This time, it was Georgia’s heart that was left broken.
Hutson Mason’s pass for Malcolm Mitchell in overtime was intercepted by Georgia Tech’s D.J. White to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 30-24 victory. The Bulldogs came from behind to defeat Tech in overtime last season. It’s the third overtime decision in the 121-year-old series, known today as “Clean Old Fashioned Hate.”
The Tech win broke its five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. It was just the second win in 14 matchups against Georgia coach Mark Richt.
As for drama, you simply couldn’t create any more than this one had.
Georgia scored what appeared to be the winning touchdown with 18 seconds to play in regulation on a fourth-and-goal pass from Mason to Mitchell from three yards out. That gave the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead.
But UGA elected to squid the ensuing kickoff, and Tech corralled it for good field position at its own 43. The Jackets went back to pass but got a 21-run from quarterback Justin Thomas. That was just long enough and left just enough time — four seconds — for Tech’s Harrison Butker to try a career-long 53-yard field goal.
He made it with not a yard to spare. And that sent the game into overtime tied 24-all.
“I’m probably as sick as I’ve ever been after a loss,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said afterward. “The call a made, the decision to squib the kick, that was not a good decision.
Ray Drew and the Bulldogs tried to cover for their coach.
Tech, which had its way with Georgia’s defense in the second half, scored on its first overtime possession. But Drew blocked the extra-point try — it was his second blocked kick of the day — setting up the possibility for the Bulldogs on a touchdown and successful point-after try.
Georgia was in position to do that, reaching Tech’s 9-yard line. But the Jackets didn’t bite on Mason’s play-action fake, and the Tech’s White stepped in front of Mitchell on the quick slant to the left side.
Ballgame.
“Well, it’s one of the worst feelings in sports,” Georgia’s Mason said. “You think you’ve got a storybook ending to your senior year. … Instead, it’s a pretty crappy way to go out.”
It was a costly loss in a lot of ways. Coming a day after Missouri’s win over Arkansas ensured Georgia wouldn’t play in the SEC championship game, the No. 9-ranked Bulldogs still had a chance to play in a major bowl, such as the Orange or Chick-fil-A Peach. As it is, Georgia falls to 9-3 to the season and once again will be relegated to one of the second-tier bowls in Florida or Tennessee.
Tech (10-2) advances to the ACC championship game in Charlotte next week where it will face undefeated Florida State.
“It was a game we wanted to win and it was a game that those guys wanted, too,” said Georgia defensive back Damian Swann, who had a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown. “We didn’t really take advantage of the opportunities that we had.”
The fact that Georgia had a chance to get the lead late was improbable in itself. Tech led 21-17 with 2:41 to go and had the ball deep in Bulldogs’ territory after Georgia’s botched the kickoff return. But then quarterback Justin Thomas lost the handle to the football on a pump fake and Amarlo Herrera recovered, setting up the Bulldogs’ last score.
And while history will say Saturday’s game was decided in overtime, Georgia really let it get away in the first half.
Two fumbles inside the Yellow Jackets’ 1-yard line proved to be the difference. Those miscues — one each committed by freshman tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel — prevented the Bulldogs from being up 21-0 in the second quarter.
