Georgia Bowl Postgame Notes
December 30, 2014 | Football
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes
Bulldogs Extend Bowl Streak: Georgia made its 50th appearance in a bowl game tonight at the Belk Bowl, extending its school record of consecutive appearances to now 18. Tonight was the first ever matchup between the Bulldogs and Louisville. With the 37-14 victory, the Bulldogs are now 28-19-3 in bowl games. The 50 appearances and 28 wins rank fourth nationally.
Another 10-Win Season, 40 Victories For Seniors And School Record For Points: With tonight's 37-14 win, the Bulldog senior class finishes with a 40-14 overall record and the third time they had a 10-win season. It was the 21st team in school history to reach double-digit wins in a season and the ninth under coach Mark Richt. Also, the team set a school record with 537 points in 13 games, eclipsing the old mark of 529 by the 2012 squad that played in 14 games.
Chubb Earns Bowl MVP With UGA and SEC Bowl Record and Career High 266 Rushing Yards: Freshman Nick Chubb tallied a career-high and bowl record and SEC bowl record of 266 yards on 33 carries, and that was the 2nd best total in a game school history, trailing only Herschel Walker's 283 as a freshman in 1980 versus Vanderbilt. The old SEC bowl record was 250 by Chuck Webb of Tennessee vs. Arkansas in the 1990 Cotton Bowl. Tonight, Chubb had a 31-yard TD run to make it 17-7. Chubb had a Bulldog bowl record 82-yard rush when Georgia had the ball at its own 3 yard line. It led to a 97-yard TD drive and a 27-7 edge in the third quarter. It gave Chubb his eighth straight game of more than 100 yards rushing. By the third quarter, he had set a Bulldog bowl record with 175 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Louisville came in with the nation's third-ranked run defense at 93.7 yards a game. Chubb finished with 1,547 yards, which ranks in a tie for fourth best total in school history with Garrison Hearst in 1992. Chubb's total was the second best ever by a Bulldog freshman, trailing only Herschel Walker's 1,616 in 1980.
O-Line Intact All Year: Georgia started the same five guys on the offensive line in all 13 games this season, the first time that has been done since the 2000 season. The 2014 unit was David Andrews-C, John Theus-LT, Brandon Kublanow-LG, Greg Pyke-RG and Kolton Houston-RT.
Starting Streaks: Senior center David Andrews started his team-leading 40th consecutive game. The most career starts on the team belongs to senior linebacker Amarlo Herrera who made his 43rd start including 28th straight. Freshman RB Sony Michel made his first career start as one of two tailbacks tonight, the other was Nick Chubb who has started eight in a row. Also, Michel served as the kickoff returner for the first time this season.
Calling the Plays For Record-Setting Offense: Tight end coach John Lilly assumed play-calling duties for tonight's game after offensive coordinator/QB coach Mike Bobo was hired as the head coach at Colorado State earlier this month. Georgia set a school record with 537 points this year and averaged a school record 41.3 points a game.
Mason Only Plays First Half, Sets Completion Percentage Mark For Season: Senior QB Hutson Mason finished 10-for-15 for 149 yards and 1 TD, all in the first half and did not play in the second half due to a vision issue . He had a 44-yard TD pass to senior Chris Conley. For Conley, it was his 20th career TD catch which moved him in to a tie for fourth all-time in school history with Fred Gibson (2001-04). It capped an eight play, 90-yard drive for a 7-0 edge in the first quarter. Mason's career featured 26 games and 15 starts, going 11-4 as a starter. For the season, Mason set a school record for completion percentage at 67.87 (188x277 for 2,168 yards, 21 TDs, 4 INTs), the old mark was 65.03 by Mike Bobo in 1997.
Morgan Tallies 12 Points and PAT Mark: Junior Marshall Morgan accounted for 13 points, hitting a pair of 41-yard field goals, a 22-yard FG and four PATs. This gives Georgia and Morgan with 67 PATs on the season, which is a school record for the team and by a Bulldog. The old mark was 63 in 2012, all by Morgan.
Points Off Turnovers: Georgia scored 6 points off four turnovers while UL got zero points off two Bulldog turnovers. Bulldog freshman Dominick Sanders had a 40-yard interception to set the Bulldogs up at the Cardinal 9 yard line. It led to a 22-yard field goal and a 20-7 edge. The Bulldogs scored 110 points off 30 turnovers this year. Bulldog redshirt freshman QB Brice Ramsey came in and threw an interception on his first play (starting QB Hutson Mason was unavailable for that series) as the Cardinal took over at their own 3. The Cardinals were forced to punt. In the second half, Sony Michel fumbled and UL recovered at the Bulldog 32. It led to a Bulldog interception by Dominick Sanders, his 2nd of the game to tie a Bulldog bowl record held by five others. Georgia failed to score after this INT. Senior Star Damian Swann notched an INT at the Bulldog 33 in the 4th quarter. It led to a field goal. Opponents finished with 19 points off 13 Bulldog miscues this year. Coming in tonight, Georgia ranked third nationally in Turnover Margin at +15 and finished the year at +17, the third best total, which was the best since the 1982 squad that was +22..
Injury Report: Sophomore safety Quincy Mauger went down with a concussion late in the second quarter and did not return. Senior QB Hutson Mason was unavailable for the final series of the first half and did not return due to a vision issue. Senior wideout Michael Bennett (left knee) was injured early in the third quarter and did not return.
