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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia freshman Nate Frazier ran 3 yards for a 2-point conversion in the eighth overtime period, leading the No. 7 Bulldogs to a wild 44-42 victory over rival Georgia Tech in the longest game in SEC history at Sanford Stadium on Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets had the ball first in the eighth overtime. Quarterback Haynes King threw a pass that sailed out the back of the end zone after he was pressured by linebacker CJ Allen.
Georgia didn’t waste any time to finally put away Georgia Tech, with Frazier taking a handoff and running up the middle, sending the red-and-black-clad crowd into a frenzy.
“People were getting worn down,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “People were getting tired. We weren’t getting open. That kid’s got an electric ability to hit the hole hard. I guess we blocked it right because it hit up in there.”
Frazier’s touchdown run capped one of the more memorable comebacks in Georgia history and one of the most exciting finishes in the intrastate rivalry known as “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.” It was the Bulldogs’ 31st consecutive victory at home and seventh straight over Georgia Tech.
None were as difficult to get as Friday night.
It was the first time the Bulldogs overcame a deficit of 17 points or more since 2006. It was only the second time in the past 20 seasons they rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
After failing to score a point in the first half for the first time since 2019, Georgia’s offense finally got things going in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs scored 21 points in the final 8:18, including two touchdowns in the last 3:39, to hand the Yellow Jackets one of their most painful losses in the series.
“Sucks, losing stinks,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “Losing like this. I told them there are no moral victories. I’m proud as heck of them. I’m proud of the seniors and what they’ve done for this program. I’m proud of everyone on that sideline and the work they put in since January, they’ve never wavered.”
The teams traded touchdowns and extra point kicks in the first overtime to tie the score at 34, then both failed to convert a 2-pointer after touchdowns in the second, leaving the score tied at 40. They went to 2-point attempts only in the third overtime, and neither team found the end zone in the third and fourth OT periods.
Both teams were successful on 2-point conversions in the fifth OT period to make the score 42-42, then both failed to convert in the sixth and seventh OTs.
Georgia was 2-for-6 on 2-point tries; Georgia Tech was 1-for-6.
The back-and-forth drama created one of the most epic marathons in recent history.
“If they played it out like they used to, we might still be out there,” Smart said.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw for five touchdowns with 297 yards on 28-for-43 passing.
King was even better, completing 26 of 36 passes for 303 yards with two scores. He also ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 24 attempts. According to ESPN Research, King is the first player with at least 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against an AP top-10 team.
“He’s a warrior,” Key said. “He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever been around in my life. He wills others around him. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of all of them.”
The Bulldogs, winners of two of the past three national championships, have probably done enough to get into the 12-team College Football Playoff field with a 10-2 record. They can remove any doubt by defeating the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 3 Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M in the Dec. 7 SEC championship game, which probably would earn them a first-round bye and top-four seed.
“I’m just proud of our guys and proud of their fight and grit and toughness,” Smart said. “That’s really my focus. I mean, just keep getting better and don’t ride the wave of emotion. Because if things went the other way on one of those plays tonight, we’d be playing next week for our lives to go to the playoffs, right? So our opportunity is in front of us, and we’ve got to go out and play well and play a good team.”
The Yellow Jackets, who were 17½-point underdogs, took a 17-0 lead at the half and went ahead 27-13 with just over 5½ minutes to play.
Down 14 in the fourth quarter, Georgia’s odds to win the game were as long as 10-1 at ESPN BET.
But Georgia’s offense, which had struggled with dropped passes and missed assignments for much of the game, scored two touchdowns in the final 3:39 of regulation to tie the score at 27.
King, who delivered myriad big plays with his right arm and legs, made a critical mistake when he lost a fumble on third-and-1 at the Tech 31 with 2:02 remaining. Safety Dan Jackson caused the fumble, and defensive end Chaz Chambliss recovered the ball at the Tech 32.
On third-and-9 from the Tech 13, Beck scrambled for 10 yards and a first down. On the next play, he fired a 3-yard touchdown to Dominic Lovett with 1:01 left. Peyton Woodring‘s extra-point kick tied the score at 27.
Eight overtime periods later, the end came just a few minutes after midnight.
It was only one overtime shy of the record for any FBS game — Illinois‘ 20-18 victory over Penn State in 2021 that went to nine extra periods.
“I mean, I ain’t never seen [anything] like that,” Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker said. “I ain’t watching no football game that long.”
ESPN’s David Purdum contributed to this report.