The No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 44-42 in eight overtimes on Friday night in Sanford Stadium. Following the game, sports editor Bo Underwood graded each position group’s performance.
QuarterbackCarson Beck came up big again. Although it took a half for Georgia’s offense to get going after being shut out in the game’s first 30 minutes, Beck eventually found a groove and had another huge game. He completed 28 of his 43 passes for 297 yards and tied a career-high with five touchdowns. His most impressive throw of the day was a beautiful touchdown to Dominic Lovett with three and a half minutes to play where he layered the ball past three Georgia Tech defenders and put it where only Lovett could get it. He also put his body on the line on multiple occasions, like when he laid out to pick up a big first down on a third-and-9 where Georgia eventually tied the game at the end of regulation. Beck’s poise down the stretch was huge for Georgia, and the Bulldogs probably don’t successfully navigate those eight overtimes without him.
Grade: A
Running backsNate Frazier was put in another big spot with Trevor Etienne still out, and the freshman responded by carrying the ball 11 times for 50 yards and a score, in addition to the game-winning two-point conversion. Frazier has averaged over 16 carries per game in Georgia’s last five games, and has looked better every week. Players and coaches have noted the continued improvements in his pass protection and discipline as a runner, and it’s clear that Frazier has earned the trust of the coaching staff in year one. Cash Jones led Georgia in receiving with 53 yards and had a 25-yard receiving touchdown on the first play of the second overtime, while Dwight Phillips Jr. and Roderick Robinson — who made his season debut — combined to rush six times for 16 yards. Georgia finished with 108 rushing yards as a team.
Grade: B+
Wide receiversDrops were an issue again for Georgia. Arian Smith had two big ones, dropping a touchdown late in regulation and a potential game-winning two-point conversion in the sixth overtime. Dominic Lovett had a costly fumble at the end of the first half but atoned for it later by catching two touchdowns in the final four minutes of regulation that helped bring Georgia all the way back. London Humphreys caught a touchdown in the first overtime, while Dillon Bell had a key two-point conversion. It wasn’t a perfect day from Georgia’s receivers, but they made plays when they needed to most.
Grade: B-
Tight endsOscar Delp continued his late-season surge with a two-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that served as Georgia’s first points of the day. Ben Yurosek caught three passes for 29 yards, and Lawson Luckie had three catches for 38 yards. Georgia has gotten more production out of its tight end group lately, and Yurosek in particular has been a huge asset as a blocker in recent weeks. It’s been a nice late-year trend for Georgia.
Grade: B
Offensive lineGeorgia Tech came out mauling Georgia early on defense, but as the game went on, the Bulldogs started to wear down the Yellow Jackets in the trenches. The run game came alive just enough in the second half after being essentially shut down for the first half, while Beck was only sacked twice, with one of them being on a last-ditch Hail Mary attempt at the end of regulation. The offensive line fought hard all game and eventually outlasted a fiery Georgia Tech front.
Grade: B+
Defensive lineGeorgia has now allowed over 200 yards rushing in back to back games after Georgia Tech finished with 260 on Friday. Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets are known for pounding the rock and this game was no different. Nazir Stackhouse came up with a huge stop on fourth-and-1 in the first half, but aside from that the Yellow Jackets were dominant in short-yardage situations. Georgia Tech’s offensive line held up well for most of the game, and Georgia’s only sack came from the secondary. It wasn’t the prettiest day for Georgia in the trenches, but the Bulldogs emerged as the last ones standing.
Grade: C+
LinebackersCJ Allen made two of Georgia’s biggest plays of the year in this game. The first came at the end of regulation when he broke up a 4th down pass from Haynes King to Eric Singleton with Georgia Tech threatening to move into field goal range. Then in the seventh overtime, after a pass interference penalty on Georgia moved the ball to the Bulldogs’ one-yard line, he stuffed King on a keeper that would’ve walked it off for Tech. Smael Mondon Jr. led Georgia in tackles with 13, while Allen had 10 and Jalon Walker had six. The linebackers had some issues in coverage with Georgia Tech’s play-action game yanking them all over the field, but they came up huge when Georgia needed it most and made arguably the game’s most important play in overtime.
Grade: A
Defensive backsDan Jackson had another legacy game. He made a play that will go down in Georgia history when he laid a textbook hit on King with two minutes left. The ball popped out, Chaz Chambliss found it, and Georgia, somehow, had the ball down by seven with a chance to tie it. Jackson made another huge play in overtime when he sacked King on a beautifully designed blitz in the sixth overtime to nullify a two-point try. Malaki Starks finished with 10 tackles and a deflection, while Daniel Harris and Daylen Everette came up huge in coverage late in overtime and never allowed a deep shot. Georgia’s secondary played really tough in this one.
Grade: A
Special teamsPeyton Woodring missed his only field goal attempt—a 53-yarder at the end of the first half—by quite a bit, but he was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points. Brett Thorson punted three times for 162 yards with one downed inside the 20 yard line. Disaster nearly struck when Anthony Evans III muffed a punt in the third quarter, but he fell on it.
Grade: B-
