Georgia got a confidence building 38-0 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday.

The Bulldogs started the game strong, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, adding 10 more in the second.

“We took care of business,” coach Mark Richt said. “The way we came out to start the game, extremely focused on both sides of the ball, just played extremely well early . It was a good victory. All victories are great.”

Georgia dominated the overmatched Golden Eagles on both sides of the ball, rushing for 304 yards and perfecting its first shutout since 2006.

Cox finished with a crisp 10-for-13 performance with 140 yards and two scores. Freshman tailback Washaun Ealey scored his first career touchdown on the first drive of the game, and added another in the second quarter. He led in rushing with 90 yards on seven carries.

“You can never underestimate how big it is to win,” said quarterback Joe Cox. “We’re glad we got it, we’re glad we executed well.”

Playing without star wideout A.J. Green due to injury, four of the five Georgia touchdowns were scored by true freshmen, a promising sign for the future, Richt said.

Establishing control early in the game, Georgia was able mix in players and schemes not customarily seen this season.

Logan Gray got to play a full series in the first half, which ended with an interception. Gray bounced back to finish 4-of-5 for 25 yards.

“I was excited,” he said. “It was good to get into a game-like situation and exciting to get in there in the victory and help get the season back on track.”

The Bulldogs used freshman cornerback Branden Smith on offense, utilizing his speed out of the backfield and running reverses from the receiver position.

Smith ran three times for 72 yards and a score.

“The thing about Branden is we couldn’t put in a lot of offense for him because he was learning how to play defense,” Richt said. “Once he gets a full season under his belt on defense and really gets comfortable in that role, then we’ll have a little more freedom to use him on offense.”

The bottom line for most players was getting a win to create momentum for next week against Auburn.

Mission accomplished.

“We definitely feel more confident heading into the Auburn game,” Ealey said. “The offense knows we can score points and the defense knows they can get shutouts.”