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Georgia Bulldogs Open 2026 Season vs. Tennessee State: Sights and Sounds

Ryan Kerley|
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton totes the football in the Dawgs' win over Tennessee State in Sanford Stadium on 9/05/2026.
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton totes the football in the Dawgs' win over Tennessee State in Sanford Stadium on 9/05/2026. | Dawg Post

The Georgia Bulldogs opened the 2026 season with a huge win at home against Tennessee State. 

The heat index was measured at over 100 degrees, and the real temperature measured at 96 degrees during the game. This is one of the hottest games Georgia has ever been a part of on record. The sweating started just minutes into standing out on the field. 

Kirby Smart and his group are looking to go further than the second-round playoff exits that they have experienced in back to back College Football Playoff Appearances. They are also looking to win a third SEC Championship Game in-a-row. 

Despite the heat, the “Spike Squad,” a famous group of students that dress up and sit in front of the Georgia student section, were out in the sun and the heat as early as the gates opened - per usual. The grueling heat did not stop them from throwing those pads on, painting their bodies and standing in the sun to cheer on the Dawgs for hours before the game even started. 

Up until close to kickoff, Georgia students and fans huddled in the shaded areas and the corridors of the stadium. 

Gunner Stockton looked crisp during Georgia’s warmups and then that continued when the game started. The Rabun County-native only played five drives for the Dawgs on Saturday, but all five ended in a Georgia touchdown. He finished the contest with just one incompletion on 16 attempts and three scores through the air. 

It is a successful day when you score five quick touchdowns and your starting quarterback gets subbed out less than halfway through the second quarter. 


Backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi went 7/13 for 109 yards and a touchdown in his stint in the game. Third-stringer Ryan Montgomery quickly threw a touchdown in his action. 

The Dawgs even got their fourth string quarterback Hezekiah Millender in the game with just under 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

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Ryan Kerley
RYAN KERLEY

Ryan Kerley began his journalism career in the throws of COVID in 2020 - complicating the start of his career in the space. A year later Kerley reported from Athens to Miami to Indianapolis as the Bulldogs won the program's first national title since 1980. Kerley has covered SEC Championships, Peach Bowls, Orange Bowls, Sugar Bowls and College Football Playoff National Championship Games. In addition to his duties at Dawg Post, Kerley is an accomplished play-by-play voice for both football and basketball. Kerley graduated from the University of Georgia in 2024 with a degree in Journalism. Kerley is a native of Cleveland, Georgia.

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