ATHENS, Ga. — Sprinting to a quick lead, Georgia Tech injected a little more uncertainty than expected into its annual skirmish with No. 1 Georgia.
But, the combination of the Bulldogs’ superiority and a preponderance of Yellow Jackets mistakes coalesced into a convincing 37-14 win for Georgia on Saturday, its fifth in a row over Tech.
Under a blue sky on a warm late-November afternoon, Georgia (12-0) advanced unscathed into its SEC Championship game date against No. 5 LSU at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, accomplishing a program first – back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. Reaching the conference championship without a loss likely ensures that the Bulldogs can afford to lose in the conference title game and still be granted a spot in the College Football Playoff.
A week after a near-flawless performance spurred an upset of then-No. 13 North Carolina, Tech (5-7) was left to depart Sanford Stadium ruing the many mistakes that ultimately may not have affected the final outcome, but quickened its demise. They included a dropped pass, a mishandled punt snap and a lost fumble, the first of which helped snuff a hopeful Tech possession with the latter two leading directly to 10 UGA points.
Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh exemplified his team’s playmaking advantage, flying through a pried-open Tech defensive line for a 45-yard run that catalyzed a second-quarter touchdown drive that gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead that they never relinquished. In the fourth quarter, he exploited a mismatch on a wheel route against Tech defensive end Keion White for an 83-yard reception from quarterback Stetson Bennett that accounted for the bulk of a 99-yard touchdown drive that pushed the lead to 30-7 with 13:45 to play and removed any lingering tension from the game.
In claiming the Governor’s Cup Trophy for the fifth game in row, coach Kirby Smart’s team has outscored the Jackets 134-21 in the past three meetings. After the game, multiple Bulldogs held aloft whiteboards proclaiming “WE RUN THIS STATE.”
Taking the field as 36.5-point underdogs and given a 1.3% chance of pulling off the upset by ESPN metrics, Tech gained the first advantage of the afternoon by taking the opening kickoff and advancing 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Interim coach Brent Key signaled his team’s all-in mentality by going for it on fourth-and-9 from the Georgia 41-yard line, a move that paid off with quarterback Zach Gibson lofting a deep ball for receiver Nate McCollum to run under for a 34-yard completion and first-and-goal from the 7. Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh ran it in for an easy score from eight yards out on second down. It was the first first-quarter touchdown that the Bulldogs had allowed this season and only the third game this season in which Georgia has trailed.
The lead lasted almost 18 minutes in game time until Bennett found receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint for a 5-yard touchdown pass that completed the drive augmented by McIntosh’s 45-yard run.
However, after that score, the Jackets went empty on their next nine possessions against the FBS leader in scoring defense until running back Dontae Smith found wide receiver Malachi Carter for a 24-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-1 play with 2:55 remaining in the game.
In between, Georgia reeled off 37 consecutive points, with Bennett directing the Bulldogs offense to scores on the first five possessions of the second half. On Senior Day, Bennett completed 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards and two touchdown passes with no interceptions. He also led an offense that avoided a turnover until the second-to-last drive when the game was well out of reach.
Georgia finished with 386 yards of total offense, 251 gathered on the ground. Tech gained 255, almost a third of them acquired on the opening drive.
The Jackets have an outside chance at continuing on to a bowl game if there aren’t enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the 82 slots, which appears to be a possibility. The most significant question hanging over the team, the identity of the team’s next full-time coach, remains unanswered, though athletic director J Batt could name his coach as early as Sunday.
