No. 7 Bulldogs edge No. 2 Longhorns in OT for SEC title

ATLANTA, Ga. — In an SEC Championship Game with stakes beyond bragging rights and the chance to hold the big trophy at the end, No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Georgia battled for more than 60 minutes Saturday night in front of a crowd of 74,916 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the first overtime game in the event’s 33-year history, it was the Bulldogs that prevailed when running back Trevor Etienne scored on a 4-yard run, lifting Georgia to a 22-19 win.

With both teams seemingly securely in the College Football Playoff field of 12 based on their positions in the final regular-season rankings, the teams were playing for playoff positioning and one of the top seeds that goes to the SEC champion. Texas (11-2) forced overtime with a late field goal, and Etienne delivered the game-winner for Georgia (11-2)

The Bulldogs had to turn to backup quarterback Gunner Stockton in the second half after starter Carson Beck was injured on the final play of the first. Stockton, a redshirt sophomore who had appeared in three games all season, completing 3 of 4 passes in mop-up duty, took the field in the biggest game of his career. And Stockton answered the call on his first drive, leading Georgia to a touchdown and the lead.

In overtime, after Stockton was drilled high on a run inside the 5-yard line, it was Beck who returned to the game and handed the ball off to Etienne on first-and-goal at the 4. The Bulldogs won the 15th SEC title in program history and the third in coach Kirby Smart’s nine seasons.

When the teams met in Austin back on Oct. 18, the Longhorns were the No. 1-ranked team in the country and the Bulldogs were No. 5. Georgia got three rushing touchdowns from Etienne, three sacks from linebacker Jalon Walker, and played one of its most complete games of the season, winning 30-15. This time around, the game needed overtime before a winner was decided.

Etienne returned to the starting lineup Saturday after being sidelined with an injury for three games and saw the ball often as a runner and receiver. Etienne finished with 94 yards and two touchdowns rushing and five catches for 28 yards. Stockton was 12 of 16 passing for 71 yards and had several key runs. Georgia’s defense racked up 15 tackles for loss.

The Bulldog defense made the first big play of the game on Texas’ opening drive. Cornerback Daylen Everette intercepted a tipped Quinn Ewers pass and Georgia’s offense took over at its 33-yard like. Georgia wasn’t able to take advantage of the turnover, however, and Texas soon got the ball back at its 13.

The Longhorns were able to complete a 50-yard pass up the right side on third-and-13 at their 10, followed soon after by a 23-yard completion. But the Bulldog defense eventually held Texas to a 41-yard Bert Auburn field goal and a 3-0 Longhorn lead with 5:17 left in the opening quarter.

Georgia’s trend of slow offensive starts continued. The Bulldogs ran seven plays to Texas’ 20 in the first quarter and the Longhorns had a 170-9 advantage in total offense. Georgia has been outscored 63-55 in the opening quarter this season.

Texas wideout Matthew Golden hauled on a 32-yard completion on third-and-14, to the Georgia 37, on the final play of the quarter. Texas later ran for a first on fourth-and-1, but then the Longhorns hurt themselves with a holding penalty and the Bulldogs got a sack by defensive lineman Warren Brinson and a tackle-for-loss by linebacker Raylen Wilson. Texas went ahead 6-0 with 10:22 left in the half on Auburn’s 42-yard field goal.

Georgia’s offense found some success on its next drive, including a 19-yard completion from Beck to tight end Ben Yurosek, an 8-yard run by Etienne and a 10-yard completion to tight end Oscar Delp. With 6:41 left in the half, Georgia cut Texas’ lead to 6-3 with a 44-yard Peyton Woodring field goal.

A 20-yard completion and a 15-yard penalty on Georgia quickly moved Texas into Bulldog territory. Georgia’s defense got some stops and then the Bulldogs caught a break when Auburn missed a 42-yard kick with 4:36 to play in the half. On the final play of the half, from the Texas 42, Beck fumbled on a sack and was injured. Texas recovered, ran it back 30 yards, then there was a lateral, and then Georgia snagged the ball on another attempted lateral by Texas to end the period.

At the half, Texas led 6-3, had a 260-54 yardage advantage and a 20:02-9:58 advantage in time of possession. It was the fifth time in 13 games this season that the Bulldogs trailed at the half.

After the Beck injury, Stockton started the second half at quarterback and efficiently, with his arm and legs, drove the Bulldogs down the field for their first touchdown. Three plays before Etienne ran the ball in for a 10-yard touchdown that put Georgia ahead 10-6 with 10:27 left in the third, Stockton hit tight end Lawson Luckie on the run for a 19-yard gain. The play after that, Stockton ran the ball 9 yards down to the 10, setting Etienne up for the touchdown. Stocked was 3 of 4 for 36 yards passing and ran twice for 12 yards on the drive.

Texas sacked Stockton for a loss of 16 yards on third-and-long on Georgia’s next drive, and after a 26-yard punt return, the Longhorns took over at the Georgia 39. The Bulldog defense again got stops with Texas in its territory, and again, Auburn missed a field-goal attempt, this one from 51 yards, keeping the Bulldog lead at 10-6 with 4:56 remaining in the third.

