No. 5 Georgia beats No. 7 Baylor in Sugar Bowl for 12th win of season

Georgia went with the future, and the future looks bright.

Missing a half-dozen starters and a bunch of other players for various reasons against Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs simply turned to all those star-studded players they’ve recruited the last few years and turned them loose in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The No. 7-ranked Bears tried to match with late comeback but fell short, and Georgia got a much-needed postseason win, 26-14.

Freshmen Zamir “Zeus” White (running back), Warren Ericson (center) and Lewis Cine (safety) all got their first career starts, and freshman receiver George Pickens was the star of the game for the Bulldogs. With 12 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown, the 6-foot-4 wideout from Hoover, Ala., caught the most passes by a UGA receiver Hines Ward also had 12 in the 1998 Outback Bowl and the most yards since Tavarres King had 188 against Kentucky in 2012.

White had a career best 87 yards on 17 carries as star running back D’Andre Swift once again filled a decoy role. Defensively, freshmen Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari each had sacks, first-year transfer led the Bulldogs with 7 tackles and Cine had six.

Once again it was the steady junior quarterback Jake Fromm that kept it all together for the Bulldogs. After a big first half, he finished with 247 yards on 19-of-29 passing and two touchdowns. Junior Richard LeCounte also had two interceptions.

The 2019 Bulldogs became the fifth UGA team to win 12 games in a season and the seniors tied the 2005 team for most wins over a four-year span with 44.

Georgia led 19-0 at halftime, a lead Baylor quickly bit into. The Bears flew down the field, converting two third downs along the way to set up first down at the 12. They got on the scoreboard on a fade route to star receiver Denzel Mims, who beat UGA cornerback Eric Stokes on fade route, which was the first TD pass allowed by Stocks this season. The scoring drive took just 2:46 to cover 75 yards, 2:46, 12:14, 3Q.

The game was won for Georgia on Baylor’s next offensive possession. The Bears reached the Bulldogs’ 46 and faced fourth-and-four. After a timeout, coach Matt Rhule chose to go for it.

Bad idea.

Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari was able to penetrate Baylor’s pass protection and sacked quarterback Charlie Brewer, who fumbled. Freshman Travon Walker recovered at the Bears’ 47-yard line.

That was the 10:02 mark of the third quarter. Georgia faced a similar fourth-down situation minutes later. It appeared the Bulldogs were going to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Blankenship. Instead, holder Jake Camarda jumped up from his crouch and ran six yards to the 13 for a first down.

On the next play, White went around right end for a touchdown and 26-7 lead with 7:16 remaining in the third quarter.

It ended up being a very important score as the Bears would get on the board again in the third quarter. Helped by a couple of questionable calls – a roughing penalty on Malik Herring and an interference foul against Mark Webb – Baylor completed an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a rushing touchdown of less than a yard by Brewer. It was just the second rushing TD allowed by Georgia’s defense all season and made it 26-14 with 4:10 still remaining in the third quarter.

But the Bulldogs’ were able to keep it there, keeping the Bears out of the end zone the rest of the way. Baylor’s cause was not helped when quarterback Charlie Brewer was knocked out of the game on an out-of-bounds tackle midway through the fourth quarter. He finished with 211 yards on 24-of-41 passing. Jacob Zeno finished the game under center for the Bears.

This report was written by Chip Towers, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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