As the clock crept past midnight for the ages in a marathon, Nate Frazier finally put an end to it for No. 6 Georgia with a small 10-foot burst that might have clinched the biggest prize of all.
Another trip to the College Football Playoff.
Frazier ran for a two-point conversion in the eighth overtime after Georgia pulled off an improbable fourth-quarter comeback, giving the Bulldogs a 44-42 win over Georgia Tech on a Friday night that stretched into Saturday morning. “Overtime was epic,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “What a great game.”
After trailing 17-0 at halftime and being dominated for most of the game, the Bulldogs (10-2, No. 7 CFP) showed great grit in their bid to earn a spot in the playoffs twelve teams – regardless of how they fare. in next weekend’s Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 3 Texas or No. 20 Texas A&M. “That’s for someone else to decide,” Smart said. “Our opportunity is before us.”
Carson Beck threw five touchdown passes – two of them in OT – in a game the Bulldogs only led after regulation ended at 27. He finished 28 of 43 for 297 yards. Georgia Tech (7-5) was powered by Haynes King, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more. But the Yellow Jackets suffered their seventh straight loss to the Bulldogs on a frigid, unbearable night between the hedges.
King passed for 303 yards and ran for 110 in a brilliant performance that wasn’t enough. Frazier, a freshman, took a handoff from Beck and burst up the middle, sending fireworks flying into the sky over Sanford Stadium.
It was the longest game in SEC history and just one overtime shy of the record for any FBS game: Illinois’ 20-18 win over Penn State in 2021, which added nine extra periods. “We are a worn-out football team,” Smart said. “We have to get better.”
King scored on an 11-yard run to give Georgia Tech a seemingly comfortable 27-13 lead with 5:37 remaining, but the Bulldogs drove 75 yards in eight plays to give themselves a chance. Beck connected with Dominic Lovett on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:39 remaining.
Then the Bulldogs defense forced a huge turnover from King after struggling to contain the slippery quarterback for most of the game. He kept it himself on third-and-1 – only to cough up the ball after a big hit from Dan Jackson. Chaz Chambliss recovered the fumble at the Yellow Jackets 32, and Beck quickly led the Bulldogs to a tying touchdown on a three-yard pass to Lovett with 1:01 left in regulation.
Then it was time for overtime – and a game that went on and on. Beck and King threw matching touchdown passes followed by conventional extra points. Then it was King who scored on a 1-yard run, but Beck responded with a 25-yard scoring pass to Cash Jones. Both teams failed to convert their two-point attempts, so it came down to nothing but two-point attempts.
Both teams converted in the fifth OT, but it was Frazier who finally ended it. “There are no moral victories,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said, fighting back tears. “But I’m proud of those guys.”
The first half was an absolute blast for the Bulldogs, who have long dominated the state rivalry known as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.” Georgia Tech raced to a lead that could have been even bigger, outscoring the Bulldogs 307-137 in total yards and nearly doubling its time of possession in the first half.
King, who had been dealing with shoulder problems, appeared fully recovered as he led the Yellow Jackets up and down the field. He scored on a two-yard run and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Haynes, who made a huge leap toward the pylon. The Yellow Jackets also got a 31-yard field goal from Aidan Birr.
But Birr also rammed a 25-yard attempt from the left side, and Georgia Tech squandered another scoring opportunity when Haynes was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Bulldogs 25.
Despite these setbacks, Georgia Tech built its largest lead over the Bulldogs since a 20-0 lead in the 2013 game, as Georgia earned a 41-34 victory in double overtime. These Bulldogs did it again, extending their school-record home winning streak to 31 in a row.