Bulldogs hold off Tech

ATLANTA — The fourth-ranked Georgia football team never got much going offensively Friday against No. 23 Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the Bulldogs in all phases of the game did enough to earn the team its record eighth straight win over the Yellow Jackets, 16-9.

Georgia had seven-game win streaks against its rivals a couple of times over the years, but Friday’s grind-it-out win made it eight in a row for the first time in a series that began back in 1893. The game was technically a home contest for the Yellow Jackets, but the crowd in the Benz for what was called the Invesco QQQ Gridiron Classic was about 60% Georgia fans, who could exhale when the Bulldog defense stopped a Hail Mary pass on the game’s final play.

The Bulldogs (11-1) trailed 3-0 after the opening quarter before scoring 13 unanswered in the second to take the lead for good. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch scored the game’s only touchdown on a 7-yard reception in the second. Bulldog kicker Peyton Woodring connected on all three of his field-goal attempts.

Georgia’s ground game did much of the work for the offense, rushing for 190 of the Bulldogs’ 260 yards of offense. Quarterback Gunner Stockton was held to 11 of 21 passing for 70 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nate Frazier led the running backs with 108 yards on 16 carries. Georgia’s defense held Tech to 250 yards, including 69 yards rushing on 23 attempts.

Georgia Tech (9-3) got the ball first, and quarterback Haynes King was under pressure for much of the drive. Defensive lineman Christen Miller got the only sack, for a loss of seven yards, but the Bulldogs’ rush disrupted nearly every play before the Yellow Jackets had to punt.

The Yellow Jackets then made some noise of their own on defense, with linebacker Tah’j Butler intercepting a Stockton pass near midfield and returning it to the Bulldog 37-yard line. Tech later had to settle for a 30-yard Aidan Birr field goal and a 3-0 lead after linebacker Raylen Wilson made a key stop on third down at the UGA 13. Tech’s field goal with 1:20 to go were the only points of the opening quarter.

Georgia went on a long drive on the ensuing possession, moving all the way inside the Tech 10 over 13 plays, before having to settle for a 22-yard Peyton Woodring field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 9:42 left in the first half.

A defensive stop and a shanked, 22-yard punt by Tech gave the Bulldogs the ball back at their 45 with 8:25 on the clock. And Georgia made the most of the good field position, driving the 55 yards in nine plays and taking a 10-3 lead with 4:35 to go in the half on Stockton’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Branch. The pair connected a few plays earlier for a 24-yard gain to the Tech 12.

Georgia’s defense forced another three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and the Bulldogs got the ball back at their 33 with 3:15 on the clock. They couldn’t get back into the end zone, but Woodring pushed the lead to 13-3 with a 30-yard field goal with a second left in the half.

The Bulldogs out-gained Tech 181-78 in the first two quarters, with 13 first downs to the Yellow Jackets’ three. Georgia also had a significant advantage in time of possession: 18:12-11:48.

Georgia went three-and-out on its first drive of the second half, and Tech was moving the ball on its first possession. That’s when the Yellow Jackets went for a deep ball from the UGA 41, and Bulldog cornerback Ellis Robinson IV rose up inside the 5 and pulled in his team-high fourth interception of the season.

The Bulldogs couldn’t do anything with the turnover, and Tech got the ball back at its 47. A tackle-for-loss by linebacker Quintavius Johnson on third-and-2 at the UGA 25 forced Tech to try a field goal, with Birr’s 44-yarder cutting Georgia’s lead to 13-6 with 4:33 left in the third.

Georgia’s offense narrowly converted a fourth-and-1 from its 34 on the ensuing drive. Running back Cash Jones’ carry was reviewed and upheld as just far enough to gain the yard needed. Later, a facemask penalty on Tech moved the ball to the Yellow Jacket 38. The Bulldogs eventually pushed their lead to 16-6 with 14:10 remaining on Woodring’s 50-yard field goal. It was Woodring’s 15th field goal in 16 attempts this season, including his third make in three attempts from 50 or longer.

The Bulldogs still led 16-6 when Tech got the ball back at its 12 with 6:06 to play. The Yellow Jackets got inside the UGA 25 but couldn’t get closer, and Birr’s 41-yard field goal made it 16-9 with 3:30 remaining.

Tech got the ball back with 13 seconds left, needing a touchdown to force overtime. The Yellow Jackets got the ball to the Bulldog 44 with one second remaining, enough time for a Hail Mary pass. Georgia knocked it down in the end zone to end the game.

The Bulldogs will find out late Friday, after No. 17 Texas hosts No. 3 Texas A&M, or Saturday, when No. 10 Alabama visits Auburn, if they’re headed to next week’s SEC Championship Game. And they will learn their College Football Playoff fate when the 12-team bracket is announced on Dec. 7.

POST-GAME NOTES

*Strong Regular Season Finish: With today’s 16-9 win, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs move to 11-1, and the Senior Class improves to 50-5. The Bulldogs have won eight straight to end the regular season.

*Georgia won its record eighth straight over Tech and lead the overall series 73-39-5 dating to 1893.

*Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs improve to 43-3 against non-conference teams.

*Now in his 10th season, Smart’s record is 116-20, which is the most FBS wins by a coach in his first 10 seasons in the modern era. Under Smart, Georgia now has eight seasons with at least 11 wins, the two exceptions are his first year (2016, 8-5) and the 2020 COVID-shortened season (8-2).

*A Look At The Defense: The Bulldogs held No. 23 Tech to a season-low nine points in today’s latest win. It was the fewest points by Tech since a 21-6 loss to Va. Tech last year. Tech finished with 250 yards of offense on 50 plays, gaining 69 rushing yards and 181 through the air.

*Tech made it 16-9 with a 41-yard field with 3:30 left in the contest to end a seven play, 64-yard drive.

*Tech’s second drive of the 2nd half began at the GT 47 and ended with a 44-yard field goal to make it a 13-6 game with 4:33 left in the 3rd.

*Tech’s first drive of the 2nd half ended with an INT by Ellis Robinson IV at the UGA 4. It was his team-leading fourth of the year and eighth by the Bulldogs.

*In the first half, the Bulldogs limited Tech to three points on 78 yards (23-rushing, 55-passing) as it tallied just 21 plays. Tech got 30 yards on one reception on its opening drive.

*Tech got the ball first to start the game after the Bulldogs won the toss and deferred the ball until the 2nd half. Tech’s first drive ended with a punt.

*Tech’s 2nd drive began at the UGA 37 after an INT, and they were held to a 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 1:20 left in the first quarter.

*Georgia’s leading tacklers today were sophomores KJ Bolden (9 plus 0.5 TFL) and Quintavius Johnson (6 plus 1 TFL).

*Redshirt junior Christen Miller collected a sack on Tech’s opening drive to give him 1.5 this year and four for his career.

*Review Of the Offense: Georgia won 16-9 to improve to 11-1 on the year. It was the fewest points in a win since 2022, a 16-6 win over UK. The Bulldogs tallied 260 yards of offense on 67 plays (190-rushing, 70-passing).

*Georgia made it 16-6 with 14:05 left in the contest following a 50-yard field goal by junior Peyton Woodring that capped a 42-yard drive in 11 plays.  It featured a 4th-and-1 conversion by senior Cash Jones at the UGA 34 that was upheld on review. Woodring is 3-for-3 from 50+ yards this year.

*Sophomore RB Nate Frazier posted a team-best 108 rushing yards on 16 carries for a 6.8 average for his third career 100-yard game.

*Redshirt junior QB Gunner Stockton finished 11-for-21 for 70 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. In the first half, he was 4-for-10 for 36 yards with 1 TD, 1 INT.

*Junior WR Zachariah Branch had a team-high five receptions for 53 yards and one TD. Branch has 68 receptions on the season, which ranks second in school history. The record belongs to Brice Hunter who had 76 in 1993.

*At halftime, the Bulldogs led 13-3 with 181 yards of total offense (145-rushing, 36-passing) on 37 plays.

*Georgia’s first drive today ended with an interception at the Bulldog 37. Tech turned it into a field goal and a 3-0 edge with 1:20 left in the first quarter..

*Georgia failed to score in the first quarter for the first time since the Auburn game (Oct. 11) when it trailed 7-0, then 10-3 at the half before winning 20-10.

*Down 3-0, Georgia’s second drive resulted in a 22-yard game-tying field goal with 9:42 left in the first half. It capped a 13-play, 71-yard drive in 6:38.

*In a 3-3 game with 8:25 left, Georgia began its third drive at the UGA 45 and went 55 yards in nine plays for a TD in 3:50 for a 10-3 lead It featured a 24-yard completion to Zachariah Branch on a 3rd-and-10 and a seven-yard TD to Branch on 3rd-and-5.

*With 3:15 left in the first half, Georgia’s final possession resulted in a 30-yard field goal and a 13-3 lead.

*Special Teams Update: Junior PK Peyton Woodring tallied 10 points on three FGs (22-, 30- and 50-yarders) and one PAT plus he handled the kickoffs. He is 15-for-16 in field goals this year including 3-for-3 from 50+.

*Senior Brett Thorson did not have to punt until the second half. He finished with four punts for a 51.3 average including a long of 61 with no returns and one touchback.

*Redshirt freshman Sacovie White-Helton had one punt return for 15 yards.

*Captains, Coin Toss And For Starters: Georgia’s captains were Oscar, Delp, Gunner Stockton, Quintavius Johnson and Raylen Wilson.

*Georgia won the toss and elected to defer the football until the second half.

*Junior linebacker CJ Allen, Georgia’s leading tackler who was injured in the win over No. 10 Texas and did not play last Saturday, returned to his starting role. The longest starting streak on the team belongs to junior Star Joenel Aguero and redshirt junior QB Gunner Stockton at 13 games.

*Up Next: Fourth-ranked Georgia (11-1, 7-1 SEC) will either play in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 if either Texas A&M or Alabama lose this weekend or be off until the CFP field is announced on Dec. 7 to learn their next opponent and location of the game.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Coming soon.