On first down of the ensuing drive, Etienne bounced a rush to the right side and took off for a 48-yard gain to the Texas 19. Later, going for it on fourth-and-3 at the 12, Cash Jones ran for the first and drew a penalty on Texas. The Longhorns denied the Bulldogs on their next three plays and Woodring booted a xx-yard field goal to put Georgia ahead 13-6 with 16 seconds left in the third.

Texas tied the game, 13-13, with 13:54 remaining on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to DeAndre Moore Jr., going all the way on third-and-3 at the UGA 41. The Longhorns forced a quick three-and-out on Georgia’s next drive, but then the Bulldogs pulled off a successful fake with wideout Arian Smith catching a tap pass and running 9 yards for the first down on fourth-and-5.

The rest of Georgia’s drive included a pair of fumbles that the Bulldogs managed to recover, a first-and-goal at the 4 that didn’t lead to a touchdown, and a 21-yard Woodring field goal to put the Bulldogs in front 16-13 with 4:32 left in the game.

Georgia’s defense then had one of its best series of the season. Linebacker Chaz Chambliss had a tackle for a loss of 1; defensive end Mykel Williams sacked Ewers for a loss of 6, and on third-and-long, Everett came up with his second interception of the game. The Bulldog offense took over at the Texas 28 with 3:36 remaining, but the Longhorns weren’t done yet.

Texas picked off a Stockton pass with 2:30 remaining and had the ball at the Longhorn 34. Texas later converted a fourth-and-3 at the Georgia 48, and then tied the game on Auburn’s 37-yard field goal with 18 seconds left. Soon after, the teams were headed for overtime — Georgia’s second in eight days.

The day after Thanksgiving, Georgia and Georgia Tech played eight overtimes, with the Bulldogs prevailing 44-42. This time, only one was needed.

Georgia’s defense held Texas to a 32-yard field goal to begin the first overtime period, giving the Bulldogs a shot at the win with a touchdown. A 4-yard completion to Delp on third-and-4 gave Georgia first down at the 14. Two plays later, Stockton ran the ball inside the 5 for a first-and-goal at the 4. With Stockton shaken up on the play, Beck returned and handed it off to Etienne for the SEC title-winning score.

The Bulldogs will learn their Playoff fate during the CFP Selection Show at noon Sunday on ESPN.

POST-GAME NOTES

*Bulldogs Claim 15th SEC Title: The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-2) captured their 15th SEC title with a 22-19 win in overtime over No. 2 Texas (11-2). The Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in SEC Championship Games (SECCG) including 3-4 under Kirby Smart. Today, the Bulldogs played in their fourth straight SECCG. Junior DB Daylen Everette earned MVP honors, joining a list of Bulldog SECCG MVPs in QBs David Greene (‘02) and DJ Shockley (‘05), LB Roquan Smith (‘17) and QB Stetson Bennett (‘22).

*Bulldog Senior Class Gets 53rd Win: With today’s victory, the 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 53-4, adding to its school record. Also of note, for the first time since 1943, Georgia posted two wins over the same team during a season. The previous time was 1943 versus Presbyterian in Athens twice.

*Summary Of The Offense: Georgia finished with 277 yards of total offense on 67 plays in the 22-19 win in overtime for the 15th SEC title in school history.

*Down 19-16 in the first OT, the Bulldogs powered into the endzone on six plays, going 25 yards on a four-yard TD by Trevor Etienne for a 22-19 win. On the final play, Carson Beck handed it off to Etienne as Beck missed the entire second half except that final play due to injury.

*Georgia played its second straight overtime game of the season, and it was the first in SECCG history. Georgia won the toss and elected defense.

*Georgia is now 10-7 in OT including 3-2 in the Kirby Smart era. Last week in Athens, Georgia beat Ga. Tech 44-42 in an SEC record 8-OTs.

*RS-sophomore QB Gunner Stockton (12-for-16, 71 yards, 8 rushes, 8 yards) began the 2nd half with senior Carson Beck sidelined due to injury that came on the final play of the first half. It was only his fourth game of the year and first appearance since a win over UMass Nov. 23. On the opening drive, Stockton converted a pair of 3rd downs, and it led to a 10 play, 75-yard TD drive capped by a 10-yard run by Trevor Etienne. Stockton was 3-for-4 for 36 yards and ran twice for 12 yards on the drive.

*Junior RB Trevor Etienne and PK Peyton Woodring scored all of Georgia’s points in the two wins over Texas this season. In the first meeting, Etienne had three TDs while Woodring made three field goals and three PATs. Today, Etienne had a pair of TDs while Woodring made three field goals.

*Georgia had its first lead at 10-6 with 10:27 left in the 3rd quarter.

*Etienne’s season-high 48-yard scamper and a four-yard rush on a 4th-and-3 at the UT 8 helped key another scoring drive, a 24-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring for a 13-6 lead with six seconds left in the 3rd quarter. Stockton was the holder with Beck and punter Brett Thorson sidelined with injuries.

