Running back Nate Frazier scored in the eighth overtime to give No. 7 Georgia a 44-42 home victory over Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs scored 14 points in the final four minutes of regulation to force an overtime that seemed like it would never end. The eight overtimes is the second-most in FBS history behind Illinois’ 2021 nine-overtime win over Penn State.
Frazier scored after a Georgia Tech pass attempt fell incomplete to start the eighth overtime. College football rules mandate that teams take turns attempting two-point conversions beginning in the third overtime. And the teams have scored in just two of the last six overtimes.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime and received touchdowns without a two-point conversion in the second overtime. Both scored on their first two-point attempts in the third overtime and the next four scoreless overtimes before Frazier finally got to the end zone.
“No, I haven’t — nothing like that,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said when asked if he’s ever been a part of a play like that.
The Bulldogs trailed 27-13 with 5:37 to go after Georgia Tech QB Haynes King scored his second rushing TD of the night. The Georgia offense, which hadn’t been very good all game, immediately went 75 yards in eight plays when Carson Beck found Dominic Lovett for a 17-yard TD to cut the lead to seven.
Georgia Tech had a chance to seal the game with a couple of first downs, but Georgia safety Dan Jackson fumbled a ball that came loose from King with two minutes left when King appeared to get enough yardage for a first down.
After Georgia recovered, Beck hit Lovett again with 1:01 left to tie the game. Georgia Tech’s final drive of regulation fell short of a field goal.
Beck completed the game 28-of-43 for 297 yards and five touchdowns, while King was 26-of-36 for 303 yards and two scores. He also rushed 24 times for 110 yards. No other player in the game on either team had more than 13 carries.
Georgia Tech will rue its missed opportunities, including a field goal at the end of an 18-play drive that spanned more than 10 minutes in the second half. A touchdown would give the Yellow Jackets a three-point lead. Instead, a field goal pushed the lead to 14, and Georgia cut it to seven six minutes later.
Is Georgia in the playoffs regardless?
Smart regretted his team’s mistakes at halftime and at the end of the match. Lovett didn’t make it in the first half, and the Bulldogs had turnovers on downs as well, as Georgia had less than 15 minutes of possession at one point during the third quarter thanks to a Georgia Tech possession offense.
But the Bulldogs responded when the going got tough against a team that entered the game as a 17-point underdog.
The win moves Georgia to 9-2 and will surely keep the Bulldogs in the top 10 of next week’s College Football Playoff rankings. Is that good enough to keep Georgia from losing in the SEC title game?
Georgia will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Texas and Texas A&M in Atlanta on Dec. 7. The winner of that game will earn the top four seed in the inaugural College Football Playoff. If Georgia doesn’t win, will the Bulldogs get an at-large berth?
It’s hard to say yes given the format’s lack of history. However, Georgia can put any postseason doubts to rest with a much better performance in a bye week.