Field Street Forum

ATLANTA, Ga. — In an SEC Championship Game with stakes beyond bragging rights and the chance to hold the big trophy at the end, No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Georgia battled for more than 60 minutes Saturday night in front of a crowd of 74,916 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the first overtime game in the event’s 33-year history, it was the Bulldogs that prevailed when running back Trevor Etienne scored on a 4-yard run, lifting Georgia to a 22-19 win.

With both teams seemingly securely in the College Football Playoff field of 12 based on their positions in the final regular-season rankings, the teams were playing for playoff positioning and one of the top seeds that goes to the SEC champion. Texas (11-2) forced overtime with a late field goal, and Etienne delivered the game-winner for Georgia (11-2).

“It’s a great feeling,” said Etienne, who had 94 yards rushing, 28 receiving and scored twice. “It’s something I’ll remember forever.”

The Bulldogs had to turn to backup quarterback Gunner Stockton in the second half after starter Carson Beck was injured on the final play of the first. Stockton, a redshirt sophomore who had appeared in three games all season, took the field in the biggest game of his career. And Stockton answered the call on his first drive, leading Georgia to a touchdown and the lead.

In overtime, after Stockton was drilled high on a run inside the 5-yard line, it was Beck who returned to the game and handed the ball off to Etienne on first-and-goal at the 4. The Bulldogs won the 15th SEC title in program history and the third in coach Kirby Smart‘s nine seasons.

When the teams met in Austin back on Oct. 18, the Longhorns were the No. 1-ranked team in the country and the Bulldogs were No. 5. Georgia got three rushing touchdowns from Etienne, three sacks from linebacker Jalon Walker, and played one of its most complete games of the season, winning 30-15. This time around, the game needed overtime before a winner was decided.

Etienne returned to the starting lineup Saturday after being sidelined with an injury for three games and saw the ball often as a runner and receiver. Stockton was 12 of 16 passing for 71 yards and had several key runs. Georgia’s defense racked up 15 tackles for loss.

The Bulldog defense made the first big play of the game on Texas’ opening drive. Cornerback Daylen Everette intercepted a tipped Quinn Ewers pass and Georgia’s offense took over at its 33-yard like. Georgia wasn’t able to take advantage of the turnover, however, and Texas soon got the ball back at its 13.

The Longhorns were able to complete a 50-yard pass up the right side on third-and-13 at their 10, followed soon after by a 23-yard completion. But the Bulldog defense eventually held Texas to a 41-yard Bert Auburn field goal and a 3-0 Longhorn lead with 5:17 left in the opening quarter.

Georgia’s trend of slow offensive starts continued. The Bulldogs ran seven plays to Texas’ 20 in the first quarter and the Longhorns had a 170-9 advantage in total offense. Georgia has been outscored 63-55 in the opening quarter this season. Texas went ahead 6-0 with 10:22 left in the half on Auburn’s 42-yard field goal.

Georgia’s offense found some success on its next drive, including a 19-yard completion from Beck to tight end Ben Yurosek, an 8-yard run by Etienne and a 10-yard completion to tight end Oscar Delp. With 6:41 left in the half, Georgia cut Texas’ lead to 6-3 with a 44-yard Peyton Woodring field goal. Woodring was 3-for-3 on field goals Saturday and is now 20-for-22 this season.

On the final play of the half, from the Texas 42, Beck fumbled on a sack and was injured. Texas recovered, ran it back 30 yards, then there was a lateral, and then Georgia snagged the ball on another attempted lateral by Texas to end the period. At the half, Texas led 6-3, had a 260-54 yardage advantage and a 20:02-9:58 advantage in time of possession. It was the fifth time in 13 games this season that the Bulldogs trailed at the half.

After the Beck injury, Stockton started the second half and efficiently drove the Bulldogs down the field for their first touchdown. Three plays before Etienne ran the ball in for a 10-yard touchdown that put Georgia ahead 10-6 with 10:27 left in the third, Stockton hit tight end Lawson Luckie on the run for a 19-yard gain. The play after that, Stockton ran the ball 9 yards down to the 10, setting Etienne up for the touchdown. Stocked was 3 of 4 for 36 yards passing and ran twice for 12 yards on the drive.

Texas sacked Stockton for a loss of 16 yards on third-and-long on Georgia’s next drive, and after a 26-yard punt return, the Longhorns took over at the Georgia 39. The Bulldog defense again got stops with Texas in its territory, and again, Auburn missed his second field-goal attempt of the game, keeping the Bulldog lead at 10-6 with 4:56 remaining in the third.

On first down of the ensuing drive, Etienne bounced a rush to the right side and took off for a 48-yard gain to the Texas 19. Later, going for it on fourth-and-3 at the 12, Cash Jones ran for the first and drew a penalty on Texas. The Longhorns denied the Bulldogs on their next three plays and Woodring booted a 24-yard field goal to put Georgia ahead 13-6 with 16 seconds left in the third.

Texas tied the game, 13-13, with 13:54 remaining on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to DeAndre Moore Jr. The Longhorns forced a quick three-and-out on Georgia’s next drive, but then the Bulldogs pulled off a successful fake with wideout Arian Smith catching a tap pass and running 9 yards for the first down on fourth-and-5. The rest of Georgia’s drive included a pair of fumbles that the Bulldogs managed to recover, a first-and-goal at the 4 that didn’t lead to a touchdown, and a 21-yard Woodring field goal to put the Bulldogs in front 16-13 with 4:32 left in the game.

Georgia’s defense then had one of its best series of the season. Linebacker Chaz Chambliss had a tackle for a loss of 1; defensive end Mykel Williams sacked Ewers for a loss of 6; and on third-and-long, Everett came up with his second interception of the game. The Bulldog offense took over at the Texas 28 with 3:36 remaining, but the Longhorns weren’t done yet.

Texas picked off a Stockton pass with 2:30 remaining and had the ball at the Longhorn 34. Texas later converted a fourth-and-3 at the Georgia 48, and then tied the game on Auburn’s 37-yard field goal with 18 seconds left. Soon after, the teams were headed for overtime — Georgia’s second in eight days.

The day after Thanksgiving, Georgia and Georgia Tech played eight overtimes, with the Bulldogs prevailing 44-42. This time, only one was needed.

Georgia’s defense held Texas to a 32-yard field goal to begin the first overtime period, giving the Bulldogs a shot at the win. A 4-yard completion to Delp on third-and-4 gave Georgia first down at the 14. Two plays later, Stockton ran the ball inside the 5 for a first-and-goal at the 4. With Stockton shaken up on the play, Beck returned and handed it off to Etienne for the SEC title-winning score.

The Bulldogs will learn their Playoff fate during the CFP Selection Show at noon Sunday on ESPN.

uga tex sec champ 24 full game stats

Bulldogs Claim 15th SEC Title:

• The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-2) captured their 15th SEC title with a 22-19 win in overtime over No. 2 Texas (11-2). The Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in SEC Championship Games (SECCG) including 3-4 under Kirby Smart. Today, the Bulldogs played in their fourth straight SECCG. Junior DB Daylen Everette earned MVP honors, joining a list of Bulldog SECCG MVPs in QBs David Greene (’02) and DJ Shockley (’05), LB Roquan Smith (’17) and QB Stetson Bennett (’22).

Bulldog Senior Class Gets 53rd Win:

• With today’s victory, the 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 53-4, adding to its school record. Also of note, for the first time since 1943, Georgia posted two wins over the same team during a season. The previous time was 1943 versus Presbyterian in Athens twice.

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