Bulldogs run over Georgia Tech

ATLANTA — There will be no trip to a conference championship game, no top-tier bowl game, no 10-win season for Georgia.

On Saturday night, none of that mattered to the Bulldogs.

Georgia exited Bobby Dodd Stadium with the one thing left it could salvage from a season that most considered nearly buried: knocking off archrival Georgia Tech.

The Bulldogs pulled the 30-24 upset of the No. 7 Yellow Jackets, by beating Georgia Tech at their own game — by running the ball.

Georgia rushed for a whopping 339 yards, its most in nine seasons under Mark Richt and the most the Yellow Jackets have surrendered this year.

Georgia opened the game with a 10 play, 74-yard touchdown drive in which it ran the ball on every play and that set the tone.

Freshman Washaun Ealey and redshirt sophomore Caleb King gave Georgia its first pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game since 2004 against Vanderbilt.

Ealey rushed for 183 on 20 and King for 166 on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of 6 and 75 yards.

The Bulldogs were 0-5 against top-10 teams since the start of last season, but snapped Georgia Tech’s eight game winning streak.

It was Georgia’s eighth win in the last nine games in the series after last year’s 45-42 loss.

Georgia can extend its streak of 12 straight eight wins seasons in its bowl game.

Georgia (7-5) could now find itself in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, but other bowls including the Independence in Shreveport remain possible.

The Bulldogs were 7 ¸ point underdogs after blowing a 20-6 halftime lead in a home loss to Kentucky a week earlier, but held off the Yellow Jackets’ second half charge after Georgia led 17-3.

With Georgia ahead by six, Blair Walsh’s 55-yard field goal try with 3:03 left went wide left, leaving Georgia Tech the ball at its own 37. Walsh earlier converted from 22, 38 and 43.

After Walsh’s miss, the Yellow Jackets (10-2) went deep twice and came away with two incompletions—including Stephen Hill catching the ball inside the Georgia 5, but out of bounds with Reshad Jones covering. Tech again went deep to Anthony Allen and again Jones broke up the play. Jones had a key first half interception.

On fourth-and-10 at the 46, Demariyus Thomas dropped a sideline pass at the 34.

Georgia quarterback Joe Cox didn’t throw a pass until the first play of the second quarter after the Bulldogs had already run on its first 13 plays.

The Bulldogs rushed for 204 yards in the first half to build a 17-3 lead and played keepaway winning the time of possession by nearly 18 minutes to 12.

Georgia benefited when Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt left the game with a right lower leg injury with 1:03 left in the first quarter with the Bulldogs ahead 7-0. By the time he returned with 3:18 left in the second quarter, Georgia led 17-3.

When Georgia Tech pulled within a touchdown early in the second half on a 76-yard Thomas touchdown catch, King and Georgia answered back right away. The redshirt sophomore went up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career for a 24-10 lead

Georgia Tech again pulled within a touchdown on a 5-yard Jonathan Dwyer run. The Yellow Jackets converted a fourth-and-9 on the drive with a 17-yard completion to Thomas after Jones went for an intercepetion on the play.

Walsh booted a 38 yard field goal with 2:33 left in the quarter for a 27-17 lead. The Bulldogs nearly gave the ball away after it recovered a scramble for a loose ball on a short kickoff and then Branden Smith fumbled out of bounds on a run.

The ball kept bouncing Georgia’s way. Nesbitt fumbled an exchange and defensive tackle Geno Atkins recovered at the Georgia Tech 40. The Bulldogs recovered only the second fumble in 13 fumble recoveries by an opponent.

Walsh added another field goal—this one from 43 yards—to push the lead to 30-17 with 13:39 left.

Georgia Tech answered again with a 1-yard Nesbitt keeper with 7:31 left to make it 30-24, but would get not closer.