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Georgia blows past Southern University, 48-6

ATHENS — Georgia’s warm-up went as expected, and now it’s on to the big one.

After a first half that was sluggish at times, Georgia scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away for a 48-6 win over Southern. The seventh-ranked team in the country properly overwhelmed the FCS team whose main calling card is its marching band.

And arguably the band did win the day, managing to spell out the halftime score (20-6) on just a couple minutes’ notice. But when the second half started it was once again all Georgia.

Tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel once again dominated, each rushing for two touchdowns, with Chubb also scoring on a pass. Chubb finished with 131 yards rushing, and Michel had 75 on just six attempts. The two combined to average 9.8 yards per carry.

For the second straight game, starting quarterback Greyson Lambert only had one incompletion. He was 9-for-10 for 146 yards and two touchdowns, giving way to backup Brice Ramsey midway through the third quarter.

Malcolm Mitchell was once again Lambert’s favorite target, racking up 96 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Mitchell and Lambert also hooked up on a long touchdown pass that was negated by a penalty.

Georgia’s defense had a rough couple drives in the second quarter, allowing Southern in its territory for a touchdown and a missed field goal. But the Jaguars still managed only 184 yards, a season-low for a Georgia opponent.

Now Georgia (4-0) awaits Alabama, which visits Sanford Stadium next week. The Bulldogs have looked dominant this year, winning their four games by an average of 29.5 points.

But Alabama is still Alabama, and next week’s game will not only be the most challenging thus far, but could also determine the course of the rest of Georgia’s season.