ATHENS — Georgia held a nice little catch-the-breath game with Samford on Saturday night.
It was wedged in between the prime-time tilt at Notre Dame and what looks like a tremendous SEC cross-division tussle with Mississippi State next week.
As far as recruits go, Samford was not expected to draw a big crowd.
But that’s just the sort of time for 5-star quarterback Justin Fields to show up at UGA. The nation’s No. 1 overall prospect doesn’t ever seem to make the moves the world expects of him.
The 5-star standout from Harrison High in Metro Atlanta headlined a smattering of recruits in town to see the Bulldogs roll by Samford. The contest turned out to be the biggest offensive output of the Kirby Smart era at Georgia.
The nation’s No. 1 overall prospect drew his share of attention. Mary Beth Smart, the wife of the Georgia coach, stopped by to share a word.
Fields also exchanged pleasantries with injured 5-star starter Jacob Eason prior to the game. But maybe the biggest moment was when Fields was escorted from the home sideline to the visiting sideline.
He was right in front of the student section. That’s when he got an up-close spot to watch the Georgia offense going through its final pregame drills prior to facing Samford.
Then Kirby Smart hustled over for a word. Smart extended his hand, and it wasn’t long before Fields shared a smile that didn’t seem enhanced by any artificial sweeteners.
Five-star quarterback Justin Fields has a word with UGA coach Kirby Smart on Saturday night prior to the Samford game. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Five-star quarterback Justin Fields (left) is the nation’s No. 1 prospect for 2018. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star wide receiver Kearis Jackson committed to Georgia on Aug. 19. He was Georgia’s top target at wideout for 2018. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star North Gwinnett OG Warren Ericson listens in on a funny story with his father, Nils Ericson, at UGA-Samford on Sept. 16 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. on Saturday night. Ericson committed to UGA earlier this year. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
5-star UGA commit Jadon Haselwood is the nation’s No. 1 WR prospect for 2019. (Jeff Sentell / DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star DE/OLB Azeez Ojulair committed to UGA on Aug. 17. (Jeff Sentell/ DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star OT Luke Griffin was the first member of the 2019 recruiting class at UGA. He committed last summer. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star OLB Joshua Pakola was one of the bigger surprises among the UGA-Samford recruiting visitors on Saturday. The California resident ranks as the nation’s No. 7 weak-side DE in the Class of 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Marietta 4-star wide receiver Ramel Keyton is an impressive 2019 prospect. Can the Bulldogs also add him to their 2019 haul? (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Justin Fields wore an Auburn shirt on Friday night. But he was in red and black on Saturday night. Jeff Sentell/DawgNation/Dawgnation)
Oconee County quarterback Max Johnson (left) is the son of longtime NFL QB Brad Johnson (right). Johnson is another highly-rated QB prospect in the Class of 2020. He’s already one of the best in the nation in his class. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star UGA commit Azeez Ojulari made his first visit to Sanford Stadium for a game on Saturday night. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star junior OT Wanya Morris of Grayson HS is currently committed to Florida State. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
BJ Ojulari, the younger brother of UGA commit Azeez Ojulari, is also a highly rated prospect in the Class of 2020. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star Georgia offensive line commit Warren Ericson was also at UGA-Samford on Saturday night. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
2019 LB prospect Trezmen Marshall actually led Clinch County to a Class A state title in Georgia while playing QB as a freshman in 2016. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
South Carolina 4-star defensive line prospect Zacch Pickens was also at UGA-Samford on Saturday night. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Did we mention that 5-star quarterback Justin Fields showed up? (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Lowndes RB Travis Tisdale (right) is one of the fastest young prospects in Georgia. The Class of 2019 speedster has a very rare gear. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Florida OT prospect Doug Johnson has a lot of relatives in Georgia. The Class of 2018 prospect has liked UGA for quite some time. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
T.L. Hannah (S.C) DL prospect Zacch Pickens rates as the nation’s No. 7 strong-side DE prospect for 2019. (Jeff Sentell/ DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Could UGA add Marietta 4-star WR Ramel Keyton to a 2019 class that already includes the nation’s No. 1 and 2 prospects at WR for 2019? (Jeff Sentell / DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Heritage DL Kurott Garland turned a lot of heads on the UGA sidelines on Saturday night. The 2018 prospect can already squat more than 500 pounds. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Archer junior DE Colby Wooden is an ascending prospect. The 3-star DE for 2019 was offered by UGA back on July 15. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)