MACON, Ga. — It was a disaster for Georgia football to start its final game of the regular season against Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs went down 17-0 and were shut out in the first half for the first time since 2019.
Georgia rallied late with terrific performances from Carson Beck and Dan Jackson to take the game into a nearly record breaking eight overtimes and gained a 44-42 win over the Yellow Jackets.
Here are three takeaways from the in-state rivalry battle.
Failed scoring opportunities nearly run home streak
The Yellow Jackets’ offense doubled the Bulldogs’ time of possession on offense and it stunted Georgia’s ability to score. However, Georgia still had plenty of failed opportunities throughout the night.
Georgia had a 3rd-and-1 and a 4th-and-1 opportunity it failed in the first quarter. Despite a promising drive late in the second quarter, a Dominic Lovett fumble not only prevented points for the Bulldogs but led to another Georgia Tech touchdown.
Quarterback Carson Beck put the team in position to score multiple times, including a 53-yard field goal attempt Peyton Woodring missed by a mile. He finished the first half with 109 yards and completed nearly 60% of his passes.
And yet the Bulldogs fought back. Beck threw three touchdown passes, including back-to-back throws to Lovett, and running back Nate Frazier ran for a touchdown to tie up the game and put Georgia within range of winning.
Beck had two touchdown passes in overtime and a two-point conversion, but both teams were tied up with 42 points each after eight overtime.
After a key defensive stop, the freshman Frazier took the ball into the endzone and called game. Georgia won after a long arduous game but came away and nabbed a guaranteed playoff spot.
Georgia Tech nearly ‘runs’ away with it
Yellow Jackets’ head coach Brent Key and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s strategy all season was to eat up time of possession. It’s how the pair beat No. 6 Miami and it’s how they dominated the Bulldogs all game.
Thanks to a dominant performance on the ground, and players like running back Jamal Haynes and quarterback Haynes King, Georgia Tech held onto the football twice as long as Georgia did.
They also stopped Georgia on key 3rd and 4th-and-1 situations and forced the Lovett fumble. Most importantly, however, Georgia Tech took advantage and got points on both of those drives to take advantage of big moments from the defense.
Meanwhile, the Georgia defense failed to stop them and cover up the lapses the offense showed. The Bulldogs allowed 307 total yards of offense in just the first half, as they were dominated on the ground, and picked apart through the air.
And yet, when safety Dan Jackson forced King to fumble late in the fourth quarter, and linebacker CJ Allen knocked down a King pass at the end of the fourth quarter, Georgia was right back in the game and forced overtime.
With the game tied up 42-42, Georgia's defense provided crucial pressure to force an incomplete pass. Frazier did it himself and the Bulldogs picked up a 44-42 comeback win.
Where does Georgia go from here?
Georgia clawed its way back from a massive deficit to nab a win. While the Yellow Jackets will await their bowl opponent, Georgia has one more game to play and it’s a big one: the SEC Championship.
While Georgia barely got a win, they still will likely want to grab a win over either Texas or Texas A&M in the SEC Championship. They’ve won already against Texas this year and played great against top teams like Tennessee and could earn a bye with a win.
Of course, the question is, will the Bulldogs play like they did against Texas and Tennessee, or will they play like they did against Ole Miss and in the first halves against Alabama and Georgia Tech? Only time will tell, but Smart will almost certainly try to light a fire under his team to ensure they do.