NEW ORLEANS – There were a lot of smiles in Georgia’s post-game locker room following the Bulldogs; 26-14 win over Baylor in Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl.

Zamir White’s might have been the widest of all.

With D’Andre Swift extremely limited, White, along with James Cook and Kenny McIntosh, knew they were going to be the focal parts of Georgia’s running game efforts.

White certainly did his part, leading the Bulldogs in rushing with 18 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. Both numbers were career highs for the redshirt freshman.

“In practice, it’s the next man up,” White said. “The whole week in practice. We had to have that mentality; just to be ready. Cook, me, Kenny—we had to have that mentality to be ready, but we had to go out there and show it.”

Ultimately, it was White and McIntosh who accounted for most of Georgia’s 130 rushing yards on the evening.

Cook was forced to leave the game in the first half with an injury to his ribs, leaving White to enjoy the lion’s share of the carries, followed by McIntosh, who ran six times for 26 yards.

For White, getting the opportunity to touch the football more than a handful of times helped him find a rhythm he had yet to see this year.

“That helped a lot, man. Just being out there, getting in that groove again. It felt great to be out there,” said White. “I more I ran, the better I felt and the more confident I felt.”

His 13-yard run with 7:36 left put Georgia in front 26-14. But according to White, he had the easy part.

“That run there—Charlie (Woerner) blocked two people for me,” he said. “It was great. That run was great, man. I had to get in there.”

Swift admitted after the game that he wasn’t supposed to play in the game against the Bears.

But he wasn’t about to take no for an answer.

“I wasn’t supposed to go at all,” Swift said. “But I went out there and told coach, 'Let me do something. Put me in, please.' I just want to get out there and be with my team.”

So that’s just what happened.

Prior to Georgia’s third possession, Swift ultimately convinced head coach Kirby Smart to give him a shot.

With all eyes on the junior, Swift took the hand off, but stopped and tossed the football back to Jake Fromm, who executed a perfect flea-flicker to George Pickens for a 46-yard gain to set up a 24-yard field goal for the game’s first score.

“That was a beautiful play call,” Swift said. “I was ready to do whatever they needed me to do.”

Swift carried the ball only one time for a gain of two yards.

Wide receiver Matt Landers has been a popular target for some Georgia fans, quick to criticize the redshirt freshman, who will admit he has had an inconsistent career.

But with one catch in Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, all of that was forgotten.

It was Landers’ 16-yard touchdown reception from Fromm, with 1:51 left in the second quarter, that gave Georgia a 19-0 halftime lead.

“It was a big play that I hope to be able to carry on to next season,” Landers said. “It felt good just being on the field and playing the game.”

On the play, Landers was able to keep his concentration. Despite a slight stumble, he was able to reach down and come up with the ball.

“My whole mindset this whole game was just to catch the ball first, secure the catch first, and celebrate after it was over,” Landers said. “That’s what happened. It was a good time for us and the team.”

As expected, there were a number of new starters for the Bulldogs in Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl.

Cade Mays opened at left tackle in place of Andrew Thomas, with Jamaree Salyer getting the nod at right tackle in place of Isaiah Wilson, and redshirt freshman Warren Ericson starting in place of Ben Cleveland at right guard.

“To play in this game, with the rich history behind it, to have my first career start was a blessing,” said Ericson, who took every offensive snap. “It was the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’ve been in the background just playing and trying to get my opportunity. Playing today was a dream come true.”

He wasn’t the only one.

White made his first career start at running back in place of Swift (shoulder), while freshman Lewis Cine started in place of J.R. Reed at free safety.

Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt also made his first career start in place of the absent Tyler Clark.

…Rodrigo Blankenship's two field goals were his 26th and 27th this year. It moves him into second for most in a season by a Bulldog. Billy Bennett hit 31 in 2003. He already owns the school record for career points, and ranks second in SEC history. He is now 27-for-33 on the season in field goals. Also of note, he set the SEC record for consecutive PATs made on his first conversion tonight, and added one more, as he now has 200.

… With Wednesday’s victory, the 2019 class ties the mark for most wins by a Bulldog senior class with 44. They matched the 2005 group that went 44-9 with a pair of SEC titles. The 2019 class finishes with a 44-12 record, one SEC title, three consecutive SEC Eastern Division crowns, and was the 2018 CFP Runner-Up. Also, Georgia notched its 12th win, making it only the fifth team to have at least 12 wins in a season in school history, and the first since 2017 (13-2). The 2019 Bulldogs finish the season 12-2 while Baylor dropped to 11-3.

…The 14 points scored represented a season-low for Baylor.

…Georgia improves to 5-0 all-time against Baylor, winning in 1972, 1978, 1985, and 1989 in Athens, plus now in New Orleans in the 2020 Sugar Bowl.

…Smart improved to 7-4 against top-10 teams during his tenure, including 3-1 this season. His overall mark is 44-12.

Here are our best images from the night.