Throwback Thursday: Georgia Stomps Marshall in 2025 Home Opener

The Georgia Bulldogs kick off the 2026 season on Saturday against Tennessee State. Let’s look back on the last season opener for the Dawgs.

There was much anticipation and anxiety among the Bulldog faithful for Kirby Smart’s team heading into the 2025 campaign. Georgia and two-year starter at quarterback, Carson Beck, had mutually parted ways. Gunner Stockton was making his debut as the starter in Sanford Stadium for the first time.

The 2024 season had ended in a fairly strange way. Georgia won the SEC Championship, but Beck got hurt on the last play of the first half. The second half started the Stockton era, and he helped them win the conference.

The Sugar Bowl did not go well. The whole trip to New Orleans was a disaster. A terrorist attack haunted the streets of New Orleans, which pushed the game back a day, and Stockton didn’t get much help in his first game as the starter. Notre Dame went on to beat Georgia in every area.

Fast forward to the beginning of last season, Marshall was on the docket for the home-opener, and Gunner Stockton shined. He threw for two touchdowns, along with running for 73 yards and two more scores. He flashed the dual-threat ability for the offense that was missing with the previous quarterback.

Former USC transfer Zachariah Branch shined in his Dawg debut as well. He logged three catches for 93 yards and an explosive touchdown. He instantly showed that the wide receiver issues of 2024 were not going to linger. A premier offensive weapon had arrived.

We also saw Georgia only sack the quarterback one time - a low number considering the talent gap in the trenches. That continued to be an issue throughout the entire season, as the Dawgs only brought the quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage 20 times.

Some things didn’t stick, however. Dwight Phillips Jr. scored the first touchdown of Georgia’s season. That ended up being his only score of the year and the only game he made any sort of impact in. This year, he is expected to take a step forward as a contributor.

The starting defense shut out the Thundering Herd. Marshall didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Georgia went on to win 45-7 to get 2025 started.

We will potentially learn more about a new-look wide receiver room on Saturday when Georgia opens the season against Tennessee State, much like we did last year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google