Although games like Saturday’s 48-3 win over Tennessee Tech are rarely well received by fans, for head coach Kirby Smart, they serve a useful purpose.

The opportunity to play younger members and other seldom-used member teams can pay dividends later.

“We were able to play a lot of players today. We subbed out probably earlier than anybody in the country and I think that helps us down the road,” Smart said. “We played a lot of players today and played a lot of players last week. We play a lot of players every year and I think that helps grow our team and our depth.”

There was no shortage of opportunities on Saturday.

Per the post-game stats book given to the media, 25 true freshmen saw action against Tennessee Tech. Thirteen played in last week’s opener against Clemson.

“I was real excited to see that,” sophomore linebacker Raylen Wilson said. “It gets them to be ready because you never know when we might need them because somebody might go down. We’re getting more people ready to play winning football.”

Two true freshmen accounted for two of Georgia’s three sacks.

KJ Bolden’s first career sack stopped a drive in the first quarter, with defensive lineman Jordan Thomas adding one in the fourth.

“You gain confidence for yourself,” junior defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins said. “It’s one thing to take all the reps and do that in practice, but it’s different to do in a game with the fans going crazy. You get to build a little extra swag about yourself.”

Although the outcome was never in doubt, Georgia players were standing and cheering on the sideline as the freshmen-laden defense fought to keep Tennessee Tech off the scoreboard during the game’s final drive.

“We were cheering them on, trying to give them some juice,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “To let them go out there and have things pay off, that was great to see.”

Other freshmen contributors included receivers Sacovie White and Nitro Tuggle, who made impacts.

White caught one pass for 21 yards, with Tuggle catching one for nine yards, while tight end Jaden Reddell caught a pass for five yards.

Up front, several of Georgia’s young linemen saw action.

That list included redshirt freshmen Jamal Meriweather and Drew Bobo, along with true freshmen Daniel Calhoun, Jahzaree Jackson, Michael Uini, Nyier Daniel, Marques Easley, and Bo Hughley.

Other young Bulldogs who saw extended action included sophomore Gabe Harris, who made his first career start at defensive end in place of Mykel Williams, and quarterback Gunner Stockton, who played most of the second half.

Stockton handled himself well, completing 10 of 12 passes for 90 yards.

“I thought Gunner played with more confidence and today he got to play a little more like he did against Florida State,” Smart said. “But he did some good things, made some good decisions. Continued to improve that. He played well with the guys around him. He made them look good. He makes good decisions. He's getting wiser and we need him to.”