Five Best Moments of the 2020 Season
The 2020 Georgia football season has come to a close. The Bulldogs played through the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the challenges it brought to finish the season 8-2 overall. Here are the biggest highlights of the unique season.
5. Georgia ends 2020 without major COVID-19 outbreak
Every week in the 2020 season, it seemed like some team was dealing with a major COVID-19 outbreak. Schedules shuffled, some teams dropped multiple games because of outbreaks. Georgia dealt with both because of opponents that struggled to contain the virus.
Georgia did not deal with such an outbreak within its program. A lot of players contracted the virus before camp, and some others tested positive during Christmas break, but Georgia's season wasn't affected by its own players getting COVID-19.
That's a huge credit to how serious the staff took the virus, and how much effort and research went into preventing an outbreak. Head coach Kirby Smart, director of sports medicine Ron Courson and many others on the staff did a remarkable job this season in this aspect.
4. Georgia beats Auburn again
Georgia put Auburn away before halftime this year, taking a 24-3 lead into the locker room. The Bulldogs defense sacked Auburn quarterback Bo Nix three times and held the Tigers to a mere 216 yards on offense.
Stetson Bennett had a great night in his first start between the hedges. He had 240 yards with one touchdown on a beautiful arched pass to George Pickens. The running game contributed 202 yards and two more touchdowns. Georgia won 27-3 and have now beaten the Tigers 13 times since 2006.
3. Bennett takes over at Arkansas
Bennett caught a lot of flack, and rightfully so. He ultimately was not the quarterback Georgia could rely on to lead it to a national title. But without the "Mailman," Georgia doesn't end the season 8-2. In fact, Georgia might not have won its season opener.
Trailing 7-5 late in the second quarter, Smart needed to make a change, and he benched starter D'Wan Mathis in favor of Bennett. He changed the complexion of the game. Bennett was more comfortable and clearly more confident. In just over two quarters, he had 211 yards and two touchdowns.
With Bennett at quarterback, Georgia outscored Arkansas 32-3 in the second half to win 37-10.
2. Podlesny drills a 53-yard field goal to win the Peach Bowl
Talk about a big kick: 53 yards, seven seconds left and down by two points. The ball didn't leave the middle of the field and had enough distance to be good from 60 yards. Jack Podlesny kicked the biggest field goal for Georgia in a long time, and certainly the biggest field goal of his life.
1. JT Daniels throws for 400 yards in UGA debut
In just one game, the entire outlook of Georgia's program changed. Fans, media, everyone knew the Bulldogs were a solid quarterback away from competing for a national title.
Daniels, finally near 100-percent health, torched Mississippi State's defense in his Georgia football debut. He completed 28-of-38 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns with connections to eight different receivers, including eight each to Pickens and Jermaine Burton. The latter accounted for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Daniels's big game was more than that. He restored hope to a fan base that felt like the ship had sailed on its national title hopes. His performance against Mississippi State and the games since have radically altered the perception of Georgia football for the better.
