Box Score ATHENS, Ga. – Charleston Southern fell to No. 9 Georgia, 55-9, in its regular season finale at Sanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Bucs trailed 24-0 after the first quarter and could not recover against a top-ten Georgia team that entered with momentum off a dominant win over defending national runner-up Auburn.
CSU (8-4, 3-2 Big South) will now hope for an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs when the 24-team playoff field is announced on Sunday morning. The Bucs put themselves in position for the first playoff berth in the program's 24-year history with a three-game winning streak, capped by a 38-36 victory at Liberty last Saturday. Georgia (9-2, 6-2 SEC) won its third straight game and hosts Georgia Tech next Saturday.
CSU was facing off against a top-ten program for the third time ever, and Georgia quickly showed why it is among the nation's elite. UGA recovered a fumble on CSU's third play of the game, and turned it into six points on the following snap when quarterback Hutson Mason hit Chris Conley for a 35-yard touchdown pass. UGA built its lead to 14-0 by the 10:33 mark of the first quarter, as freshman tailback Nick Chubb broke free for an 83-yard touchdown run down the right sideline.
Georgia would add ten more points in the opening period, and tacked on another Chubb touchdown run and a second Conley scoring grab to go up 38-0 with 4:18 left in the half.
CSU kept competing in front of an announced crowd of 92,746 fans, and got on the scoreboard with seven seconds left until halftime on David Kennedy's career-long 45-yard field goal. Senior running back Christian Reyes helped set up the field goal with a 16-yard run, and finished with 75 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Reyes got the Bucs in the end zone in the fourth quarter, scoring from two yards out to cap a six-play, 71-yard drive. Sophomore Ben Robinson ripped off runs of 26 and 25 yards on the touchdown march.
CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell was pleased with the competitive spirit his team showed against a Georgia team still in the race for the SEC East title. His message to a team that delivered the fifth winning season in program history was simple.
"I just said don't let this outcome here diminish what they've accomplished," Chadwell said. "You hate ending on a loss, but to have a season like they did – eight wins and four losses, two of them to SEC teams – is a heck of a year. Don't let this loss diminish what they accomplished this year and the last two years. If this is the end, we hope it's not, but if it was, it was a great journey and we appreciate the players taking us as a coaching staff along for the ride."
CSU recorded 139 of its 211 yards after halftime, and forced a pair of fourth quarter turnovers. Junior cornerback Malcolm Jackson intercepted a Brice Ramsey pass to end one Georgia drive, while freshman corner JaJuan Perkins recovered a Jermichael Bailey forced fumble to halt another.
Georgia tallied 580 yards of offense, with Mason connecting for three first half touchdown passes en route to completing 10-of-12 throws for 187 yards. Chubb paced the Bulldogs' potent rushing attack with 113 yards and a pair of scores.
"The score was what it was," Chadwell said of Georgia's quick start. "They obviously took the game and took control really early. Our guys competed. The defense forced a couple of turnovers. Second half, we moved the ball, had a touchdown and were driving again there and did some positive things. I thought our guys gave a good effort and competed well, what we've done all year long. We just play hard and keep fighting until the whistle blows and our guys always embrace that."
Georgia linebacker Ramik Wilson recovered a Ben Robinson fumble at the CSU 35-yard line to set up the Bulldogs' first points. Mason found Conley for a touchdown on a post route on the next play to put Georgia on top, 7-0, only 1:44 into play. The Bulldogs scored again on their third play from scrimmage, as Chubb broke outside and showed off the form that has made him one of the top freshmen in the country with an 83-yard scoring scamper.
UGA would increase its cushion to 38-0 before CSU responded with a 12-play, 47-yard drive to score before intermission. Reyes carried the ball four times on the drive, and jolted CSU with a 16-yard run at its outset. CSU junior quarterback Austin Brown added an 11-yard keeper on the possession, before Kennedy split the uprights from 45 yards out to give the Bucs some energy at halftime.
Robinson and classmate Mike Holloway made some impressive runs in the second half, showing off the speed that has made them excellent complements to Reyes in CSU's 16th-ranked rushing attack. Robinson ran for 51 of his 66 yards on the Bucs' fourth quarter touchdown drive. He sped down the left sideline for 25 yards on a third-and-6 at the Georgia 27-yard line to set up Reyes' 17th career touchdown with 9:55 remaining in the game.
Reyes now has 2,200 rushing yards in 24 games as a Buc, and added another strong performance in what could be his last game of a special two-year run. Robinson, Holloway, and Darius Hammond offer continued promise in the Bucs' backfield in years to come.
"They've got some ability to play at this level," Chadwell said of Robinson and Holloway. "They're obviously undersized but have the speed to make plays at this level. It's fitting for Christian. He's been a tremendous player for us and to get a touchdown in his last game and just to go out like that, I was proud for him and all he's accomplished."
Defensively, redshirt senior Zac Johnston led the Bucs with 11 tackles. Malcolm Jackson intercepted his third pass in as many weeks and fourth of the year, and had a tackle-for-loss and several impressive stops in the second half.
