The rivalry between Georgia and Georgia Tech is legendary. After all, there’s a reason they describe the teams’ opinions of each other as “clean, old-fashioned hatred.”

However, Friday’s game may have been the most interesting game the teams have played in many, many years.

Georgia trailed 17-0 at halftime, marking its first first-half shutout since 2019 against Kentucky. Still, most Dawg fans had no reservations about their team’s mission; Against Alabama, an objectively better team, they almost made up a similar deficit.

The Bulldogs rallied in the second half and were able to tie the game thanks to a crucial error by Georgia Tech QB Haynes King just before the end of regulation. The Yellow Jackets attempted a quick, one-minute drive to score a field goal, but were wiped out.

The fabled rivals went to extra time, and then another, and another; After eight overtimes, Georgia emerged victorious by just two points. Final score: 44-42.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was faced with a pretty simple question after the game: What happened? Sure, the Jackets are a decent squad with a 7-4 record heading into this matchup, but the 7th-ranked Dawgs shouldn’t have any problems in this matchup.

His answer? The Dawgs’ defensive game plan was more aligned with the old Tech under Paul Johnson. Essentially, the game was scheduled so that Haynes King was unable to throw the ball as he was dealing with a shoulder injury.

However, Throw King did; With 303 yards and two touchdowns and a stunning 161.3 efficiency rating, King tore through Georgia’s ill-prepared defense.

That assessment raises some concerns among Dawg fans, as it certainly doesn’t look good for Georgia to completely discount one aspect of its opponent just because an injury obviously didn’t slow King down.

The Dawgs need to prepare better before their SEC championship game, as Texas or Texas A&M (depending on who wins Saturday’s game) certainly won’t be as forgiving.