Georgia scores 35-10 win over Texas with fourth-quarter domination
ATHENS — Georgia football shined bright under the lights, dominating Texas in the fourth quarter en route to the 35-10 win on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1 SEC) figure to move up from No. 5 in the College Football Playoff ranking on Tuesday night.
Alabama, previously ranked No. 4, suffered a 23-21 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma earlier on Saturday. The top three ranked teams -- undefeated Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M -- all won their games on Saturday and will likely hold the top three spots.
Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0) and Alabama (8-2, 6-1) maintain the inside track to play in the SEC title game should they win out, as the Tide has the head-to-head tiebreaker over UGA.
Gunner Stockton saw to it the Bulldogs kept all postseason hopes alive in Saturday’s much-anticipated showdown with Texas at Sanford Stadium.
Stockton, 24-of-29 passing for 229 yards with four touchdowns, was in MVP form against the Longhorns, whose playoff hopes took a hit as they fell to 7-3 (4-2 SEC) with the loss.
Stockton, who entered the night eighth among Heisman Trophy favorites, capped his performance with a highlight-friendly 4-yard touchdown scamper that provided the final margin with 4:43 remaining.
“I think you credit the crowd and the preparation we had throughout the week,” Stockton said in his on-field interview. “(And) the coaches, and the game plan they put in.”
The Bulldogs took full control of the game in the fourth quarter, riding the momentum of two third-quarter fourth-down conversions and a successful onside kick.
Stockton hit Lawson Luckie with a 6-yard touchdown pass with 8:53 remaining to make the score 28-10, capitalizing on what had been UGA’s first successful onside kick since 2013.
Georgia went up 21-10 the previous series on Stockton’s 30-yard touchdown pass to London Humphreys on the second play of the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs converted twice in fourth-down situations on that touchdown drive.
“We have to be aggressive,” coach Kirby Smart said in an on-field interview at the end of the third quarter, in the midst of the scoring drive. “We have a good offense, trust our quarterback, and let him go play.”
Facing a fourth-and-1 from UGA’s 36, Stockton hit tailback Chauncey Bowens on a play-action pass that gained 10 yards with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs successfully drew Texas offsides on the second conversion, on fourth-and-5, making the Longhorns pay three plays later on Stockton’s TD throw to Humphreys.
Smart, now 9-0 against top-10 teams in home games, stayed true to the “aggressive” mindset he referenced, shocking Texas and the capacity crowd with an onside kick that Cash Jones recovered at the UGA 47 with 14:20 left.
The Longhorns were threatening in the third quarter when Arch Manning hit Ryan Wingo with a 7-yard touchdown pass to cut the UGA lead to 14-10 at the 5:27 mark.
Texas’ drive began at the UGA 36 after Stockton threw his third interception of the season.
Manning, whose high-profile recruitment came down to UGA and Texas, was 27-of-43 passing for 251 yards with a touchdown and interception and was sacked three times.
The Bulldogs held the Longhorns to just 23 yards rushing and 2-of-12 third-down conversions.
“Our guys came out to compete, I thought defensively we stepped up against a really good team,” Smart said. “Arch is getting better and better, and our guys stepped up.”
Georgia held a 14-3 lead at halftime after falling behind for the seventh time in its eight SEC games this season.
Texas kicked a field goal on its opening drive before the Bulldogs charged back with consecutive touchdown drives.
Georgia was 4-of-4 on third-down conversions on its first two possessions, both capped by Stockton touchdown passes to Noah Thomas, the first from 17 yards out, the second, a 4-yard strike.
Georgia returns to action at 12:45 p.m. next Saturday against Charlotte in its final regular-season home game.
There remains a possibility that UGA could host a first-round College Football Playoff game if it’s seeded anywhere between No. 5 and No. 8 in the 12-team field.
The CFP first-round games will be played at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, and in slots at noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20.
Texas returns home to Austin, where it will play host to Arkansas next Saturday before closing its regular season at home against unbeaten, No. 3-ranked Texas A&M.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
