Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson recognized that something was afoot when Georgia lined up for a field goal early in the fourth quarter. Johnson said he saw Bulldogs holder Adam Erickson look over to the Georgia sideline and get a thumbs-up sign from a coach. Johnson said he wanted to call a timeout at that point, but couldn’t get to an official.

“I didn’t know what was coming, but when they got the thumbs up from the side, I knew something was coming,” he said.

Erickson flipped the ball to kicker Marshall Morgan, who ran 28 yards to the Tech 3-yard line for a first down before being tackled by safety Isaiah Johnson. It proved a critical stop, as the Jackets forced a field goal, permitting the Bulldogs to take just a 17-14 lead.

While kicker Harrison Butker contributed the game-tying 53-yard field goal at the end of regulation, Tech’s longest field goal since 2007, it was a rough day for Tech’s special teams, with a blocked field goal and a blocked point-after try, as well as short kickoff returns.

Johnson said that Georgia was coming over snapper Trevor Stroebel in a possible violation of rules designed to protect the snapper.

“It was over the guard and over the snapper,” Johnson said. “But that’s not an excuse. We need to block.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed looks to throw a pass during the first half an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Credit: AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Featured

Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com