If you thought Georgia Tech was caught unaware by Georgia’s fake field goal in the fourth quarter, there’s good reason for that.
It was the first fake field goal the Bulldogs have attempted in the Mark Richt era and the first in 16 years overall. The last successful fake FG before today was in 1997 against Tennessee as the holder Drew Cronic completed a 21-yard pass to Patrick Pass.
“It was a calculated risk, but one we had repped and had faith in and we executed it well,” Richt said.
On fourth and 12 at the Tech 31, Georgia lined up for what would have been a 48-yard field goal try. But when Adam Erickson fielded the snap, he flipped the ball over his head to kicker Marshall Morgan, who never broke stride from his approach and went around right end for a gain of 28 yards.
“Adam gave me a solid flip over his head and I ran around the corner and saw that it was completely clear,” Morgan said. “Jay Rome gave me a huge block in the open field and we were able to get the first down.
Marshall got knocked out of bounds — hard — at the 3 by Tech safety Isaiah Johnson. The Bulldogs were unabble to punch it in from there and ended up settling for a 19-yard Morgan field goal and a 17-14 lead.
“It was a shame we couldn’t get the touchdown there,” Richt said. “But we had three shots and we were losing ground.”
attempted its first fake field goal since 1998, and it resulted in a successful 28-yard rush by placekicker Marshall Morgan. The drive ended with a 19-yard field goal and a 17-14 edge with 11:19 left. Before today, Georgia’s last fake FG was against Auburn in 1998 and it resulted in an interception in the endzone.
