2020 Georgia Bulldogs football team

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
	East Division
	West Division
	Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
	# – College Football Playoff champion; ^ – College Football Playoff participant; $ – Conference champion; x – Division champion/co-champions; * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban; Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. ; Rankings from AP Poll.

2020 Georgia Bulldogs football
2020 Georgia Bulldogs football
Peach Bowl champion
Peach Bowl, W 24–21 vs. Cincinnati
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 7
2020 record	8–2 (7–2 SEC)
Head coach	Kirby Smart (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Todd Monken (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro Spread
Defensive coordinator	Dan Lanning (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Glenn Schumann (2nd season)
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium; (Capacity: 92,746)
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia and were led by fifth-year head coach Kirby Smart. For the first time since 2016, the Bulldogs did not win the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), finishing second behind rival Florida.

Preseason[]

SEC Media Days[]

In the preseason media poll, Georgia was predicted to finish in second in the East Division behind Florida. Georgia received the second-most votes (tied with LSU) to win the SEC Championship Game.^[1]

Schedule[]

Georgia announced its 2020 football schedule on August 7, 2019.

The Bulldogs had games scheduled against East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Louisiana–Monroe and Virginia, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]^[3]^[4] This was the first season since 1924 that the Bulldogs did not play Georgia Tech.^[5]

Georgia played two additional SEC West opponents this season: Arkansas and Mississippi State.^[5] The game scheduled against SEC East opponent Vanderbilt was postponed and eventually canceled.^[6]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 26	4:00 p.m.	at Arkansas	No. 4	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	SECN	W 37–10	16,500
October 3	7:30 p.m.	No. 7 Auburn	No. 4	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (College GameDay)	ESPN	W 27–6	20,524
October 10	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 Tennessee	No. 3	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	CBS	W 44–21	20,524
October 17	8:00 p.m.	at No. 2 Alabama	No. 3	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (College GameDay)	CBS	L 24–41	19,424
October 31	12:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 5	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 14–3	12,000
November 7	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 8 Florida	No. 5	TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 28–44	19,210
November 21	7:30 p.m.	Mississippi State	No. 13	Sanford Stadium Athens, Georgia	SECN	W 31–24	20,524
November 28	7:30 p.m.	at South Carolina	No. 9	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	SECN	W 45–16	16,444
December 12	12:00 p.m.	at No. 25 Missouri	No. 9	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	W 49–14	10,830
January 1	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 8 Cincinnati*	No. 9	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl)	ESPN	W 24–21	15,301
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:^[6]

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	4	4*	4	4	4	3	4	5	12	13	13	11
Coaches	4	4*	4	3 T	4	3	4	5	11	11	10	10
CFP	Not released										9	8					Not released

Game summaries[]

at Arkansas[]

Game One – No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs (0–0) at Arkansas Razorbacks (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Bulldogs	0	5	22	10	37
Razorbacks	7	0	3	0	10

at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2020
Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: S 11 mph
Game attendance: 16,500
TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (analyist) and Tera Talmadge (sideline)
Pregame line: Georgia −28 • Odds to win: Georgia 91.8%

Game information

First quarter

(8:48) ARK – Treylon Burks 49 yard pass from Feleipe Franks, A.J. Reed kick (Drive: 7 plays, 91 yards, 2:17; Arkansas 7–0)

Second quarter

(14:30) UGA – Arkansas fumble through the back of the end zone, safety (Arkansas 7–2)
(0:00) UGA – Jack Podlesny 38 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 1:00; Arkansas 7–5)

Third quarter

(8:23) ARK – A.J. Reed 25 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 43 yards, 4:15; Arkansas 10–5)
(6:00) UGA – George Pickens 19 yard pass from Stetson Bennett, 2-point run good (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:23; Georgia 13–10)
(3:20) UGA – John FitzPatrick 7 yard pass from Stetson Bennett, Jack Podlesny kick (Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 1:11; Georgia 20–10)
(2:53) UGA – Eric Stokes 30 yard interception return, Jack Podlesny kick (Georgia 27–10)

Fourth quarter

(11:15) UGA – Zamir White 6 yard rush, Jack Podlesny kick (Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 5:38; Georgia 34–10)
(1:23) UGA – Jack Podlesny 38 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 2:36; Georgia 37–10)

Statistics	UGA	ARK
First downs	19	15
Plays–yards	89–387	67–280
Rushes–yards	42–121	28–77
Passing yards	266	203
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	28–47–1	20–39–3
Time of possession	35:46	24:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia	Passing	Stetson Bennett	20/29, 211 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Zamir White	13 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kearis Jackson	6 receptions, 62 yards
Arkansas	Passing	Feleipe Franks	19/36, 200 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Trelon Smith	6 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Treylon Burks	7 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD

No. 7 Auburn[]

Game Two – No. 7 Auburn Tigers (1–0) at No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs (1–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Tigers	0	3	3	0	6
No. 4 Bulldogs	10	14	3	0	27

