ATHENS — Victory was never in doubt in Georgia’s opening game of the 2025 season.

The Bulldogs rolled out to an early 21-0 lead and cruised to a 45-7 win over Marshall. Georgia is expected to do the same this coming week as it takes on Austin Peay of the FCS ranks.

Georgia’s early season schedule runs in contrast to what we saw from teams like LSU, Ohio State and Miami all play and win significant Week 1 matchups.

Due to the early-season schedule and lingering questions about the Bulldogs, many are in a wait-and-see mode with Georgia.

“According to PFF, the Bulldogs didn’t use pre-snap motion on a single play in the game,” Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports wrote. “Dawgs just walked up to a spot, stood there until the ball was snapped, and then ran by the poor Marshall player responsible for them. We won’t learn much about this team until the trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sept. 13.”

ESPN’s Greg McElroy does have Georgia as his No. 4 ranked team in the sport at this point in time. Chip Patterson of CBS Sports also put Georgia at No. 4 in his ranking of every college football team. But even with Texas and Alabama losing to start the season, Georgia has been passed by LSU in both McElroy’s rankings and in this week’s AP Poll.

The first game of the season did give Georgia a chance to see what quarterback Gunner Stockton could do in his debut. In his first start in Sanford Stadium, Stockton accounted for four touchdowns, two by air and two with his legs.

He carried the ball 10 times for 73 yards in the win. His dual-threat ability certainly seemed to make an impression.

“He looked confident and wisely used his legs in the red zone,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach said. “Georgia ran for 239 yards, which was an emphasis this past offseason since it ranked next-to-last in the SEC in that department in 2024. USC transfer Zachariah Branch looked as good as advertised, hauling in three catches for 95 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown."

Branch brought some much-needed juice to the Georgia offense, given the wide receiver room was a major issue last season. Georgia led the country in drops.

The defense was excellent, as Marshall did not cross midfield until the fourth quarter. Georgia seemed on the verge of a shutout, only for Marshall to get a late score against Georgia’s backup defense.

A shutout surely would’ve been nice but coach Kirby Smart sees more value in getting reps for backups than a zero on the scoreboard.

“We practice our guys more as twos and threes,” Smart said. “And number three, when they get an opportunity to go in the game — which we didn’t last year but in years past we have — we put them in the game. And if it costs us a shutout, then that’s a great lesson learned. I’d much rather that kid cost me a shutout in that game than him cost me a touchdown a year later in an SEC game. We just erred on that side.”

Georgia should get another chance to use its backups this week, as the Bulldogs are a heavy favorite against Austin Peay. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN+.