On Saturday, Dec. 7, Georgia beat Texas in the SEC Championship as the Dawgs won 22-19 in the first overtime.
Leading up to the game, the Texas Longhorns were a three point favorite over the Georgia Bulldogs, and they had a 61% chance to win according to ESPN. Texas went into the game with a 11-1 record with their only loss being to the Dawgs. Georgia, however, went into the game with a 10-2 record with tough losses to Alabama and Ole Miss.
Georgia possessed the No. 1 toughest schedule in the country while Texas skated by with a much easier SEC schedule than most teams. Georgia had close calls when it came to games against Georgia Tech and Kentucky, but Texas crushed all their opponents except for Georgia.
Earlier in the season, the Dawgs headed to Austin and convincingly beat the Longhorns 30-15. The Bulldog defense shined as they held Texas to only 29 rushing yards.
Beating the same team twice in one season is a rare feat, and somehow Georgia pulled it out. The last time Georgia beat the same opponent twice in one season was in 1943 against Presbyterian. And, the last time Texas lost to the same opponent twice in one season was in 1909 against Texas A&M.
In the first half of the SEC Championship, both team’s defenses excelled as only nine points were scored, and Texas led 6-3 at halftime. However, Texas looked in control after Carson Beck, Georgia’s starting quarterback, injured his throwing elbow on the last play of the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
In the second half, the Dawgs’ backup quarterback Gunner Stockton made a huge statement. He led Georgia to a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. From there, the game was back and forth with the possibility for either team to win.
Finally, Texas had an opportunity to score a winning touchdown with little time remaining, but ultimately had to settle for a game-tying field goal. This field goal led to overtime.
In overtime, Texas started on offense and scored a field goal, but the Dawgs came out on top as they scored a touchdown during their offensive possession. After Stockton received a brutal hit, Beck reentered the game and handed the ball to running back Trevor Etienne who ran right up the middle for the game-winning touchdown.
The result of the game is that Georgia will be the No. 2 seed for the 12 team playoff, and Texas will be the No. 5 seed. The Dawgs earned a first round bye, but the Longhorns will have to play Clemson in the first round in order to make it to the quarterfinals.
The only way that Georgia and Texas would meet again is in the National Championship as they are on separate sides of the 12-team bracket.