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2020
Game time: 6:38 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Fair • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: 5 mph E
Game attendance: 20,524
Referee: James Carter
TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline reporter)
Pregame line: Georgia −7.5 • Odds to win: Georgia 57.3%

Game information

First quarter

(9:31) UGA – Zamir White 1 yd rush, Jack Podlesny kick (Drive: 10 plays, 43 yds, 2:56; Georgia 7–0)
(4:00) UGA – Jack Podlesny 21 yd field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 59 yds, 3:56; Georgia 10–0)

Second quarter

(11:08) UGA – George Pickens 21 yd pass from Stetson Bennett, Jack Podlesny kick (Drive: 11 plays, 84 yds, 5:26; Georgia 17–0)
(6:26) UGA – Zamir White 1 yd rush, Jack Podlesny kick (Drive: 6 plays, 72 yds, 3:27; Georgia 24–0)
(1:38) AUB – Anders Carlson 20 yd field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yds, 4:40; Georgia 24–3)

Third quarter

(10:09) AUB – Anders Carlson 45 yd field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 54 yds, 4:46; Georgia 24–6)
(5:51) UGA – Jack Podlesny 25 yd field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 67 yds, 4:18; Georgia 27–6)

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Statistics	AUB	UGA
First downs	15	25
Plays–yards	63–216	73–442
Rushes–yards	22–39	45–202
Passing yards	177	240
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21–41–1	17–28–0
Time of possession	25:56	34:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Auburn	Passing	Bo Nix	21/41, 177 yds, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tank Bigsby	8 carries, 31 yds
	Receiving	Anthony Schwartz	8 receptions, 57 yds
Georgia	Passing	Stetson Bennett	17/28, 240 yds, 1 TD
	Rushing	Zamir White	19 carries, 88 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kearis Jackson	9 receptions, 147 yds

Tennessee[]

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	29	Eric Stokes	CB	Green Bay Packers
2	33	Tyson Campbell	CB	Jacksonville Jaguars
2	50	Azeez Ojulari	OLB	New York Giants
3	92	Monty Rice	ILB	Tennessee Titans
3	94	Ben Cleveland	OG	Baltimore Ravens
3	97	Tre' McKitty	TE	Los Angeles Chargers
5	169	Richard LeCounte	S	Cleveland Browns
6	190	Trey Hill	C	Cincinnati Bengals

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Consecutive season at Georgia in current position
Kirby Smart	Head coach	5th
Todd Monken	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach	1st
Matt Luke	Associate head coach / Offensive line coach	1st
Scott Cochran	Special teams coordinator	1st
Dan Lanning	Defensive coordinator/Outside linebackers coach	2nd
Glenn Schumann	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside linebackers coach	2nd
Cortez Hankton	Pass Game coordinator/Wide receivers coach	3rd
Dell McGee	Run Game coordinator/Running backs coach	2nd
Todd Hartley	Tight Ends coach	2nd
Tray Scott	Defensive line coach	4th
Reference:^[7]

References[]

^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
^ Talty, John (30 July 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Dellenger, Ross (30 July 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Kelley, Kevin (30 July 2020). "All three Chick-fil-A Kickoff games canceled in 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ ^a ^b Dellenger, Ross (7 August 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b "2020 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
^ 2021 Georgia Bulldogs Football Media Guide, p. 2

[1] "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.

[2] Talty, John (30 July 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[3] Dellenger, Ross (30 July 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[4] Kelley, Kevin (30 July 2020). "All three Chick-fil-A Kickoff games canceled in 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[SI:_SEC_Winners_and_Losers-5] Dellenger, Ross (7 August 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

[Georgia_Schedule-6] "2020 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[a2-7] 2021 Georgia Bulldogs Football Media Guide, p. 2

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t Georgia Bulldogs football
Venues	Herty Field (1892–1910) Sanford Field (1911–1928) Sanford Stadium (1929–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Auburn (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry) Clemson Florida Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate) South Carolina Tennessee Vanderbilt
Culture & lore	History Hairy Dawg Uga "Glory, Glory" Georgia Redcoat Marching Band First forward pass 1927 Yale game
People	Head coaches Steadman V. Sanford Larry Munson Morgan Blake NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders
Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
National championship seasons in bold

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
No. 13 Florida x		8	–	2		8	–	4
No. 7 Georgia		7	–	2		8	–	2
Missouri		5	–	5		5	–	5
Kentucky		4	–	6		5	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	7		3	–	7
South Carolina		2	–	8		2	–	8
Vanderbilt		0	–	9		0	–	9
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^		10	–	0		13	–	0
No. 4 Texas A&M		8	–	1		9	–	1
Auburn		6	–	4		6	–	5
LSU*		5	–	5		5	–	5
Ole Miss		4	–	5		5	–	5
Arkansas		3	–	7		3	–	7
Mississippi State		3	–	7		4	–	7
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. Rankings from AP Poll.