Georgia running back Daijun Edwards (30) runs with the ball during a NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Georgia won 37-20. (Photo/Mady Mertens; @MadyMertensPhotography)
Georgia running back Daijun Edwards (30) runs with the ball during a NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Georgia won 37-20. (Photo/Mady Mertens; @MadyMertensPhotography)
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Four games into a 2026 season where Georgia has faced a few unfamiliar opponents, the Bulldogs will finally meet a familiar foe between the hedges.
Georgia and Vanderbilt have played 83 times in history. The first matchup came in 1893, with the two programs meeting periodically throughout the early years of the series. The Commodores won the first meeting 35-0 and dominated the early history of the matchup.
The SEC was founded in December 1932, bringing Georgia and Vanderbilt together as conference opponents. However, after their meeting that year, the two teams did not meet again for another two decades. The Great Depression and World War II brought financial pressures and travel restrictions that influenced college football scheduling, contributing to the long gap between the Bulldogs and Commodores.
The series became an annual matchup beginning in 1968. Georgia and Vanderbilt played every season through 2023, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic altered the SEC schedule. After a three-year drought, the Bulldogs and Commodores will meet again in Athens.
The series heavily favors Georgia, standing at 61-20-2 with a 31-7 advantage at home. The Bulldogs currently hold a six-game win streak against the Commodores.
Vanderbilt’s last victory against Georgia came in 2016 during Kirby Smart’s inaugural season as head coach. The upset eased pressure on Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason, as he registered a road win over a conference opponent for the first time in three years at the helm.
The Bulldogs dominated statistically, outgaining the Commodores 421 to 171. A special teams blunder on the opening kickoff allowed Vanderbilt’s Darrius Sims to return it 95 yards. The return set up a 1-yard touchdown for running back Ralph Webb, giving the Commodores an early advantage. Georgia tallied points of its own, scoring a touchdown and adding three field goals. With 14 minutes remaining, the Bulldogs led 16-10. On the next drive, Vanderbilt found the end zone, moving 75 yards in eight plays to flip the score.
Georgia fought to take the lead on its final drive, converting a fourth-and-13 with a 23-yard strike to Terry Godwin. When faced with fourth-and-1, the Bulldogs pitched the ball to receiver Isaiah McKenzie rather than handing it off to running backs Nick Chubb or Sony Michel. Linebacker Zach Cunnigham made the game-winning play, tackling McKenzie a yard short of the first-down, ending the drive and sealing the Commodores’ surprise win.
Although the Bulldogs have won every matchup against the Commodores since 2016, the largest margin of victory came in 2021.
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs led 35-0 after the first quarter in Nashville, Tennessee. Offensively, Georgia recorded 532 yards to Vanderbilt’s mere 77 yards. JT Daniels, who was banged up from a strained oblique muscle, completed 9 of 10 passes in the first quarter for two touchdowns and 129 yards.
Daniels was replaced by Stetson Bennett IV to begin the second quarter. Bennett led the way passing for 151 yards, going 11 of 15 and tacking on a score.
The game had ensuing effects on the season. Daniels’ lingering injury forced him to miss subsequent games, opening the door for Bennett to take over the starting role. Bennett seized the opportunity leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships.
Five different offensive players rushed for over 30 yards for Georgia, contributing to the 241 total rushing yards. Vanderbilt completed five of 18 pass attempts for 24 yards, and to make the bleeding worse, the Commodores turned the ball over three times, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once.
Brock Bowers scored three touchdowns, becoming the first player since Todd Gurley in 2013 to score a receiving and rushing touchdown in the first quarter.
The last time Georgia and Vanderbilt met, the Commodores gave the Bulldogs an early scare on home turf.
Vanderbilt opened the game with a 49-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ken Seals to wide receiver London Humphreys, putting Georgia behind from the start. The Bulldogs struggled to answer on their opening possession when the Commodores forced quarterback Carson Beck to fumble, giving the Commodores the ball at the Georgia 32- yard line.
With an opportunity to extend its early lead, Vanderbilt was instead turned away. Georgia’s defense forced a three-and-out, and the Commodores missed the ensuing field goal attempt.
That proved to be a turning point. Georgia scored 27 consecutive points and pulled away for a 37-20 victory, extending its school-record winning streak to 24 games, the longest active streak at the time. Georgia once again heavily outgained Vanderbilt — 542 to 219 — with running back Daijun Edwards leading the Bulldogs on the ground with 146 rushing yards and a touchdown.
When Vanderbilt returns to Athens for the first time in four years Saturday, it will look to reverse its recent struggles against the Bulldogs, while Georgia looks to improve to 5-0 with another win against a team that has not given it much trouble in a decade.
In March 2024, then-high school quarterback Jared Curtis committed to Georgia. Just over a year later, after reopening his recruitment, Curtis pledged his allegiance to Georgia yet again on May 5, 2025.
White-Helton has taken a larger role in Georgia’s offense after serving primarily as a reserve during his first two seasons. The junior caught eight passes for 70 yards in 2025 but had already surpassed that production by Week 3 this season. White-Helton’s highlight thus far came against Western Kentucky, when he turned a short pass from Gunner Stockton into a 70-yard touchdown. He can also make a difference as a specialist returning punts, so if White-Helton continues being an explosive play waiting to happen, he can carve out an important role on the Georgia offense.
After not catching a single pass against Tennessee State and recording just one reception for four yards against Western Kentucky, tight end Lawson Luckie finally broke out in Georgia’s SEC opener against Arkansas, finishing with three catches for 59 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season.
The University of Georgia’s 104th homecoming celebration continues this weekend with a lineup of events across UGA, including the annual homecoming game and homecoming court.
No. 2 Georgia football will play its second consecutive home SEC game Saturday, looking to stay undefeated against Vanderbilt, which is playing its second straight road game and needs to right the ship after its 21-15 loss to Auburn.
Just three years ago, London Humphreys was a Vanderbilt freshman catching a 49-yard touchdown against Georgia.
Now, Humphreys will experience the same matchup from a completely different perspective.
Demello Jones’ biggest play of the season so far began with a ball in the air.
He broke on the pass, secured his first career interception and raced 43 yards down the sideline before being stopped at the 1-yard line against Western Kentucky. The play practically put Georgia in the end zone, leading to another score in a 70-20 win.
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