Bulldogs Drop Heartbreaker to Georgia Tech

Saturday, November 26

Athens, Ga.

12:00 PM

University of Georgia

7-5

Georgia Tech

8-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Ga. Tech

Georgia

November 26, 2016 | Football

Box Score

Nov. 26, 2016

Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4, 4-4)	07	07	00	14	28
Georgia Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4)	07	07	13	00	27

Bulldogs Drop Heartbreaker to Georgia Tech

Statistics / PDF :: Post-Game Notes :: Post-Game Quotes :: Photo Gallery

ATHENS, Ga. -- Two fourth-quarter Georgia Tech touchdowns lifted the Yellow Jackets (8-4) to a 28-27 win over Georgia (7-5) on Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

After a 14-14 stalemate at the half, Georgia scored 13 points in the third quarter to pull ahead 27-14; however, a 94-yard touchdown drive followed by capitalizing on a Georgia interception led to the visitors sealing the late win.

"This team has grown up," said head coach Kirby Smart about the team's improvement this season. "The young kids aren't freshmen anymore. We've had some tight ballgames and some tough situations. We will continue to grow and develop. We will get better through a willingness to work and through good practice habits."

Post Game Video


Post Game Audio
Audio: Nick Chubb 3yd TD run 24-14 3Q

For the game, Georgia got most of its offensive yards on the ground with junior Sony Michel leading the attack with 170 yards and a touchdown. Junior Nick Chubb finished with 88 yards, pushing him to third all-time with 3,282 career rushing yards. Chubb now trails only Todd Gurley (3,285) and Herschel Walker (5,259) in the ranking.

Freshman Jacob Eason went 14-for-27 on the day with 139 yards, finding sophomore Terry Godwin for a team-best five catches and 53 yards while junior Isaiah McKenzie had the lone receiving touchdown.

Sophomore Roquan Smith guided the defense with a career-high 13 tackles, including seven solo stops, while juniors Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy collected eight tackles each.

The teams traded points in the first two quarters, as Georgia Tech struck first with a 42-yard touchdown run by Clinton Lynch. Georgia countered with Michel finding the endzone with 1:38 remaining in the first.

The Jackets increased their lead to 14-7 with Justin Thomas completing a 64-yard throw to Brad Stewart before Marcus Marshall ran it in for the score. The Bulldogs again responded with Michel breaking off a season-long 42-yard run to the Georgia Tech 15 before Eason found McKenzie for the tying score.

The third quarter was all Georgia, as a stifling defense held Georgia Tech to just 21 yards in the frame. Smith forced a Jacket fumble in the visitors' opening drive with Dominick Sanders recovering it for 13 yards. Rodrigo Blankenship gave Georgia the lead with a 27-yard attempt before Chubb ran into the endzone untouched in the Bulldogs next drive. Blankenship made his second field goal with just under 30 seconds to give Georgia the lead at 27-14.

Momentum changed in the final quarter, as Georgia Tech cut the advantage by six with its long drive. After taking over in Bulldog territory with Lance Austin's interception, Qua Searcy marched in on a six-yard rush to steal the win.

Georgia will be making its 52nd appearance and 20th-consecutive bowl game as it owns a 29-19-3 mark. Georgia's destination and opponent will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Passing Leaders
Georgia	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT
Eason	14/27	139	1	2
Georgia Tech	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT
Thomas	6/10	164	0	1

Rushing Leaders
Georgia	CAR	YDS	TD
Michel	19	170	1
Chubb	22	88	1
Georgia Tech	CAR	YDS	TD
Lynch	4	59	1
Marshall	9	55	1
Searcy	8	40	1

Receiving Leaders
Georgia	REC	YDS	TD
Godwin	5	53	0
Nauta	3	48	0
Georgia Tech	REC	YDS	TD
Stewart	2	87	0
Searcy	1	39	0

Georgia		Georgia Tech
22	1st Downs	15
8-15	3rd Down Conv.	3-8
1-1	4th Down Conv.	0-1
402	Total Yards	390
14-28-139	Passing	6-10-164
42-263	Rushing	42-226
2-15	Penalties	4-45
2	Turnovers	2
34:33	Possession	25:27