NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he was pleased with the effort of his running game during Saturday’s 62-0 win over Vanderbilt.

“I thought we did some good things early on, we made some good IDs. They loaded the box on us, and when they load the box on us you’ve got to be willing to throw it,” Smart said. “Some of the time we tried to block it and we got 4- and 5-yard runs and some of the times we tried to throw because of the number they had in.”

The final total was impressive.

Georgia ran for a season-high 241 yards on 48 carries, an average of just over 5 yards per carry.

Although seven different players had runs over 11 yards, the Bulldogs still have not had the long, breakaway score that most fans have been accustomed to seeing.

Ironically, it was wide receiver Ladd McConkey who had the longest run when he scored on a 24-yard reverse. The longest run by a back came on a 15-yard touchdown by Daijun Edwards. Zamir White’s longest run was 11 yards.

Kenny McIntosh's longest run was 13 yards and James Cook's was 10.

“We’re not as big and massive. We don’t have Ben Cleveland, Solomon Kindley, and some of those guys. But we are athletic, and our guys make good IDs and put us in the right place,” Smart said. “But we have not been as explosive in the run game as I would like to be or as consistent as I would like to be.”

However, as Smart points out, there’s another reason you haven’t seen the explosive run plays as before.

Stacking the line of scrimmage has become a favorite strategy of opponents, who apparently prefer to dare the Bulldogs to throw. Considering Georgia’s recent success, that plan could change.

“It always concerns you. If you don’t run the ball effectively, it can create problems for you, but again, balance is what the defense dictates for you. They were dictating to us that they were not going to let us run the ball, make it difficult and try to make us throw the ball. And we did. We hit some explosive plays because of the way they were playing the run.”

One advantage of Saturday’s blowout is that it gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to experiment with different people in different spots on the offensive line.

That included giving redshirt freshman Broderick Jones an extended look at left tackle, with Jamaree Salyer sliding to left guard.

Justin Shaffer also played alongside Jones for a few of Georgia’s offensive possessions.

Later, the Bulldogs went with its entire second unit. The group consisted of Jones at left tackle, Devin Willock at left guard, Austin Blaske at center, Xavier Truss at right guard and Amarius Mims at right tackle.

For the most part, the young Bulldogs impressed, paving the way for Georgia’s final touchdown, which Edwards ran in from 15 yards out early in the fourth quarter.

… Wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint left the game and was seen wearing a boot on his left foot.

…Tight end Darnell Washington (toe), safety Tykee Smith (toe) and wide receiver Dominick Blaylock (hamstring) did not travel to Saturday’s game.

Smith and Washington have began running and doing some light workouts. The hope is they will be available for next week’s game against Arkansas.

…Running back Kendall Milton traveled but did not play after suffering a minor shoulder injury that he suffered against South Carolina. According to Smart, Milton could have played, but obviously there was no need to do so on Saturday.

After missing field goals in each of Georgia’s first two games, kicker Jack Podlseny appears to have rediscovered his groove.

The junior booted a 36-yarder last week against South Carolina. On Saturday, he added kicks of 31 and 36 yards against the Commodores.

… The 62-0 final score was Georgia’s largest in an SEC game since a 75-0 win over Florida in 1942.

… Georgia posted its sixth shutout in the Smart era and the fourth in an SEC game with today’s 62-0 victory. Vanderbilt finished with 77 yards on 46 plays. At halftime, Vanderbilt had 50 yards on 25 plays as the Bulldogs led 38-0. It marked the third time this year that Georgia has blanked a team in the first half. Entering Saturday, Georgia ranked second in the SEC by allowing only 7.7 points per game. This was Georgia’s first shutout since blanking Missouri 27-0 in 2019.

… Georgia scored 14 points off of three turnovers,while the Commodores got no points off one Bulldog interception. There was a Vanderbilt fumble on a kickoff forced by Jaylen Johnson and recovered by Daijun Edwards, who returned it to the Vanderbilt 4-yard line.

… Travon Walker had a first-quarter pass deflection.

…Four of the six outside linebackers Georgia brought to Nashville took part on kickoff returns: Adam Anderson, Nolan Smith, MJ Sherman and Robert Beal.

…Offensive lineman Owen Condon wore No. 85 and was used as a “wham-back” on Zamir White’s 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

…McConkey’s first-quarter touchdown catch was the first of his career.

…Johnson forced the fumble on Vandy’s first-quarter kickoff that Edwards recovered to set up Zamir White’s touchdown.

…Christopher Smith’s first-quarter interception was his second, following the pick-six he had against Clemson.

…Vanderbilt’s initial first down did not come until three minutes were left in the first quarter.

…Even with 35 first-quarter points, it was not a Georgia record. The Bulldogs scored 42 points in a quarter against New Mexico State in 2011.

…Georgia had one first-time starter today in freshman cornerback Kelee Ringo. The captains were senior punter Jake Camarda, junior linebacker Nolan Smith and junior tight end John FitzPatrick (TE). Georgia won the toss and elected to defer the football until the second half.

…Jackson Meeks' 11-yard reception in the third quarter was the first of his career.

…Kamari Lassiter’s fourth-quarter interception was the first of his career.