Georgia vs. Baylor final score: Bulldogs hold on for defensive-dominant Sugar Bowl win

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Georgia vs. Baylor final score: Bulldogs hold on for defensive-dominant Sugar Bowl win image

No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Baylor concluded the New Year's 6 slate of games on Wednesday with a defensive slugfest.

For a while it seemed as if Georgia would run away with it after taking a 19-0 lead at halftime, punctuated by two Rodrigo Blankenship field goals and Jake Fromm passing touchdowns to George Pickens and Matt Landers. The Georgia defense was similarly dominant, limiting the Bears to a measly 97 yards of total offense in the first half.

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Baylor, to its credit, refused to go down without a fight, scoring 14 third-quarter points behind quarterback Charlier Brewer, including a 12-yard pass to receiver Denzel Mims and a 1-yard touchdown run. But the Bears couldn't muster another scoring drive; Brewer exited the game in the fourth quarter after a hit to the head, ending any hope Baylor had of mounting a comeback. The Bears' offense ended the game with a punt, turnover on downs and interception.

In all, Fromm completed 20 of 30 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia's Zamair White was the leading rusher in the game, notching 92 yards and a score on 18 carries. Pickens had a great game as well, catching 12 passes for 175 yards and a score. Brewer finished 24 of 41 passing for 211 yards, a score and an interception. Receiver Denzel Mims and running back Trestan Ebner led the Bears with 75 and 70 receiving yards, respectively.

Check out Sporting News' live updates, highlights and score changes for Georgia vs. Baylor:

Georgia vs. Baylor score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q F
Georgia 3 16 7 0 26
Baylor 0 0 14 0 14

Georgia vs. Baylor scoring plays

First quarter:

0:49 — Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship 24-yard field goal (3-0 Georgia)

Second quarter:

12:28 — Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm 27-yard touchdown to George Pickens (10-0 Georgia)

8:08 — Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship 31-yard field goal (13-0 Georgia)

1:51 — Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm 16-yard touchdown to Matt Landers; Georgia missed 2-point conversion. (19-0 Georgia)

Third quarter:

12:14 — Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer 12-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Mims (19-7 Georgia)

7:16 — Georgia running back Zamir White 13-yard touchdown run (26-7 Georgia)

4:10 — Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer 1-yard touchdown run (26-14 Georgia)

Georgia vs. Baylor updates, highlights

Final: Georgia 26, Baylor 14

12:36 p.m.: Final stats from the Sugar Bowl:

Georgia-Baylor full-game stats

12:32 p.m.: INTERCEPTION, BAYLOR. Zeno's pass is intercepted by Richard LeCounte, who runs perfectly parallel out of bounds and up to the stands. Georgia will kneel on it and end this game.

12:31 p.m.: Baylor now facing fourth-and-10 with no timeouts remaining and 1:51 left. If the Bears don't convert Georgia can kneel it and end the game.

12:29 p.m.: And now Mims exits the game with what looks like a stinger. One play later Baylor gets a first down at its 22.

12:27 p.m.: Baylor takes over at its 7-yard line with 2:54 after the punt. Quarterback Jacob Zeno is in at quarterback now.

12:24 p.m.: Baylor's defense stands strong and brings on fourth down. Considering the time left on the clock, there might not be enough time for a comeback, especially without Brewer.

12:17 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS, BAYLOR. Linebacker Nolan Smith sacks Bohanon on fourth down, forcing a turnover on downs. Georgia will get the ball back with great field position and about five minutes left to play. That might be it.

12:17 p.m.: Baylor facing fourth-and-11 at Georgia's 48. Could be the game right here.

12:15 p.m.: Baylor meanwhile haas it third-and-1 at Georgia's 48. Hasty gets 2 yards and a first down. Bears are still down two possessions with under 7:30 to play.

12:14 p.m.: Brewer is being carted off the field, seemingly lucid. An unfortunate reminder of how rough this game is on the players' bodies.

12:12 p.m.: Good news for Baylor. Brewer is up. But he looks concussed and shouldn't continue playing.

12:09 p.m.: Baylor backup quarterback Gerry Bohanon is warming up.

12:07 p.m.: Brewer scrambles again and gets almost all the yardage needed. But he's tackled late out of bounds by Georgia's Travon Walker, netting Baylor 15 yards and a first down. Brewer is still down on the sideline. It's worth noting he was concussed in the Bears' Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma.

