Freshman Bo Walker ran for his first three career touchdowns, Nate Frazier added two scoring runs, and No. 4 Georgia cruised to a 35-3 victory over underdog Charlotte on Saturday, strengthening its position in the College Football Playoff race.
Georgia (10-1) entered the game looking to protect its No. 4 CFP ranking and secure a first-round playoff bye. The Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte (1-10) for their seventh straight win, while the 49ers dropped their eighth consecutive game.
One week after Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 35-10 win over then-No. 10 Texas, the Bulldogs leaned heavily on their ground game, rushing for 192 yards and outgaining Charlotte 449-169.
Senior running back Cash Jones made his first start in his final home regular-season game, but Georgia’s offense found more rhythm with Frazier and Walker leading the rushing attack.
Frazier scored on runs of 2 and 7 yards in the first quarter. Walker followed with touchdown runs of 15 and 12 yards in the second quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.
Walker capped his breakout day with a 3-yard touchdown on Georgia’s first drive of the second half, set up by Stockton’s completions of 11 and 38 yards to Noah Thomas.
Georgia maintained focus despite a sparse crowd at Sanford Stadium, scoring the first 28 points and never being threatened. The convincing win should solidify the Bulldogs’ standing in both the AP Top 25 and CFP rankings.
Stockton, a fourth-year junior, participated in Georgia’s Senior Day ceremony, possibly signaling his intention to enter the NFL draft — though some fourth-year players take part and still return for another season.
Georgia will face No. 15 Georgia Tech on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
