Georgia dominates Tennessee State in record heat
As brutal as the heat got for Georgia’s home opener, a decisive 63-3 win versus Tennessee State at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs weren’t caught off guard.
They practiced in grueling temperatures for all of fall camp in August, so what’s one more sweltering Saturday?
“(Georgia coach Kirby Smart) does a great of preparing us for this. We practice every day outside during the hottest time of the day, we’re not in the shade, or nothing (like that),” safety KJ Bolden said. “We don’t run from the heat. We want to play in the heat, because we want to see if another team can match us in the heat and be prepared, how we are in the heat. I definitely feel we were well prepared today and we came out swinging.”
It might feel normal for the Bulldogs at this point, but on Saturday, the weather was indeed a special kind of hot — the 101-degree temperature at kickoff, with a heat index of 110, are new Sanford Stadium records.
According to WSB-TV, the previous hottest home openers for Georgia came in 1911 and 1933, with temperatures of 96 degrees.
Despite the brutal heat, Georgia scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and scored seven touchdowns in eight red zone trips, with 660 net total yards to 109 for FCS opponent Tennessee State.
Georgia moves to 11-0 in season openers in the Smart era, with this 60-point margin of victory the largest. Starting quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter and a portion of the second, paving the way for backups to get playing time the rest of the game.
“Honestly, we dealt with it in scrimmages and practice, so it wasn’t new to us and we (weren’t) going to let the heat affect us on the field,” linebacker Chris Cole said of the weather.
Smart saw his team excel and not let up despite the tough playing conditions.
“I thought the guys played really hard,” Smart said after the win. “I thought they beat the heat. I didn’t feel like the heat impacted us.”
Extreme heat was expected for the game, with a heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service for much of north and central Georgia.
And more inclement weather seemed to be on the way: With a little more than a minute to play in the third quarter, Sanford Stadium flashed up a weather advisory on the jumbotron with this announcement: “Severe weather and lightning have been detected within 15 miles of Sanford Stadium. Should you wish to leave, all gates are open. The Miller Learning Center and Tate Center remain open at this time. Please your mobile ticket for re-entry into the stadium.”
Play continued, however, and experienced no interruptions.
To help fans handle the heat, Georgia permitted fans to bring in one unopened water bottle, and also added hydrating stations throughout the stadium.
With the heat and the threat of more inclement weather, plus the blowout win, the majority of the crowd had thinned out by halftime and continued to dwindle as the game continued.
Smart, however, still gave credit to the fans for their support.
“It was great,” Smart said. “I thought to come out in 120-degree, feels like, whatever heat index, you can’t ask everybody to do that. Maybe some of the other programs around the country, how many they got out there in that heat? We don’t have that problem here. Our fans love it and they love coming to see each other and they’ll be here. They’ll be here next week, too.”