Kirby Smart, Carson Beck share on eight-overtime instant-classic in Georgia rivalry

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia and Georgia Tech have played 118 times, but none have quite been like the game the two rivals played Friday night at Sanford Stadium. It took eight overtimes – the longest game in SEC history – to decide the outcome, but in the end, it was the Bulldogs coming out on top for a seventh straight time over the Yellow Jackets, winning 44-42 on a 2-point conversion by Nate Frazier.

“The overtime was epic,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said as part of the opening statement to his postgame press conference. “… It was weird. It seemed like every time somebody failed, they had to go again. I don’t know why. It seemed like we failed, we got to go again. So you had to get over that. Then they would fail, and they had to go again. It was the back-to-back.”

“It was almost like it was a battle of adversity,” he added. “The hardest thing to do is right after you fail on defense or offense, you’ve got to go right back out there and change ends. I just don’t remember a game like that out there.”

Smart doesn’t remember a game like that because there just haven’t been many in Georgia’s program history. The Bulldogs have played 16 overtime games. This was the first since the 2021 rule change to make it a battle of 2-point conversion attempts after the second overtime with an attempt already required after a touchdown should a game get past the first extra period. The last came in 2019, not so ironically Georgia’s last home loss (South Carolina 20-17 2OT) after tying an FBS record 31-game home win streak Friday night.

“If they played it out like it used to be, we might still be out there,” Smart joked with reporters. “That’s why they changed it. And that was a long – when I look at it, we played 84 plays. We played 84 plays on our defense, and then our offense had 69, which that’s partly our own fault.”

“We simulate about once every three weeks before we get into the 2-point contest. We typically stop around two or three just because you carry 2-point plays. We carry a lot of them, but I’ve never practiced that game,” the head coach added. “A couple weeks ago, before we went to play Texas, we did an overtime simulation similar to that, just so the kids know the rules. We went 2-point back and forth. I think we added about 8,000 yards, just changing the field. I saw some of y’all huffing and puffing. I figured out why y’all were sprinting back and forth.”

Smart, who now owns 2-2 record in his extended contests coached, referenced multiple times his 1996 rivalry game overtime playing experience in Georgia’s win over Auburn. That one went “only” four as compared to Friday’s seven, but it did feature a larger come-from-behind effort with the Bulldogs trailing by as many as 21.

UGA’s deficit against Tech reached 17 with the Dawgs down that many at the halftime break. Making matters worse was the fact that Georgia had yet to score – held scoreless in the first half for the first time since 2019. Carson Beck guided Georgia on four straight touchdown drives in the second half, including one that ended with 1:01 to go and the game-tying score, as part of his 297-yard night. He would quietly go on to tie a school record – one he already has a stake in – with his fifth touchdown pass in the second overtime, but as has been the case in the last three games – and more importantly when judging Beck – he didn’t turn the ball over.

“Wow, that game was crazy. Definitely the craziest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Beck said in response to the first question he faced postgame. “Our group showed that we were resilient tonight. We’ve shown that over and over this season, that regardless of the circumstances, we’re never going to give up, and, I mean, that came into fruition tonight.”

“It’s going to take four quarters, or however long it takes. Tonight, it was however long it takes, right?” he added. “They made the plays when they needed to. We made the plays when we needed to. I mean, I don’t even really know what to say. It was just wild. It was an emotional game.”

Beck lost count of the number of overtimes Georgia played. Between the going back and forth on different ends of the field, all the 2-point conversion plays the Bulldogs had to come up with and the chaos of the ending, even moments after, everything was a bit of a blur for the quarterback.

“Up, down, up, down. You know, it’s like a roller coaster. When the emotions are rolling like that, you can’t ride the roller coaster of emotions. You just got to stay right here, you know? Stay even-keeled. Stay on plane, and just one play at a time,” Beck said.

“Next play, you know? I mean, that’s all you really can focus on. You know, the defense is going to go out and go play. And then we’re going to go out and go play,” he added. “I mean, there’s a few plays that we could have executed on to help our defense out earlier. But you know, they stood strong. And they got the stops when they needed to. And then finally, at the end, you know, we were able to punch it in and end the game.”

Smart was thrilled with the way his quarterback handled the emotions of it all. Yes, there were moments where frustrations were let out – like after the three-and-out to open the second half. However, on the whole, his composure was something that helped him and his team succeed in a comeback effort.

“Carson’s fine. Carson’s not a real emotional guy. I’m sure he got frustrated. We all get frustrated, but Carson composes himself. He goes and plays the next play. That’s all he can do. He’s seen it all and been around it. It’s not something that stresses me out,” Smart said when asked about his quarterback.

“I thought he played good the whole game. He had a couple of pressures. They did a nice job disguising the pressure. We took a sack. They got a really nice pressure package. They did a good job with that. He had some drops again. He doesn’t let that frustrate him or stop him. He just continues to make plays,” Smart added. “The two-minute drop was really good. He fired a couple of seam routes in, got the ball out to the tight end, made some plays with his legs. I have to watch the tape to really know how he played, but I know how he leads. I know how he competes.”

Like Smart’s 1996 Georgia-Auburn game, 2024 Georgia-Georgia Tech is one Beck won’t be forgetting any time soon. It also could be the last time the quarterback takes the field at Sanford Stadium with the Bulldogs closing out the regular season and not knowing their fate for the College Football Playoffs. A win next week in the SEC Championship Game over either Texas or Texas A&M (those two play Saturday night) would secure UGA a first-round bye. A loss, and it’s in the hands of the selection committee to decide whether Georgia is deserving of a home playoff game, a road trip or a missed Playoff entirely.

Beck wasn’t thinking about that Friday night (Saturday morning technically with the game ending after midnight) though as he walked off the field with the win under his belt. Instead, he was taking in the scenes of a special night and a game that’ll go down in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate history.

“The playoffs was not in my mind at all. All I cared about was beating Georgia Tech,” Beck said. “That’s all I cared about.”

“It was crazy, but it was one way to go out with a bang,” he added. “It was a lot of fun … The emotions. The highs. The lows. The way we were able to fight back. And then you add that factor into it. You know, I just took a second look around and just try to take it all in and just enjoy it.”

Visit BulldogSnacks.com

DawgsHQ game day content is presented each week by UGA’s Bulldog Snacks. Whether you’re snacking at work, on a road trip, or just need a little pick-me-up, Bulldog Snacks are the perfect choice to satisfy that Dawg hunger. And with every purchase of Bulldog Snacks, you’re directly supporting The Classic City Collective and UGA’s amazing Student-Athletes. Curious to try us out?  Take advantage of our Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals!  Get 25% off any orders of $40 or more!  www.bulldogsnacks.com