Carson Beck, Georgia Called ‘Overrated’ by CFB Fans After 8OT Win vs. Georgia Tech

The second-longest game in college football history ended with Georgia outlasting Georgia Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes on Friday evening.

The Bulldogs won after running back Nate Frazier capped the eighth OT with a run up the middle, likely grabbing a College Football Playoff berth in the process.

Georgia Tech, which led 17-0 at halftime, took a 27-13 advantage with 5:37 remaining in regulation after quarterback Haynes King’s 11-yard touchdown run.

However, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck connected with wide receiver Dominic Lovett on touchdowns of 17 and three yards to tie the game. The second score occurred with 1:01 left in regulation.

The second touchdown capped a 32-yard drive that started after Dan Jackson forced a King fumble recovered by Chaz Chambliss.

Georgia Tech’s last-ditch regulation effort to win died at the Georgia 46-yard line after a fourth-down attempt failed with four seconds left. Beck’s Hail Mary attempt never came to fruition after a sack, sending the game to OT.

The in-state rivals soon went into overtime. Georgia struck first after Beck found London Humphreys for a 14-yard touchdown, but the Yellow Jackets responded when King found Eric Singleton Jr. for a 12-yard TD.

Georgia Tech got the ball to start the second OT, and King scored on a one-yard run set up by Malik Rutherford’s 20-yard scamper. The Yellow Jackets had to go for two per second overtime rules but were unsuccessful.

Georgia didn’t waste any time in the second OT after Cash Jones caught a 25-yard Beck pass to tie the game at 40.

Georgia’s two-point attempt was also unsuccessful, and the game went into a third overtime.

At this juncture, the teams had to alternate two-point attempts.

Neither team got it done in the third or fourth overtimes. Georgia struck first in the fifth overtime when Beck found Dillon Bell on a pass.

Needing a conversion to keep the game going, the Yellow Jackets came through when King hit Rutherford for two.

And so the teams went to a sixth OT.

Georgia blitzed up the middle and sacked King to stop the Yellow Jackets’ attempt. In response, Beck tried to find Arian Smith in the back of the end zone.

However, UGA wide receiver Dillon Bell tipped the ball at the goal line while (understandably) thinking the pass may have been for him. Smith couldn’t corral the deflected ball, and so both teams moved to the seventh OT.

Both quarterbacks tried to push the ball in during that frame, but Beck and King’s runs were stopped short.

The eighth OT began with a hurried King evaded a stout Georgia pass rush on a blitz and threw a desperation heave toward the back corner of the end zone, but it went out-of-bounds.

Frazier then ended the game, which stands as the 118th edition of a rivalry dating back to 1893.

No one will forget this edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate anytime soon.

Not lost in the game’s bewildering nature and the eight overtimes was the fact that Georgia, a 19.5-point favorite, nearly lost and also found itself down three scores at halftime.

The resilient Bulldogs pulled out a tremendous victory, but Georgia didn’t exactly inspire confidence in its quest for a national championship.

Fans were ultimately disappointed with Georgia, calling the team overrated for its performance.

In the box score, King accounted for five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing). He completed 26-of-36 passes for 303 yards and rushed for 110 yards on 24 carries. Needless to say, he did all he could to pull off an amazing upset.

Beck finished the day with 297 yards and five touchdowns on 28-of-43 passing.

Georgia will now play the winner of Texas at Texas A&M in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday, Dec. 7. The Yellow Jackets finish the regular season at 7-5 but will be playing in a to-be-determined bowl to end their 2024 campaign.