ATHENS — When the first quarter ended Saturday with Georgia holding a 7-0 lead, indications were the Bulldogs might be in for an arduous afternoon against their visitors from New Mexico State.
Then offensive records started to fall from the sky. Georgia put together a 42-point second quarter, and the Bulldogs rolled to a 63-16 victory.
In the middle of it all was Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. His five touchdown passes established Georgia records for touchdown passes in a quarter, touchdown passes in a half and tied the record for touchdown passes in a game. Murray’s scores went to five different receivers, which is not a record that’s kept, but impressive nonetheless.
Had he stayed in the game, Murray had a chance to run down the NCAA record set recently by Houston’s Case Keenum. But with Georgia holding a 49-3 lead, Murray retired for the day at halftime. By then he had done a day’s work: 238 yards on 18-of-23 passing and 28 yards rushing.
“I’m not worried about any of that,” Murray said of the records. “I’m just happy we won the game and got better today. Six different guys had touchdown receptions. That’s pretty good. That puts defenses in a bind not knowing where we’re going with the ball.”
The win was the seventh consecutive for the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1 SEC). It’s Georgia’s longest in-season winning streak since 2007, when it finished the year by winning seven in a row. Next Saturday, Georgia plays host to Auburn (6-3, 4-2), which did not play Saturday.
Georgia got 98 yards rushing and a touchdown from sophomore Brandon Harton, the primary fill-in for suspended tailbacks Isaiah Crowell, Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome. Freshman wide receiver Chris Conley hauled in five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.
It was that kind of day for the Bulldogs, who rolled up 627 yards of offense. Everybody got in on the act. In all, 75 players played.
“We ended up having nine touchdowns, and nine different guys got to score,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “I thought that was pretty neat. An awful lot of guys got an opportunity to get in the ballgame, a couple for the very first time. A couple of guys scored touchdowns for the first time, touched the ball for the first time.
“There were a lot of firsts out there today, and I was really pleased with that.”
Harton didn’t actually get the start. Cornerback Branden Smith took the first snap of the game out of the backfield, which gave him the rare feat of starting on defense and offense. Smith scored the game’s first touchdown on a 56-yard run.
But it was Harton and freshman walk-on Kyle Karempelis who were charged with carrying the running load. They were the last men standing with Crowell, Thomas and Malcome suspended and Richard Samuel out with an ankle injury. The duo combined for 161 yards on 28 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Harton fumbled on his first carry, an otherwise impressive 10-yard run in which he broke several tackles before fumbling into the end zone and having the Aggies recover for a touchback. But his day got better. The Bulldogs came back to him in the second quarter, and he scored on a 4-yard run.
“I never really imagined I’d be in this position,” Harton said. “I’m definitely glad I got the opportunity. Hopefully I’ll get other opportunities in the future.”
It wasn’t a perfect day. Georgia’s defense gave up 402 yards. The teams combined for 1,029 yards of offense.
Nevertheless, it was exactly what Georgia needed on a day when its SEC battles were being fought elsewhere. While the Bulldogs took a break from league play, South Carolina was facing Arkansas on Saturday night in a game with major Eastern Division implications. A loss by the Gamecocks (7-1, 5-1) would give Georgia sole possession of first place.
“What is it they say? ‘Soiiieee Pig’ or something like that?” Georgia center Ben Jones said with a laugh. “Whatever it is, all the way Arkansas!”
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