UGA state champs again

ATHENS – Two regular seasons defined by mistakes and insufficient defense met a likely conclusion Saturday night.

Georgia and Georgia Tech battered each other's defenses, made costly turnovers and saw the game turn on a missed point-after try that will enter the rivalry's lore.

On a clear but chilly night where winter caps and thick sweatshirts were the order of the evening, the Bulldogs maintained control of the state with a 42-34 defeat of Tech at Sanford Stadium. For the next 12 months, Georgia and its fans will relish a game with just enough decisive plays to turn the game in their favor. The Jackets will stew over four turnovers that muted a stunning offensive display and their inability to convert two Georgia turnovers and a recovered kickoff into any points.

"That one was a heartbreaker," Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "We put it on the ground too many times."

Said Georgia coach Mark Richt, "It's just huge for us."

Tech rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and drew to within 35-34 when B-back Anthony Allen bulled into the end zone from eight yards out with 4:57 remaining in the final period. However, kicker Scott Blair, who had made 77 point-after tries in a row, missed No. 78. The Bulldogs gave Tech the ball back with just under three minutes to go – quarterback Aaron Murray fumbled the snap on a fourth-and-1 where a conversion would have all but sealed the game – but the Jackets could do nothing with two last-ditch possessions.

"Don't put that on Scott," Johnson said. "He's been great all year."

Georgia salvaged a measure of pride by beating Tech and secured their 14th consecutive bowl appearance. The Bulldogs, who began the season 1-4 and rallied to 6-6, could be headed to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis to play the Conference USA champion (either Central Florida or SMU) Dec. 31.

A year after winning the ACC and going to the Orange Bowl, Tech (6-6) may be bound for Shreveport, La., for an Independence Bowl pairing with Air Force.

With the win, Richt completes his first decade in the series 9-1. It is the most lopsided 10-year run the Bulldogs have had in the 117-year rivalry. Tech also enjoyed a 9-1 stretch from 1947 to 1956.

A year after both teams' defensive failings led to the dismissal of both defensive coordinators, Saturday's results confirmed the season's findings that plenty of work remains to be done.

Before the first half was over, both defenses had surrendered 95-yard touchdown drives.

Murray completed 78.9 percent of his passes, his career best, and piled up 271 yards with three touchdowns, including a 66-yarder to wide receiver Kris Durham on a screen pass. Consider that against Idaho State, one of the worst teams in FCS (formerly Division I-AA), Murray threw eight more times yet still had more yards against the Jackets.

Often given a seven- or eight-yard cushion off the line of scrimmage, Bulldogs receivers A.J. Green and Durham had plenty of room to catch quick hitches and screens with little impediment.

Running back Washaun Ealey joined the fray after halftime, going for 118 rushing yards with two touchdowns and becoming the sixth Tech opponent to hit 100 yards this season.

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, gouged Georgia for 411 rushing yards and 512 yards of total offense, the first time the Bulldogs have allowed more than 500 yards in a game since 2005. The Jackets ran repeatedly into the heart of the Bulldogs' defense for chunks of yards. B-back Anthony Allen punished Georgia for 166 yards, mostly up the middle.

"They couldn't stop the run," said Tech A-back Embry Peeples.

Said Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, noting key stops in the midst of Tech's offensive onslaught, "I thought our players played their hearts out."

Mistakes abounded in a way one would expect of two mediocre teams. There were eight fumbles. That doesn't include Georgia's botched opening kickoff return that it failed to secure, giving Tech the ball at the Georgia 27-yard line. In this season of self-inflicted wounds, perhaps no Tech fans were surprised when the Jackets didn't net any points from the gift possession, coming up short on a fourth-and-2 from the Georgia 19.

Tech also had the most costly turnover, when A-back Roddy Jones could not secure quarterback Tevin Washington's pitch before linebacker Akeem Dent plowed into him, leaving a loose ball that linebacker Justin Houston returned 18 yards for a touchdown and a 35-21 lead for Georgia near the end of the third quarter.

"We played it perfect," Houston said.

The Jackets also committed the last of the game's six turnovers, an interception of Washington by Houston on Tech's final drive of the game.