No. 3 Georgia breezes past Tennessee State in opener

Field Level Media|published: Sat 5th September, 18:42 2026

Sep 5, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Elyiss Williams (10) hurdles Tennessee State Tigers safety Brendan Hale (8) for a touchdown during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga. -- Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns to help lead No. 3 Georgia to a 63-3 rout of visiting Tennessee State on Saturday.

Stockton appeared in just five drives, leading Georgia (1-0) to touchdowns on each of them. Nate Frazier rushed for three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who outgained the Tigers 660-109. Backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi threw for 109 yards and a touchdown as Georgia won its 13th consecutive season opener.

Daylin Lee threw for 62 yards for Tennessee State (0-2), which was paid $600,000 for the trip to Athens.

Frazier took the third play from scrimmage 48 yards for the game's first touchdown, before the junior running back went untouched for a 14-yard rushing score on the next drive to double Georgia's lead with 10:08 left in the first quarter.

After Tennessee State's second three-and-out, Elyiss Williams stamped an efficient three-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown reception.

Stockton hit Talyn Taylor for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with 2:08 remaining in the first.

PJ Dean's sack of Lee on the final play of the first punctuated a quarter that saw Georgia outgain the Tigers 228-0.

Stockton's 14-yard connection with Jaden Reddell extended the margin to 35. Taylor and Reddell's touchdowns were the first of their respective college careers.

Puglisi relieved Stockton for the Bulldogs' sixth drive.

Georgia's lone mistake of the first half was being penalized for having two No. 51's suit up for the same play. The flag wiped out Peyton Woodring's 38-yard field goal. The snap was botched on the next attempt and the Tigers took over.

The turnover on downs helped Tennessee State compile its lone scoring drive, as Preston Hurless' 37-yard field goal cut the deficit to 35-3 with 2:08 left in the half.

Frazier barreled in for his third score with 10:56 left in the third, pushing the lead to 39. On the next drive, Puglisi found freshman Kaiden Prothro for a 16-yard touchdown, giving Georgia a 49-3 advantage.

Third-stringer Ryan Montgomery floated a perfect 54-yard touchdown toss to Jeremy Bell, marking the Bulldogs' eighth touchdown drive in 10 tries. Jae Lamar ran for an 11-yard score to help Georgia eclipse the 60-point mark for the first time since beating Florida State 63-3 in the 2023 Orange Bowl.

--Jack Batten, Field Level Media

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