12:05 p.m.: Brewer scrambles 11 yards for a first down out to the 21-yard line. With time winding down under 10 minutes, this is a must-score drive.

12:04 p.m.: Brewer tries to hit Mims on the deep ball but doesn't put quite enough air under it. Bears facing 2nd-and-10 from the 10-yard line.

11:59 p.m.: Wow, Fromm had Demetrius Robertson all alone in the end zone but he underthrew him. Even so the ball dropped right into Robertson's hands and he dropped it. One play later, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year James Lynch sacks Fromm for a loss of 3 to make it fourth down.

11:58 p.m.: Fromm hits Pickens on a quick comeback route and he makes several people miss en route to an 11-yard gain to Baylor's 45. Bears still have no answer for him.

11:57 p.m.: Georgia starting to get several chunk plays along the ground. They're wearing down on Baylor's defense.

11:55 p.m.: Fromm hits a wide-open Tyler Simmons on the sideline for a key third-down conversion. Bulldogs get a new set of downs at their 32 and get out from the shadow of their own end zone.

11:53 p.m.: Georgia tries to catch Baylor napping and hit Pickens deep. Baylor doesn't fall for it and has it well-defended. Second-and-10 for Georgia now.

11:52 p.m.: Brewer's attempt is knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Baylor punts and downs Georgia at its 1.

End of third quarter: Georgia 26, Baylor 14

11:48 p.m.: Baylor facing third-and-5 from Georgia's 48 to start the fourth quarter. Looks like four-down territory.

11:44 p.m.: Refs award Baylor the first down after review. Bears have it first-and-10 instead of fourth-and-1.

11:41 p.m.: Bears facing fourth-and-1 from their own 45 and are going for it without hesitation (assuming replay doesn't award them a first down after R.J. Sneed's catch).

11:40 p.m.: Baylor takes over at its 35 after Georgia's punt. Could be a big drive here.

11:38 p.m.: Baylor nets two sacks on Fromm on consecutive plays. Bulldogs are going backwards, facing third-and-17. Sacks come courtesy of James Lockhart and Bravvion Roy.

11:34 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, BAYLOR. Brewer punches it in himself from 1 yard out to make it 26-14 Georgia. Bears refuse to go away in the third.

11:33 p.m.: Baylor now facing third-and-goal from the 1. Absolutely a must-score situation right here.

11:31 p.m.: Georgia's called for pass interference, giving Baylor first-and-goal at the 2.

11:30 p.m.: On the next play, Ebner takes it off left tackle for a 17-yard gain. Bears are knocking first-and-10 at the 14.

11:27 p.m.: Baylor gets a long gain on a slip screen to Ebner, but an unsportsmanlike penalty negates it. Thankfully for the Bears, a facemask on the play by Georgia still nets them 15 yards to the 31-yard line.

11:25 p.m.: Baylor not giving up. Brewer hits Thornton for a 17-yard gain to Baylor's 45. Every drive is must-score now.

11:22 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, GEORGIA. One play later, Zamir White takes it in from 13 yards out to make it 26-7 Georgia. Absolutely devastating couple of plays there by Georgia.

11:20 p.m.: Scratch that! Georgia runs the fake field goal and placekicker Jake Camarda runs for 6 yards on fourth-and-2!\

11:18 p.m.: Georgia, facing third-and-13, gets a chunk of it back with an 11-yard connection between Tyler Simmons to make it fourth-and-2. Blankenship is coming on for a 36-yard field goal.

11:16 p.m.: Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh bounces the ball outside and gets a nice 12-yard gain to the Baylor 27. Bulldogs are starting to impose their will now.

11:13 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS, BAYLOR. Georgia outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari strip-sacks Brewer from behind and it's recovered by Peyton Mercer. Georgia has the ball at the Baylor 47.

11:09 p.m.: And now Rhule calls timeout.

11:09 p.m.: Baylor's drive stalls just past midfield, and now the Bears have a choice to make. looks like they're going for it on fourth-and-4.

11:08 p.m.: A Georgia penalty and 6-yard JaMycal Hasty run gets Baylor out to the Georgia 46-yard line.

11:04 p.m.: And now Baylor forces a three-and-out. Another score here and the Bears are right back in it.

