UGA Escapes Georgia Tech in Eight Overtimes

Unforgettable

Down 17-0 at halftime and then 27-13 with 5 and a half minutes to go in the 4th, UGA found a way to tie the game and duke it out with the Yellow Jackets across 8 overtimes before ultimately outlasting them. It was what has been the standard slow start from the Bulldogs, who were held scoreless at half for the first time since 2019. Read UGA escapes Georgia Tech in eight overtimes below. 

Tech had opportunities to score even more before half, but couldn’t quite manage it. Then the Dawgs also showed their, what has become standard, resilience as they fought back. Down 7 with 2 minutes to go, safety Dan Jackson walloped QB Haynes King on a QB keep forcing a fumble that LB Chaz Chambliss recovered. Carson Beck turned to WR Dominic Lovett to close the lead and then tie the game with touchdown receptions and forcing overtime.

Then, after much back and forth, RB Nate Frazier punched it in to seal the win. Let’s break down the game.

Hey, make sure you check out our picks on the GW Daily Picks page.

The Good

Carson Beck. What a change we have seen from the Carson Beck of mid-season. Since that dude scrambled and trucked a Tennessee player, we haven’t seen the same QB. Yes, he did get visibly frustrated when his receivers dropped back to back passes ending another UGA drive in the first half. Not his fault.

Beck was nearly lights out in this game and UGA doesn’t come close to winning without him. He finished 28/43 for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns. That makes 18 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in his last handful of games now. While I fully believe check-down Carson could show up any game, he’s been nowhere to be found and he’s been exactly the QB UGA needs him to be. In OT, Beck hits Humphrey with a dot to score. Then throws another perfect touch pass to Cash Jones in the second OT. 

Cash Jones

RB Cash Jones was the leading receiver on the night. Says a lot about UGA’s receivers (more on that to come). But Jones had a clutch score in overtime to tie the game up. 

Rodrick Robinson

It was nice to see RB Rodrick Robinson get his first snaps of the season after a surfer for turf toe during fall camp. Robinson finished last season looking nearly impossible to tackle, although to be fair, no one knew that Florida State was completely inept yet. Still, UGA needs him back in the rotation to contribute as quickly as possible. 

Dan Jackson

Dan Jackson. Boy, last week Jackson struggled. This week, ol’ Dirty Dan was back, getting the lone sack of the day, flying around the field, and ultimately forcing the fumble that changed the game. 

Tyron Ingram-Dawkins

Tyron Ingram-Dawkins made some significant effort plays, especially in OT. He was the one who somehow caught Eric Singleton to stip the ball from behind. Singleton recovered the fumble and it was still a touchdown, but TID almost won the game there. He also got pressure on King in OT. 

The Bad

DB Daniel Harris had a tough day. After winning the starting job late in the year, Harris got picked on during this game. He was beaten multiple times in coverage and the thing that he had that fellow DB Julian Humphrey did not show was physicality in tackling. Well, Harris did have that either on Friday. He was in good coverage in the final defensive overtime, but he had a bad game. 

Managing points. UGA didn’t have to go to OT, if Kirby had just kicked an extra point. Plus he went for a 53 yard field goal into the wind in the bitter cold. 

The Ugly

Arian Smith. 2 receptions on 9 targets. Multiple brutal drops. It looked like Beck moved on from considering throwing to him at times because more than once in overtime he beat his man and Beck chose to throw to someone else or turned down throwing to him. For a guy who has had some bad games, he had an awful game. 

There was just no answer for Tech’s offense in this game. Tech did whatever they wanted and OC Buster Faulkner absolutely embarrassed Glenn Schumann and the Georgia defense. Now, I have some questions as to what UGA was doing defensively as well. UGA would sometimes use a 3-4 front, which is intended to better stop the run even when Tech was using 11 personnel, which is more likely a passing formation.

And similarly, sometimes UGA would be in nickel when Tech was in 12 personnel, meaning they have two tight ends and are more likely to be running. In other words UGA was doing the opposite of what they should have done. But to be honest, it didn’t matter either way. Faulkner had an answer for every counter that the Dawg defense tried to use and timed it nearly perfectly. He made Haynes King look like a Heisman candidate. And UGA literally couldn’t do anything about it. No adjustment they made worked. 

Final Thoughts

I can’t decide if I’m impressed or if I kind of loathe this Georgia team. They underperform so badly. They are the worst team in terms of executing fundamentals that I can remember under Kirby. But I love that they never quit. I love that they fight to the end. I love that it’s not the superstars who make the biggest plays but it’s the mostly overshadowed that have a way of showing up when it matters most. UGA did not deserve to win, but they found a way. I have no idea how the rest of the season will go. I wouldn’t be shocked if UGA loses the next two games. Anyone can beat them. I also wouldn’t be shocked if they beat Texas and find themselves competing for a national title.