frazier, who started the first three games but missed last week, did not play in the 1st half but started the 2nd half. Junior Isiah Canion (WR) missed his second straight game after starting the first three.

*The Homecoming King and Queen were fourth-years Jack Hobgood (Peachtree Corners, Ga.) and Carter Nichols (Duluth, Ga.)

*Up Next: No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) will be at #7 Alabama on Oct. 10 at 7:30 pm ET (ABC). UA (5-0, 3-0 SEC) beat #16 MSU today 56-23.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Coming soon.