Delving deeper into the stat sheet, and digging up some facts and notes of our own, after Georgia’s 33-24 win over North Carolina:
1
Number of (supposed) NFL doctors who last October were quoted anonymously by Bleacher Report saying that Nick Chubb’s career may be over.
222
Rushing yards by Chubb in Georgia’s season opener.
14
Career 100-yard rushing games for Chubb, fourth in school history.
7.33
Chubb’s career average yard per carry, which is easily first in program history. Todd Gurley is second at 6.44.
9th
Chubb’s rank in school rushing total, with 2,516 career rushing yards one game into his junior year. (He missed the final seven games of last year and didn’t start five games as a freshman.) Chubb didn’t pass anybody on the career list Saturday, but could pass a bunch soon. The list immediately ahead of him: Kevin McLee (2,581), Thomas Brown (2,646), Rodney Hampton (2,668), Knowshon Moreno (2,734).
51
The 51-yard pass by Jacob Eason to Isaiah McKenzie was Georgia’s longest pass completion in three years, and the only 50 yard-plus pass in three seasons by a Georgia quarterback. (Todd Gurley had the longest pass completion in 2014, a 50-yarder. )
11
True freshmen who played for Georgia: Charlie Woerner (the only one who started), Brian Herrien, Julian Rochester, Riley Ridley, Jacob Eason, Isaac Nauta, Jaleel Laguins, David Marshall, Tyler Clark, Michail Carter, Marshall Long. Those who weren’t on the participation chart: O-linemen Solomon Kindley, Ben Cleveland and Chris Barnes, tailback Elijah Holyfield, receivers Tyler Simmons and Javon Wims, cornerback Mecole Hardman, outside linebacker Chauncey Manac, defensive back Tyrique McGhee. (Note: The participation chart sometimes gets altered on further review.)
2
Graduate transfers who played and started for Georgia: Left tackle Tyler Catalina and nickel back Maurice Smith. It’s three if you include quarterback Greyson Lambert (who’s in his second year at Georgia.)
10
Georgia offensive/defensive starters Saturday who also started in the bowl win over Penn State.
4-2
The record in debut games for the past six Georgia head coaches. Vince Dooley and Jim Donnan lost (respectively to Alabama and Southern Miss), while Ray Goff beat Baylor, Mark Richt beat Arkansas State, Smart beat North Carolina – and yes we’re counting Bryan McClendon, who beat Penn State.
1
Sacks by Georgia’s David Marshall, a true freshman who didn’t start. It was the only sack of the game for the Bulldogs.
0
Number of times in school history, before Saturday, that the Bulldogs had a season-opening win over a ranked team away from home. (In previous season openers against ranked teams, Georgia had been 8-2 in Athens, 0-2 in neutral site games, and 0-5-1 on the road.)
7
Career touchdowns for Isaiah McKenzie combined via rush (two last year), punt returns (two in each of the previous two years) and kickoff return (one his freshman year.)
0
Career touchdown catches for McKenzie prior to Saturday, when he finally got one.
1
Catches by Terry Godwin, who was the team’s leading returning receiver from last year, but didn’t start in the game. The lone catch was a 23-yard swing pass he caught from Jacob Eason. Godwin also had one carry for six yards when he lined up in the Wildcat.
1
Tackles by Quincy Mauger, who was Georgia’s leading returning tackler from last year, but didn’t start in the game.
0
Carries for Brendan Douglas after his second-quarter fumble.
10
Carries for North Carolina tailback Elijah Hood, who averaged 15.6 last year on the way to a 1,463-yard season.
10
Average punt return yards, on two returns, for North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer, who averaged 13.7 per return last year.
22
Total penalties called in the game, 13 of them against North Carolina for 101 yards, and nine against Georgia for 70 yards. The 171 combined penalty yards was the most ever in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
38.5
Punting average for Georgia freshman Marshall Long, a native of China Grove, N.C., who made his debut against North Carolina, the alma mater of former NFL punter Tommy Barnhardt – and also a native of China Grove, N.C.
-2
Punt return yards, on three attempts, for McKenzie, who also had a 24-yard kickoff return. Those were the only special-teams returns for Georgia on Saturday.
60.3
William Ham’s average on three kickoff attempts.
61.7
Rodrigo Blankenships’s average on three kickoffs.
1
Wins in the Georgia Dome for the Georgia football program since 2007. The one came Saturday night. Over that time Georgia had gone 0-3, with losses in the 2011 and 2012 SEC title games, and the 2011 season opener against Boise State.
6
Wins (so far) for SEC teams on opening weekend in non-conference games. Only three were over ranked teams: No. 1 Alabama over No. 20 USC 50-6, unranked Texas A&M over No. 16 UCLA 31-24, and No. 18 Georgia over No. 22 North Carolina 33-24. Among the rest, No. 9 Tennessee needed overtime to escape Appalachian State, Florida had a lackluster 24-7 win over Massachusetts, and Arkansas barely beat Louisiana Tech, 21-20.
5
Losses for SEC teams (so far) on opening weekend. No. 5 LSU fell to Wisconsin, Kentucky lost at home to Southern Miss, Auburn lost to No. 2 Clemson, and of course Mississippi State was stunned at home by South Alabama. (No. 11 Ole Miss faces No. 4 Florida State on Monday.)