I am pain
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SANFORD STADIUM — In what became perhaps the Sickos game to end all Sickos games, Georgia Tech fell to uga by a final score of 44-42 in EIGHT OVERTIMES. The Yellow Jackets finish the regular season with a record of 7-5.
How it Happened
Tech immediately got into field goal range on their first play from scrimmage, Jamal Haynes spinning out of the mesh of lineman for a 44 yard run that turned into an Aidan Birr field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
After a uga 3 & out, both teams got downfield on their next drives, both failing to convert 4th & 1’s in field goal range. With the ball back, Jamal Haynes again hit a turnaround long 22 yard run, getting a block from Haynes King in the process. The drive ended with Aidan Birr missing a 35 yard field goal (left hash).
Thankfully, Clayton Powell-Lee mitigated the mistake by getting a 3rd down sack for uga’s second three and out of the game.
Tech’s next drive was a lovely eight play sequence with a 13 yard catch by Chase Lane (his first catch in forever), King took a nearly fumbled snap for ten yards into Birr’s field goal range. On a third & 9 outside the redzone, Jackson Hawes nearly dragged a defender all the way to the goal line for a first down, setting up Haynes King for a three yard touchdown run, putting Tech up 10-0 with 4:40 left in the first half.
With a shot at a double possession, uga got into Tech territory after a 25 yard catch by Yurosek, only for Syeed Gibbs to force a fumble on Dominic Lovett after getting a first down. Jackson Hamilton recovered the fumble to complete the turnover.
Tech’s drive following was another thing of beauty: Chase Lane converted a 3rd & 10 catch over the middle. King converted the next third down on a run play. Singleton caught a crosser to get Tech at goal to go. With no timeouts remaining Tech spiked the ball on 1st & goal with 44 seconds left to get four yards. After an incompletion on 2nd down, King on a nearly broken play found Jamal Haynes on the left screen, who then did the Julio Jones spider leap to get the ball over the pylon, putting Tech ahead 17-0 with 30 seconds left.
Georgia got down the field to attempt a 53 yard field goal in those 30 seconds, but the wind was blowing severely in their face, putting Peyton Woodring’s kick woefully short of the goal post as we went into half.
After three and outs both ways to start the second half, Georgia got their way downfield with an end-around run to get into Tech territory, then got a 3rd & 8 completion to get into a goal to go situation. Nate Frazier nearly fumbled at the 1 yard line, but Carson Beck eventually hit Oscar Delp for the touchdown. Kirby elected to go for two, but an illegal shift penalty erased that, making it 17-6 Tech.
Then, a drive of Paul Johnson’s dreams. A 10 minute 35 second drive that started from our two yard line after a Jackson Hawes holding penalty. Haynes King had multiple critical third down scrambles or runs to keep the drive alive, including a 4th & 2 where they did their customary fake toss and King ran up the middle for the line to gain. Once at goal to go, the drive stalled but Birr hit the field goal to make it 20-6 with 14:17 left in the game.
Georgia’s next drive was their best of the game, lots of the yardage coming from Nate Frazier who had three first down plays. Once at goal to go, Tech did get to 4th & goal after uga dropped a wide open pass on 3rd down. Omar Daniels forced the incompletion on 4th but got called for pass interference, setting up an easy Frazier touchdown run. Georgia did burn six minutes of clock though, making it 20-13 with 8:18 left in the game.
[Enter Ben]
It was at this point that Jack and I (Ben) both lost the mental and emotional ability to really wax poetic about the end of this game. I can’t say enough about this Yellow Jackets team. They should have won this game. Go Jackets.
Jack here again. I’m sitting in a parking lot waiting for my Raising Canes at 1:10am and finally have some mental fortitude to attack this.
Up 20-13, Haynes King had one of the most critical drives of his life, scoring on an 11 yard rush to put Tech up 27-13 with 5:37 left.
Y’all, I thought we had it right there. People were leaving the press box and screaming at how badly uga was playing at this point. Rightly, we could’ve been yelling at ourselves for the missed opportunities that cost us this game, but we were winning and I could barely contain myself.
UGA marched down the field like it was no issue to bring it back to 27-20 with 3:39.
Then King fumbles, Tech didn’t even know he had. It probably was a targeting tackle that forced that ball out. King was gracious in the presser saying the guy made a good tackle. UGA recovered. They scored. It was a tie game with a minute to go. We didn’t score.
We lost multiple defensive players throughout the game. Our pass defense paid for it from the fourth quarter onward. There was no stopping Carson Beck.
To overtime.
To overtime #1, Singleton gets the game tying TD to make it 34-34. We don’t go for two to win it.
To overtime #2, Rutherford nearly fumbles the game away at the 1 yard line. King punches it in. UGA scores in literally one play. Both teams fail the required 2 point conversion. 40-40 game.
To overtime #3, we only are doing two point conversions now. Both teams throw incomplete passes.
To overtime #4, King throws incomplete and Beck can’t scramble into the endzone.
To overtime #5, Both teams score. Tech had to score to stay alive. 42-42 game.
To overtime #6, King is sacked and UGA can’t complete the pass.
To overtime #7, how the hell is this game still going. Carson Beck is short and UGA held anyways. Tech ball, UGA called for defensive pass interference on the play. We get a mulligan from the 1.5 yard line. King can’t hammer it in. It was our chance. We blew it.
To overtime #8, we don’t score. They score.
Georgia wins in the longest game in Clean, Old Fashioned Hate history, 44-42.
At the press conference, Brent Key noted it was the toughest loss in his life. I think he spoke for all of us in that moment. Very few people love Georgia Tech more than Brent Key. Most of us watched from the comfort of our homes, he and every player on that team had to play through that. I can only imagine what those kids are feeling on the ride home.
After Brent was done, both GT President Angel Cabrera and Key went to Haynes King before his round with media to have a moment with him and reasure just how proud of him they were. Key and King’s hug must’ve lasted at least a minute. The overall tone of the presser was that there are no moral victories. They know they had this. They should’ve had this.
My food’s here. Back in the morning.