11 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, BAYLOR. And on the next play, Brewer hits receiver Denzel Mims for a 12-yard touchdown with Eric Stokes in coverage. A huge drive for Baylor that makes it 19-7 Georgia.

10:58 p.m.: Baylor with some success on its first drive out of the half. The Bears are driving all the way down to Georgia's 13 off eight plays.

Halftime: Georgia 19, Baylor 0

10:30 p.m.: First-half stats from the Sugar Bowl:

Georgia-Baylor first-half stats 2020

10:29 p.m.: Bulldogs get 7 yards on the first-down carry, and that will do it for the first half. Bulldogs go into the locker room leading 19-0.

10:28 p.m.: Georgia will get the ball back, but Baylor downed the Dawgs at the 4-yard line. Probably see a few runs to end the half here.

10:27 p.m.: Georgia forces another punt and will take its last timeout with roughly 40 seconds remaining in the half.

10:24 p.m.: Brewer pumps three times and hits Thornton for the third-down conversion. Next play he spins in the pocket, avoids a blitz and nets 5 yards on the pass. He's sacked on the ensuing play for a loss of 4 yards, however. Bears face third-and-9 from their 38 with 49 seconds remaining.

10:19 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, GEORGIA. Fromm hits Matt Landers for a 16-yard touchdown, just his fourth completion to someone other than Pickens. The Bulldogs fail their 2-point conversion, but it's still 19-0 Georgia.

10:15 p.m.: Baylor has no answer for Pickens, who catches another pass and takes it 27 yards out to Baylor's 40-yard line. He now has 10 receptions for 163 yards.

10:10 p.m.: Baylor's Matt Rhule is livid after referees fail to notice Georgia's DJ Daniel blatantly interfering with Tyquan Thornton's ability to catch a long ball. Bears forced to punt three plays later.

10:08 p.m.: Wow, Baylor gets it all back with a quick throw to running back Trestan Ebner, who makes a man miss for a 13-yard gain and a new set of downs.

10:07 p.m.: Baylor gets the ball back and is in danger of another three-and-out. Bears convert on third down but the play is called back for holding by Xavier Newman-Johnson.

10:04 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, GEORGIA. The Bulldogs' drive stalls at the 14-yard line, but Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship nails it from 31 yards out it 13-0 Georgia.

9:57 p.m.: Fromm connects with Pickens for his eighth catch to convert on third down. Georgia is now driving at Baylor's 40 and Pickens has all of the Bulldogs' 129 receiving yards.

9:54 p.m.: Bad news for Baylor. Georgia forces a three-and-out and Baylor offensive lineman Blake Bedier is called for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a punch after the third-down play. That makes it fourth-and-20 and figures to give Georgia good field position.

9:50 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, GEORGIA. Fromm throws a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass to Pickens for a 27-yard touchdown. That makes it 10-0 Georgia, which could be an insurmountable lead the way the Bulldogs' defense is playing.

9:47 p.m.: Baylor linebacker Jordan Williams, almost on cue, nearly intercepts a Fromm pass. He can't pull it down, however, and Georgia will continue its drive from Baylor's 44.

9:45 p.m.: Georgia forces a three-and-out on Baylor's next drive. Ensuing Bulldogs drive sees them cross midfield after four plays. A touchdown here might be enough to end it.

End of first quarter: Georgia 3, Baylor 0

9:37 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, Georgia. The Bulldogs use their first big play of the evening to get on the board first. Georgia 3, Baylor 0.

9:34 p.m.: After each team punts, Fromm finds George Pickens for a huge 46-yard gain through the air via a flea-flicker.

9:23 p.m.: INTERCEPTION, Georgia. Brewer wastes the first real scoring chance of the game by throwing a pick, though in fairness to him it was deflected into the air.

9:19 p.m.: A pass interference call against the Bulldogs moves Baylor to the Georgia 26.

9:14 p.m.: Baylor regains possession by ... another punt. That's three in the first seven minutes of action.

9:10 p.m.: Baylor punts the ball back after failing to move past its own 38.

9:04 p.m.: Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm missed Pickens on third-and-6 from the Bulldogs' 40-yard line, forcing a Georgia punt. The Bears will take over at their 17-yard line.

9:03 p.m.: Freshman receiver George Pickens gets two catches in Georgia's first three plays, including a third-down-converting play on third-and-3.

9:01 p.m.: Baylor kicks a touchback, and Georgia will take over at its 25-yard line.

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.