*With the game tied at 13:54 left, Georgia went 72 yards in 16 plays and Woodring made a 21-yard field with 4:35 left for a 16-13 lead.

*In the first half, Georgia trailed 6-3 and had just 54 yards of offense on 21 plays. The Bulldogs were 1-for-5 on 3rd Down.

*Georgia now has trailed at the half six times this year (@UK 6-3, @#4 Bama 30-7, vs. Florida 13-6, @#16 Ole Miss 16-7, Ga. Tech 17-0, Texas 6-3) and are 4-2 in those games, beating #2 Texas, Ga. Tech, Florida and Kentucky.

*Today marked the sixth time this season that Georgia has not scored in the first quarter. The Bulldogs are now 5-1 in those games.

*Down 6-0 with 10:22 left in the first half, the Bulldogs’ third possession ended with a 44-yard field goal to cut it to 6-3 with 6:38 left. The drive featured a 19-yard completion to tight end Ben Yurosek. The scoring drive was eight plays and covered 49 yards.

*In its first two possessions, Georgia tallied only nine yards of offense on seven plays and trailed 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.

*At halftime, senior QB Carson Beck was 7-for-13 for 56 yards. He was injured on the final play of the first half and did not return.

*Georgia’s leading receivers today were junior wideout Arian Smith (5 for 41 yards) and RB Trevor Etienne (5 for 28 yards).

*Defensive Review: In the first OT, the Bulldogs went on defense first and forced UT to a 32-yard field goal and a 19-16 advantage. UT finished with 389 yards on 74 plays. Georgia led 16-13 with 1:39 left UT converted a 4th-and-3 at the UGA 48 and eventually made a 37-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to force OT.

*Down 13-6, UT responded with a 75-yard TD drive capped by a 41-yard scoring strike to DeAndre Moore to tie the game with 13:54 left to play.

*Senior Chaz Chambliss notched his team-leading 6.5 sack to give him nine for his career. In the second half, junior Jalon Walker tied Chambliss with his 6.5 sack of the season. He has 12.5 for his career. Sophomore Damon Wilson had a sack to give him three on the year as it led to a 51-yard missed FG.

*Senior Warren Brinson picked up his 2nd sack this season and sixth of his career. Junior Mykel Williams collected two sacks to give him five this year and 14 for his career.

*Georgia’s top tacklers were junior Malaki Starks with eight and sophomore CJ Allen with seven. The Bulldogs had six sacks today. Junior DB Daylen Everette was named the SECCG MVP, the fifth Bulldog to earn that honor and second defensive player, joining linebacker Roquan Smith in 2017.

*In the first half, Texas led 6-3 after posting 260 yards of offense on 42 plays and was 4-for-10 on 3rd Down. UT had the ball for 20:02.

*In the first half, UT had eight passing plays of 16+ yards that combined for 198 yards including four of those on 3rd down.

*UT’s first possession of the game began at the 11 and covered 48 yards before ending at the UGA 33 with an interception by Daylen Everette, his second this year. Everette notched his second INT of the day in the 4th quarter. It was third of the year, all versus UT. Everette is the first Bulldog with two INTs in a game since Javon Bullard versus #3 TCU in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game, and Everette is the first Bulldog with two in an SECCG.

*Special Teams In Action: Junior P Brett Thorson, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, posted a 53.5 average on four punts (49, 52, 53 and 60 yards) with two returns for 23 yards before a knee injury. It was the best punting average by a Bulldog in an SECCG. On the year, he has 18 punts of 50+ this year. Georgia has allowed just 46 yards on nine returns. The Bulldogs came in today ranked third nationally in Net Punting.

*Georgia ran a successful fake punt on 4th-and-5 from its own 30 as Arian Smith caught a flip pass from Drew Bobo and ran for nine yards. It was the first fake punt for the Bulldogs since trying one in the 2018 SEC Championship Game that failed, and the first successful one since 2016 at Ole Miss when punter Marshall Long completed a 29-yard pass to Sony Michel on a 4th-and-8.

*Sophomore PK Peyton Woodring tallied 10 points on field goals of 44, 24 and 21 yards plus a PAT. For the year, he is 20-for-22. Also, he handled kickoffs.

*Captains, Coin Toss And For Starters: Georgia’s captains were Carson Beck, Tate Ratledge, Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams.

*Georgia won the toss and deferred the ball until the second half.

*With LT Earnest Greene III still not 100 percent due to injury, sophomore LT Monroe Freeling made his fourth straight start. Greene did see action today. *Junior RB Trevor Etienne returned to the starting lineup after missing the past three games due to an injury. Junior safety Malaki Starks made his team-leading 41st consecutive start. Also, seniors Xavier Truss (OT) and Nazir Stackhouse (DL) started their 41st game in their career.

*Up Next: The SEC Champion Bulldogs (11-2) tune in to Selection Sunday at noon on ESPN when the final CFP rankings and bracket. The Bulldogs should be a top four seed and play in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Coming soon.