Georgia cornerback Devin Bowman (19) returns an interception for a touchdown as Vanderbilt offensive lineman Will Holden (74) chases him in thir game Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Athens, Ga. Georgia won 44-17.ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia redshirt junior cornerback Devin Bowman entered Saturday's game against Vanderbilt having never collected a collegiate interception.
He made the most of his first one.
With the Bulldogs leading 27-10 with less than six minutes to play in the third quarter, the former Ridgeland High standout picked off Commodores quarterback Stephen Rivers and raced 63 yards for a touchdown that helped Georgia pull away for a 44-17 win. The interception came on a fourth-and-2 from Georgia's 29-yard line.
"It was a play we had worked on in practice over and over and over," Bowman said. "It was just obvious, because the linemen were coming at me, and I had seen the tight end. I just made a play on it, and from there I didn't want to get caught."
Bowman made his fourth start of the season and traded his No. 37 jersey for No. 19 to recognize freshman corner Rico Johnson, who was medically disqualified this past week and watched Saturday's game from the sideline.
"He was calling me Rico the whole night," Bowman said. "We were joking back and forth, and it was a lot of fun."
Said Georgia coach Mark Richt: "He really put a big smile on Rico's face."
Mitchell's return
Though he didn't play much, redshirt junior receiver Malcolm Mitchell was happy to be back in action for the first time since tearing his ACL in last season's opener at Clemson. Mitchell wound up with one catch for 11 yards and sat out the second half.
"I only played five or six snaps, and that was the plan," Mitchell said. "It felt great. It had been a while, so I'm loving it. I'm ready to celebrate with my team."
Fellow redshirt junior receiver Justin Scott-Wesley was expected to play but did not, which Richt admitted was a surprise.
Starting anew again
Junior kicker Marshall Morgan had his SEC-record of 20 consecutive successful field-goal attempts dating back to last season halted on Sept. 13 at South Carolina, and he had his run of extra points end Saturday.
Morgan made his first 26 extra-point tries this season before Commodores defensive tackle Adam Butler broke through late in the half for a block that kept Georgia's lead at 27-7. He made all 47 attempts last season after missing four as a freshman.
"I'm disappointed in the blocked extra point, and that wasn't the only time we've had penetration," Richt said. "We've kind of had a little bit of that throughout the year."
Odds and ends
Georgia improved to 74-17-2 in Homecoming games and to 54-19-2 against Vanderbilt. ... Senior center David Andrews made his team-leading 32nd consecutive start, while junior defensive end Josh Dawson made his first start this season and the second of his career. ... Brendan Langley, who played cornerback last season but began this year at receiver, played at cornerback in the fourth quarter.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.