As the clock crept previous midnight in a marathon for the ages, Nate Frazier lastly ended it for No 6 Georgia with a bit three-yard burst which will have locked up the most important prize of all.
Another journey to the College Football Playoff.
Frazier ran for a two-point conversion within the eighth additional time after Georgia pulled off an unbelievable fourth-quarter comeback, giving the Bulldogs a 44-42 victory over Georgia Tech on a Friday evening that stretched into Saturday morning. “The additional time was epic,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart mentioned. “What an excellent recreation.”
After falling behind 17-0 at halftime and being dominated a lot of the recreation, the Bulldogs (10-2, No. 7 CFP) confirmed loads of grit of their bid for a spot within the 12-team playoff – regardless of how they fare in subsequent weekend’s Southeastern Conference championship recreation towards both No 3 Texas or No 20 Texas A&M. “That’s for another person to resolve,” Smart mentioned. “Our alternative is in entrance of us.”
Carson Beck threw 5 landing passes – two of them in OT – in a recreation the Bulldogs by no means led till after regulation ended 27-all. He completed 28 of 43 for 297 yards. Georgia Tech (7-5) was powered by Haynes King, who ran for for 3 touchdowns and threw for 2 extra. But the Yellow Jackets took their seventh straight loss to the Bulldogs on a frigid, excruciating evening between the hedges.
King handed for 303 yards and ran for 110 in an excellent efficiency that wasn’t fairly sufficient. Frazier, a freshman, took a handoff from Beck and burst up the center, sending fireworks into the sky above Sanford Stadium.
It was the longest recreation in SEC historical past and only one additional time shy of the document for any FBS recreation – Illinois’ 20-18 victory over Penn State in 2021 that went to 9 further intervals. “We are a beat-up soccer staff,” Smart mentioned. “We’ve bought to get effectively.”
King scored on an 11-yard run to offer Georgia Tech a seemingly comfy 27-13 lead with 5:37 remaining, however the Bulldogs drove 75 yards in eight performs to offer themselves an opportunity. Beck related with Dominic Lovett on a 17-yard landing go with 3:39 to go.
Then, the Bulldogs’ protection pressured an enormous turnover by King after struggling to include the slithery quarterback a lot of the recreation. He saved it himself on third-and-1 – solely to cough up the ball on a giant hit by Dan Jackson. Chaz Chambliss recovered the fumble on the Yellow Jackets 32, and Beck rapidly guided the Bulldogs to a tying landing on a 3-yard go to Lovett with 1:01 left in regulation.
Then, it was on to additional time – and a recreation that simply saved going and going. Beck and King threw matching landing passes adopted by standard further factors. Then it was King scoring on a 1-yard run, solely to have Beck reply with a 25-yard scoring go to Cash Jones. Both groups didn’t convert their two-point tries, so it got here all the way down to nothing however 2-point tries.
Both groups transformed within the fifth OT, but it surely was Frazier who lastly ended it. “There’s no ethical victories,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key mentioned, preventing again tears. “But I’m pleased with these guys.”
The first half was an absolute stunner for the Bulldogs, who’ve lengthy dominated the state rivalry generally known as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”. Georgia Tech raced to a lead that might have been even greater, outgaining the Bulldogs 307-137 in complete yards and almost doubling up in time of possession within the opening half.
King, who has battled shoulder points, appeared to be absolutely recovered as he guided the Yellow Jackets up and down the sphere. He scored on a 2-yard run and threw a four-yard landing go to Jamal Haynes, who made a hovering leap to the pylon. The Yellow Jackets additionally bought a 31-yard area objective from Aidan Birr.
But Birr additionally clanked a 25-yard try off the left upright, and Georgia Tech squandered one other scoring probability when Haynes was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 on the Bulldogs 25.
Even with these setbacks, Georgia Tech constructed its largest lead over the Bulldogs since a 20-0 edge within the 2013 recreation – when Georgia rallied for a 41-34 victory in double additional time. These Bulldogs did it once more, extending their school-record house profitable streak to 31 in a row.
