You don’t outlast the hated Yellow Jackets in one of the most memorable iterations of Clean Old Fashioned Hate without getting a total team effort. Still, in a game such as the one the Red and Black played on Friday/Saturday some players are bound to step up and stand out above their brethren. Those intrepid warriors of the gridiron are your MVDs, the Most Valuable ‘Dawgs from Georgia’s historic 44-42 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Offense: Carson Beck. This was a tough one. True freshman tailback Nate Frazier only had 50 rushing yards on 11 carries, but his game-ending jaunt through the Jacket line for the winning conversion earned him a place in Bulldog lore. Senior Tate Ratledge gutted through the game, and helped open the hole that Frazier stepped through on the way to history. Cash Jones, London Humphrey, and Dominic Lovett all caught touchdown passes that were necessary to get the Dawgs into position to win this one. But Beck served as the trigger man on all five Bulldog touchdown passes, was again interception-free in a game in which a pick likely would have been a back breaker, and picked up a clutch first down on one of the gutsiest runs he’s made all season. As cliched as it feels to give the quarterback the glory in a situation like this, I can’t help but do it.
Defense: Dan Jackson. Dangerous Dan has been reliable throughout his long career in the Classic City. His body-surrendering block to spirit Kelee Ringo into the endzone in the 2021 national title game will always be an iconic moment. But his fourth quarter forced fumble to give Georgia the chance to score the tying touchdown on a short field will be right beside it on his personal wall of fame.
Special teams: Brett Thorson. In a night in which Georgia never got going in the return game, and in which the normally reliable Peyton look Woodring missed one (admittedly very difficult) field goal attempt, Thorson was the standout in the kicking game. He averaged 54.0 yards per kick on three punts, including one downed at the Tech 11, and another to flip the field from the UGA 12 to the Tech 34.
Feel free to offer your own MVD nominees in the comments. Until later….
Go ‘Dawgs!!!