It was an epic rivalry night to remember. In a clash that went to the distance — and in this case, distance specifically means eight overtimes — the Georgia Bulldogs outlasted Georgia Tech football on Friday, 44-40. While one can imagine the thrilling feeling that the victors are currently experiencing, it’s also easy to envision how heartbreaking it must be for Haynes King and the Yellow Jackets.
King, in particular, had quite the game, tallying 413 total yards and five touchdowns. In fact, he just became the first player in FBS history with 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs vs. an AP top-10 team, per ESPN’s Cole Cubelic.
Specifically, the Georgia Tech QB was 26-of-36 for 303 passing yards and two touchdowns, one of which occurred in the first overtime period. In the rushing department, King’s three touchdowns stemmed from a 110-yard performance. The fifth-year senior accounted for all the times the Yellow Jackets reached the endzone. To have a historic individual outing and fall short — that’s what arguably makes the loss a lot more agonizing.
Haynes King and Georgia Tech fall in a historic thriller
It also didn’t help how Georgia Tech squandered a 17-point halftime lead. Following a scoreless first half for Georgia that involved a fumble and a missed field goal, the Bulldogs lit the fuse as Carson Beck connected with Oscar Delp during a 2nd-and-goal early in the third quarter.
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With over five minutes remaining in the game, King ran for an 11-yard touchdown to give Georgia Tech a 27-13 lead. From a certain set of lenses, it might’ve looked like a wrap at this point. However, Georgia was far from done. An eight-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by a Dominic Lovett touchdown with 3:39 left. In the ensuing Georgia Tech drive, King fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Bulldogs. Down seven points, Georgia continuously gained yardage until Beck found Lovett once again to tie the game. The ending seconds of regulation saw both teams make stops, bringing the game to overtime.
During the OT periods, both teams continuously exchanged touchdowns, with neither letting up. It all boiled down to the final moments. From the sixth to eighth overtime, both Georgia Tech and Georgia had opportunities to win near the endzone, but incomplete passes and stopped runs continuously transpired. To seal the deal once and for all, Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier ran three yards for a two point conversion, giving Georgia their eighth victory.
In turn, it also handed Georgia Tech football their fifth and final loss of the regular season (7-5 record, 1-4 in-conference). The Yellow Jackets have now lost seven straight games to the Bulldogs, with their last Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate win occuring in 2016.