Georgia turned a scoreless 1st quarter into a blowout against Ball State on Saturday, winning 45-3 to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

The Bulldogs and Cardinals were held off the scoreboard in the opening 15 minutes, with the Dawgs missing a 28-yard field goal on their opening possession and punting on their 2nd. They eventually took the lead in the 2nd quarter via a Mekhi Mims punt return and would barely look back, scoring 31 points in the frame thanks to 3 interceptions.

Here are some takeaways as Kirby Smart’s team turns their attention to their SEC opener against South Carolina:

Carson Beck has another strong performance

Carson Beck had a solid day, going 23-of-30 for 283 yards and an interception to go along with his 2 touchdowns before giving way to Brock Vandagriff in the 4th quarter. A fumble on Georgia’s opening possession — recovered by the offense — and a 3rd-quarter pick were essentially the only mistakes he made with the football.

Dominic Lovett leading the way with 4 grabs, while Cash Jones and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint both had a touchdown. Arian Smith and Oscar Delp each had 2 catches for 50 yards.

Meanwhile, Brock Bowers, Georgia’s all-everything tight end and a presumptive 1st-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was held to just 1 catch for 3 yards against the Cardinals. That was after his 5 catch, 78-yard outing against UT Martin in Week 1.

Georgia’s defense flexes its muscle

How about 3 2nd-quarter interceptions by the Georgia defense? That’s after 1 INT the entire game against UT-Martin a week ago.

While this year’s Bulldogs defense might be a step behind the dominant units that helped them win 2 national championships in a row, they were a massive factor behind a 31-point 2nd quarter.

Along with the 3 interceptions, Ball State was held to just 77 yards rushing on 28 carries after Georgia allowed 134 yards on 29 carries against UT-Martin. The Cardinals also converted just 4 of their 13 3rd downs.

There’s concern, though, about Javon Bullard, who suffered an apparent ankle injury during the 1st quarter and did not return. He was later spotted wearing an ankle boot on the sideline.

93 points in 2 games for Georgia

Yes, the Bulldogs started a little slow again. But over 90 points in their first 2 games of the season is nothing to sneeze at.

We do have to add the qualifiers that UT Martin is an FCS team and that Ball State, who was routed by Kentucky in Week 1, isn’t quite up to par with its MAC peers. And if Kirby Smart holds to form, he’ll point out several areas of improvement before his team faces South Carolina between the hedges during Week 3.

But the Bulldogs have put up points in bunches in the very early stages. We’ll see if it’s a trend that continues with their 1st SEC opponent waiting in the wings.