ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia players swore to anyone who would listen that they wouldn't overlook FCS foe Southern University to peek ahead to next Saturday's ballyhooed SEC showdown against Alabama.

But it took a second-half wake-up call for the No. 7 Bulldogs to finally take control of Saturday's game, a 48-6 win.

"I challenged our team at halftime," head coach Mark Richt said of sparking Georgia's play in the second half. "We weren't controlling the line of scrimmage like we're used to, but once we got space for the backs, good things happened."

Running back Nick Chubb was one of the Bulldogs who awoke from an early slumber, rushing for just 31 yards in the first half. But Chubb came to life, rushing seven times for 100 yards in the second half. The 131-yard day put him over 100 yards for the 12th consecutive game, tying a mark held by Georgia great Herschel Walker.

"It's truly an honor to be mentioned with him – Herschel Walker," said Chubb, who scored three touchdowns. "He's who you think about when you think about Georgia."

That's slowly starting to change.

For good measure, one of Chubb's scores came on a 24-yard screen pass from quarterback Greyson Lambert, who followed up last week's NCAA record for completion percentage by connecting on 9 of 10 passes for 146 yards and two scores for Georgia (4-0).

He'll certainly be the spotlight player when Alabama visits at 3:30 p.m. ET in a game that will be televised nationally by CBS.

The Bulldogs also received another sterling performance from running back Sony Michel, who rushed six times for 75 yards and two touchdowns, one on a 58-yard run in the third. Also, backup quarterback Brice Ramsey saw his first extensive playing time of the year and responded by completing 11 of 14 passes for 125 yards for Georgia, which outgained Southern in total yardage 532-184.

Lenard Tillery led Southern with 19 carries for 75 yards.

"Considering the opponent we were taking on, I thought our guys competed. I thought they played hard," Jaguars head coach Dawson Odums said. "I thought they tried to execute the game plan, but at halftime Georgia got motivated and they came out and seized control of the game."

Georgia did not play Alabama the past two seasons. In 2012, Alabama edged the Bulldogs 32-28 in the SEC Championship game.

"We'll find out what we did wrong, correct it and get better at what we do," Richt said. "We have so much to get better on and it's a task we take very seriously."

Richt had hoped to be well in command by halftime but that wasn't the case. The Bulldogs were only able to slog to a 20-6 lead.

The Bulldogs were unable to get their vaunted rushing game in sync, resulting in Southern (2-2) holding Chubb and company to just 35 yards on the ground.

However, Lambert was once again on his game.

The transfer from Virginia completed 6 of 7 passes for 91 yards and one touchdown the first half -- to Chubb -- followed by a 7-yard run by Michel.

But those would be the only touchdowns for Georgia before half. The Bulldogs got field goals of 47 and 25 yards by Marshall Morgan.

Southern, meanwhile, put together its best drive midway through the second, converting a pair of third-down plays and a fourth during a 75-yard drive that resulted in a 16-yard run by Tillery to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 17-6. The subsequent two-point attempt failed.

"We went out and gave an excellent effort," said Southern quarterback Austin Howard, who completed just 8 of 19 passes for 69 yards. "Some things didn't go our way, but some things did. I'm just proud of our guys all the way around. They gave a tremendous effort and fought to the end."

NOTES: Saturday's game marked the first time Georgia has played a school from an historical black college. ... Georgia played Saturday's game without starting LB Davin Bellamy (concussion). ... QB Greyson Lambert, who set a Georgia record with 20 straight completions in last Saturday's win over South Carolina, completed his first two against Southern to extend his streak to 22 before throwing an incompletion. ... A scary moment in the game came with two minutes left in the third quarter when Southern WR Devon Gale was hit and lay motionless on the field for approximately 12 minutes before he was carted off to a local hospital. There was no immediate word on his condition.