Georgia-Georgia Tech

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia at Georgia Tech

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

TV: ABC

What it means to me

"The rivalry means a lot to me. I enjoy it. I love it. It's a thing where I graduated from Gainesville High School. I guess that's there in UGA land, so that was always a big thing coming from classmates and coaches and teachers and whoever. GT's getting stronger since we've had back-to-back good seasons. That's always the thing that you've got to beat Georgia."

Tech offensive tackle Nick Claytor, who is from Gainesville

"Everybody knows Georgia-Georgia Tech is a heated rivalry. Nobody is going to have to tell us to get fired up for this game. Nobody is going to have to tell us to get excited and emotional."

Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran, who is from Snellville

Apples and apples

Georgia's athletic association budget for 2009-10: $84.8 million.

Tech's athletic association budget for 2009-10: $52.5 million.

Matchup closeup

Georgia's offensive tackles vs. Georgia Tech's defensive ends.

Tech: Derrick Morgan is one of the best pass rushers in the country with 12.5 sacks this season, and many have come in important situations. On the other side, the combo of Anthony Egbuniwe and Izaan Cross doesn't have as many sacks but puts pressure on the quarterbacks.

Georgia: Clint Boling and Josh Davis have been a solid tandem this season in pass protection. Overall, the Bulldogs have allowed only 11 sacks, an excellent number considering Joe Cox and Logan Gray have dropped back 301 times.

The numbers game

5

The series has five ties.

Guess in how many of those games there have been points scored?

One.

The teams tied 6-6 on Nov. 12, 1937. The other ties were 0-0.

Distant replay

What: The fumble?

When: Nov. 27, 1999

What happened: Tech took a 41-24 lead only to see Georgia storm back to go ahead 48-41. Tech tied the game at 48. Georgia thought it was going to win the game when Jasper Sanks hit the ground and the ball came loose at the 2-yard line with nine seconds remaining. The refs ruled he had fumbled before he hit the ground. The game went into overtime, where Luke Manget kicked the winning field for Tech, who won 51-48.

Quotable: Come with me while I try to take you on a trip to a land neither of us has ever visited. Pure fantasy. A world never before explored by either of the two parties involved, Georgia Tech and Georgia football teams.

It began as another in the series of games they have played. They'd done this 93 times before, no reason to expect anything more than another one of those matches that run up the blood pressure. The usual good old-fashioned hate game. Somebody wins. Somebody loses. Somebody goes to a bowl game, somebody goes home in tears.

Well, it came to my attention during the afternoon that this was the 50th Georgia-Georgia Tech game I had covered. Naturally, the question came up: Can you remember the most exciting one you've seen?

It doesn't take a long memory. I've just seen it.

Furman Bisher, now retired AJC columnist