The Georgia Bulldogs had defeated Georgia Tech four years in a row but this was the first time they got a full dose of Vad Lee.
It didn’t take long for the difference to become apparent. Lee came out tossing long passes over the Bulldogs and it was clear they would have to respect Lee’s passing ability as well as Tech’s option running game.
But Lee’s hot start didn’t last. His fourth-quarter interception led to Georgia kicking the tying field goal and his fourth-down pass in the second overtime fell incomplete as Tech lost 41-34.
Lee played against Georgia as a freshman in 2012 but mostly handled mop-up duty in the lopsided Tech defeat. In his first start against the rival Bulldogs Lee completed 11 of 23 pass attempts for 232 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“I thought he had a really good game,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “He made some plays. He also made some nice (play adjustments). I thought he managed the game well. He got pressured (by the pass rush) on the interception and that was the only one that I could think of that was really a poor decision.”
Lee’s first interception was on a Hail Mary near the end of the first half. It was the second pick that hurt the Yellow Jackets.
The Bulldogs had trailed 20-0 in the first half but cut their deficit to 27-24 6:37 to play. Tech started the ensuing drive at its 24 yard-line and Lee dropped back to pass on second down.
Three Georgia pass rushers gave chase as Lee threw a pass off of his back foot. Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons swooped in to intercept the pass and returned it to Tech’s 25-yard line. Georgia’s Marshall Morgan tied the game with a 32-yard field goal with 4:17 to play.
The interception and the blown lead put a damper on Lee’s big first half. Johnson said Georgia’s cornerbacks and safeties were aggressive in run support, and Lee made them pay starting with the third play of the game.
Facing a third-and-eight, Lee floated a pass down the left hash marks that wide receiver Darren Waller caught in stride at the Georgia 37-yard line. Georgia cornerback Sheldon Dawson didn’t catch Waller until he’d gone 68 yards and two plays later Lee ran for a three-yard touchdown.
Lee averaged 34.2 yards on his five first half completions with gains of 68 and 43 yards and also a 26 yard-touchdown pass to DeAndre Smelter that gave Tech a 17-0 lead. Lee’s seven-yard TD pass to Smelter gave Tech a 27-17 lead early in the fourth quarter but his five other completions after halftime went for just 54 yards.
Lee’s final pass was intended for Waller but Georgia’s defenders batted it down to secure the victory.
“We had a good game plan coming in,” Lee said. “We knew that we were going to try to hit some big pass plays and we did in the beginning. If only we could have hit some of those plays toward the end (and) we could have finished. “
About the Author
