Post-Game News and Notes

In regard to trust between two players, the relationship between a quarterback and his receivers is arguably the most important you’ll find in football.

Grad transfer Lawrence Cager wouldn’t disagree. Since coming over from Miami, Cager has worked extremely hard to try and build a better repertoire with quarterback Jake Fromm.

Although the two have made some positive on-field connections, it wasn’t until his performance in Saturday night’s 23-17 win over Notre Dame that Cager felt progress had finally been made, after he caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown that turned out to be the difference in the Bulldogs’ six-point win.

“Any newcomer, when you feel like your quarterback has the trust, that brings a lot to your confidence, knowing the ball could come to you at any time,” Cager said. “Jake threw it up, and I was able to come down with some plays. There’s more and more trust. It’s a blessing to be here.”

With Georgia nursing a slim three-point lead late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs found themselves pinned down at their own 8-yard line before beginning what would be the start of an 82-yard drive.

After picking up a pair of first downs, Fromm hooked up with Cager on a 36-yard pickup, with the Bulldog receiver coming down with the football while falling back toward the side line. Fromm hooked up with Cager for another first down on the very next play, before Cager made another great catch to convert a 15-yard touchdown with 13:19 to play.

“We’ve got some great DBs in practice, and they challenge us every day. But we do a lot of body control catches in practice,” said Cager, who also scored a touchdown against Notre Dame when he was still playing for Miami. “We treat it like practice—never let the game get too big when it’s just a routine play.”

When Fromm ran for what ultimately fell one yard short of a first down at the Notre Dame 26-yard line with 6:54 to play, the first thing head coach Kirby Smart thought of was to go for the first down.

But suddenly he changed his mind.

So, what happened?

“Yeah, I wanted to. I didn’t realize how far it was. When they went back and reviewed it, I thought it was inches. Then we looked up and saw it was a full yard,” Smart said. “We felt like, hey, we were playing good defense, they would have to score two touchdowns to beat us, and that ended up being the difference.”

Notre Dame’s defense appeared to be on its heels, but instead of keeping his offense on the field, Smart sent out Rodrigo Blankenship, who converted the 41-yard field goal to push the lead to 23-10.

For a few moments, it appeared the decision might backfire. After Notre Dame scored to draw within 23-17, a quick three-and-out gave the Irish one more opportunity at their own 48. Then the defense rose up to knock down a fourth-down pass with 48 seconds left to play.

“If they scored a touchdown, you could second guess me on why didn’t you go for it,” Smart said. “That’s the life we lead. It’s a tough call.”

Saturday night’s crowd was one of the loudest in recent memory for the Bulldogs, much to the delight of Smart, who credited those in attendance with helping Georgia achieve its 23-17 win.

The Irish were flagged for seven false starts—mistakes that Smart attributed directly to the fans.

“You think about that game, their botched snap on one drive; they impacted the game tonight more than I’ve ever seen a game impacted, not only here but anywhere,” Smart said. “It cost them timeouts. It’s a different game if they’re calling timeouts at the end of the game, getting different plays, getting different personnel. They would have been able to get guys in fresh, but they can’t do that when the clock’s running earlier, because of the crowd noise. It was definitely the 12th man tonight, and we certainly needed them.”

…The Bulldogs lost left guard Solomon Kindley to an ankle injury. Kindley, who grimaced in pain as he was helped off the field by trainers, was replaced by Justin Shaffer. Sources say Kindley is expected to miss a few weeks.

…Georgia also lost starting cornerback Eric Stokes early in the game with an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by senior Tyrique McGhee before, according to Smart, coming back into the game late in the fourth quarter.

…Sophomore cornerback Tyson Campbell missed the game with a foot injury. He was replaced in the starting lineup by DJ Daniel. Smart said Campbell is day to day.

…Right tackle Isaiah Wilson (ankle) returned to the field for the first time in two games. Although he didn't play in the first half, Wilson came out to start the third.

…Receiver Kearis Jackson missed his third straight game with a broken hand.

D.J. Daniel started his first game with sophomore Tyson Campbell on the sideline with a foot injury that he suffered last week against Arkansas State. … Junior wide receiver Demetris Robertson started his first game in red and black, after starting a total of 15 games between the 2016-17 seasons for California before transferring. Robertson missed the game against Arkansas State with a groin injury. … Quarterback Jake Fromm started his 32nd straight to lead the offense, while J.R. Reed now leads the defense with 33 in a row.

…Among the notable former players who attended Saturday night’s game were Herschel Walker, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, and Champ Bailey.

… Rodrigo Blankenship connected on two PATs and hit 40‐yard, 31‐yard, and 43‐yard field goals for 11 points. Blankenship moved past Kevin Butler to fourth on the career scoring list with 358 points. He has connected on a school record 175 consecutive PATs. Blankenship is now 61‐for‐72 in field goals, including 22‐for‐30 from 40 or longer in his career and 8‐for‐8 overall this season.