No. 7 Georgia needs 8 overtimes to beat Georgia Tech 44-42

Running back Nate Frazier scored in the eighth overtime to give No. 7 Georgia a 44-42 home win over Georgia Tech.

The Bulldogs scored 14 points in the final four minutes of regulation to force an overtime section that felt like it would never end. The eight overtimes are the second-most in FBS history after Illinois’ nine-overtime victory over Penn State in 2021.

Frazier scored after Georgia Tech’s pass attempt was incomplete to start the eighth overtime. College football rules mandate that teams take turns attempting two-point conversions starting in the third overtime. And the teams combined to score in just two of the final six overtimes.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime and got touchdowns without two-point conversions in the second overtime. They both scored on their first two-point attempts in the third overtime and went scoreless for the next four overtimes until Frazier finally got into the end zone.

“No, I have not — anything like this,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said when he was asked if he’d ever been a part of a game like this.

The Bulldogs trailed 27-13 with 5:37 to go after Georgia Tech QB Haynes King scored his second rushing TD of the night. A Georgia offense that hadn’t been very good all game promptly went 75 yards in eight plays as 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 jarred the ball loose from King with two minutes to go as King appeared to have gotten enough yardage for a first down.

After Georgia recovered, Beck hit Lovett again with 1:01 to go and the game-tying score. Georgia Tech’s final drive of regulation didn’t get into field goal range.

Beck finished the game 28-of-43 passing 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 for 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 took over 10 minutes in the second half. A touchdown would have given the Yellow Jackets a three-score lead. Instead, the field goal extended the margin to 14, and Georgia cut it to seven six minutes later.

Is Georgia in the playoff no matter what?

Smart lamented his team’s mistakes at halftime and the end of the game too. Lovett fumbled in the first half and the Bulldogs also had a turnover on downs as Georgia had less than 15 minutes of possession at one point during the third quarter thanks to Georgia Tech’s ball-control offense.

But the Bulldogs responded when things got dire against a team that entered the game as a 17-point underdog.

The win pushes Georgia to 9-2 and will assuredly keep the Bulldogs in the top 10 of next week’s the College Football Playoff rankings. Is it good enough to ensure that Georgia can withstand a loss in the SEC title game?

Georgia will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Texas and Texas A&M on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. The winner of that game will get a top four seed in the inaugural College Football Playoff. If Georgia isn’t the winner, are the Bulldogs getting an at-large berth?

It’s hard to say yes for certain given this format’s lack of history. But Georgia can take any postseason doubt away with a much better performance in a week.