Bulldogs Hold Off Yellow Jackets

Friday, November 28

Atlanta, Ga.

3:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

Georgia Tech

November 28, 2025 | Football

GEORGIA FOOTBALL VIDEOS

Highlights

Coach Smart

ATLANTA — The fourth-ranked Georgia football team never got much going offensively Friday against No. 23 Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the Bulldogs in all phases of the game did enough to earn the team its record eighth straight win over the Yellow Jackets, 16-9.

Georgia had seven-game win streaks against its rivals a couple of times over the years, but Friday's grind-it-out win made it eight in a row for the first time in a series that began back in 1893. The game was technically a home contest for the Yellow Jackets, but the crowd in the Benz for what was called the Invesco QQQ Gridiron Classic was about 60% Georgia fans, who could exhale when the Bulldog defense stopped a Hail Mary pass on the game's final play.

The Bulldogs (11-1) trailed 3-0 after the opening quarter before scoring 13 unanswered in the second to take the lead for good. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch scored the game's only touchdown on a 7-yard reception in the second. Bulldog kicker Peyton Woodring connected on all three of his field-goal attempts.

Georgia's ground game did much of the work for the offense, rushing for 190 of the Bulldogs' 260 yards of offense. Quarterback Gunner Stockton was held to 11 of 21 passing for 70 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nate Frazier led the running backs with 108 yards on 16 carries. Georgia's defense held Tech to 250 yards, including 69 yards rushing on 23 attempts.

Georgia Tech (9-3) got the ball first, and quarterback Haynes King was under pressure for much of the drive. Defensive lineman Christen Miller got the only sack, for a loss of seven yards, but the Bulldogs' rush disrupted nearly every play before the Yellow Jackets had to punt.

The Yellow Jackets then made some noise of their own on defense, with linebacker Tah'j Butler intercepting a Stockton pass near midfield and returning it to the Bulldog 37-yard line. Tech later had to settle for a 30-yard Aidan Birr field goal and a 3-0 lead after linebacker Raylen Wilson made a key stop on third down at the UGA 13. Tech's field goal with 1:20 to go were the only points of the opening quarter.

Georgia went on a long drive on the ensuing possession, moving all the way inside the Tech 10 over 13 plays, before having to settle for a 22-yard Peyton Woodring field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 9:42 left in the first half.

A defensive stop and a shanked, 22-yard punt by Tech gave the Bulldogs the ball back at their 45 with 8:25 on the clock. And Georgia made the most of the good field position, driving the 55 yards in nine plays and taking a 10-3 lead with 4:35 to go in the half on Stockton's 7-yard touchdown pass to Branch. The pair connected a few plays earlier for a 24-yard gain to the Tech 12.

Georgia's defense forced another three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and the Bulldogs got the ball back at their 33 with 3:15 on the clock. They couldn't get back into the end zone, but Woodring pushed the lead to 13-3 with a 30-yard field goal with a second left in the half.

The Bulldogs out-gained Tech 181-78 in the first two quarters, with 13 first downs to the Yellow Jackets' three. Georgia also had a significant advantage in time of possession: 18:12-11:48.

Georgia went three-and-out on its first drive of the second half, and Tech was moving the ball on its first possession. That's when the Yellow Jackets went for a deep ball from the UGA 41, and Bulldog cornerback Ellis Robinson IV rose up inside the 5 and pulled in his team-high fourth interception of the season.

The Bulldogs couldn't do anything with the turnover, and Tech got the ball back at its 47. A tackle-for-loss by linebacker Quintavius Johnson on third-and-2 at the UGA 25 forced Tech to try a field goal, with Birr's 44-yarder cutting Georgia's lead to 13-6 with 4:33 left in the third.

Georgia's offense narrowly converted a fourth-and-1 from its 34 on the ensuing drive. Running back Cash Jones' carry was reviewed and upheld as just far enough to gain the yard needed. Later, a facemask penalty on Tech moved the ball to the Yellow Jacket 38. The Bulldogs eventually pushed their lead to 16-6 with 14:10 remaining on Woodring's 50-yard field goal. It was Woodring's 15th field goal in 16 attempts this season, including his third make in three attempts from 50 or longer.

The Bulldogs still led 16-6 when Tech got the ball back at its 12 with 6:06 to play. The Yellow Jackets got inside the UGA 25 but couldn't get closer, and Birr's 41-yard field goal made it 16-9 with 3:30 remaining.

Tech got the ball back with 13 seconds left, needing a touchdown to force overtime. The Yellow Jackets got the ball to the Bulldog 44 with one second remaining, enough time for a Hail Mary pass. Georgia knocked it down in the end zone to end the game.

The Bulldogs will find out late Friday, after No. 17 Texas hosts No. 3 Texas A&M, or Saturday, when No. 10 Alabama visits Auburn, if they're headed to next week's SEC Championship Game. And they will learn their College Football Playoff fate when the 12-team bracket is announced on Dec. 7.