Georgia vs. UNC: Score and Twitter Reaction

The No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs began the Kirby Smart era with a win Saturday after they beat the No. 22 North Carolina Tar Heels, 33-24, in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

Georgia running back Nick Chubb didn't miss a beat in his first game back from the major knee injury he suffered last October. Chubb put the Bulldogs on his back, running for 222 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. His 55-yard touchdown run with 3:34 left in the game essentially sealed the victory.

Being able to put the offense on Chubb's back was a massive luxury for Smart.

The quarterback position presented Smart with one of his biggest dilemmas. Earlier in the week, he announced Greyson Lambert was starting, but many expected Jacob Eason to get a look at some point. Eason was the No. 2 pro-style QB in the 2016 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Both Lambert and Eason split time, largely to the detriment of the offense. Lambert went 5-of-8 for 54 yards, while Eason was 8-of-12 for 131 yards and a touchdown. CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli doesn't think it should be much of a QB battle going forward:

"

Jacob Eason is gonna screw up big time at some point, but it’s pretty clear he’s the guy Georgia should have back there.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) September 4, 2016"

With the passing game sputtering somewhat, Chubb became even more important. The Bulldogs junior delivered the first score of the game, running the ball in from two yards out at the 4:40 mark of the first quarter to give his team a 7-0 lead. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was happy to see Chubb back in the end zone:

Los Angeles Rams running back and Georgia alumnus Todd Gurley approved of what he saw:

While North Carolina had little answer for Chubb, Georgia had a hard time stopping the Tar Heels offense. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky tied the game in the second quarter with a one-yard touchdown run 13:13 from halftime. Brian Herrien, though, responded with a 19-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs back on top, 14-7.

A 22-yard field goal from Tar Heels kicker Nick Weiler cut Georgia's lead to 14-10 as the second quarter was nearing an end.

The Bulldogs were the stronger team in the first half and deservedly ahead, but North Carolina return man T.J. Logan erased all of Georgia's progress by taking the second-half kickoff back 95 yards for six points.

ACC Football thoroughly enjoyed the play:

After Georgia's next drive resulted in a missed 42-yard field-goal attempt by William Ham, Logan added to North Carolina's lead, putting the Tar Heels ahead 24-14 with a 21-yard touchdown run. The Charlotte Observer's Langston Wertz Jr. testified to Logan's impressive athleticism:

Eason provided a spark for the Georgia offense, getting the Bulldogs on the board for the first time in the second half. He connected with Isaiah McKenzie on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 left in the third quarter.

North Carolina proceeded to shoot itself in the foot on its next drive. An ineligible man downfield penalty and a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct backed the Tar Heels up to their own 4-yard line to set up a 2nd-and-18.

Head coach Larry Fedora and his staff called a screen pass to Elijah Hood that ended in a safety and brought Georgia to within a point, 24-23. Saturday Down South's Matt Hinton wondered about the communication breakdown that preceded the questionable play call:

Vice Sports' Mike Tunison pointed to one fan who was particularly disappointed to see her team hand two points to the Bulldogs:

Georgia couldn't fully capitalize on the shift in momentum. Ham put the Bulldogs ahead 26-24 with 5:27 remaining, leaving the Tar Heels with more than enough time to get back into the lead.

But North Carolina's next drive ended in a three-and-out, and Chubb provided much-needed insurance to give the Bulldogs a two-score advantage.

The Tar Heels' offensive issues in the fourth quarter highlighted the fears many fans have about this season. Trubisky has played well for stretches in his first two years, but this is the first time he's leading the team. The junior finished 24-of-40 for 156 yards.

Hood is one of the country's best running backs, but Georgia effectively bottled him up since the Bulldogs had the benefit of worrying less about the Tar Heels' passing game. Hood ran for 72 yards on 10 carries.

Much of North Carolina's campaign hinges on its Oct. 1 date with the Florida State Seminoles. Based on Saturday's defeat, the Tar Heels are a good team but not at the level of either Florida State or the Clemson Tigers.

Beating North Carolina is a nice start for Smart, but there's no question he'll have to settle on one quarterback, especially by the time the Bulldogs begin SEC play against the Missouri Tigers on Sept. 17. They get the Ole Miss Rebels and Tennessee Volunteers over the following two weeks.

While Eason is the more talented passer, he'll likely be prone to mistakes that come with his inexperience at the college level. Having Chubb healthy can take Georgia a long way, and steady quarterback play will be the difference as to whether the team can be a genuine threat to win the SEC crown.

Postgame Reaction

Smart admitted after the game making the transition to head coach presented different challenges on the sideline in his first game, per Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"

To be honest with you, it was really weird. It was a comedy of errors flipping over on the head phones figuring out who I'm talking to. That was different. … Not feeling like I'm coaching my players. I always felt like that was my best asset. I just tried to stay really positive. It was a unique experience for me that I'll build on and learn from.

"

Chubb said he didn't even give his surgically repaired knee a second thought after he stepped on the field, per David Friedlander of the Gwinnett Daily Post:

"

I'm feeling good. I got a chance to come out here and finally play as a team. I worked hard in the offseason. Just to come out here, my first time out, back with my team, it felt amazing. It took my mind off everything else, just playing for my boys who I've been with the last couple of years.

"

Fedora explained how his team's offensive troubles created a domino effect.

"We were so inconsistent offensively, we weren't moving the chains," he said, per Fox Sports South's Cory McCartney. "So that makes you start guessing on all your play calls, when you're trying to hit some big plays to get something going, and we just didn't make them."