ATHENS, Ga. — As the clock crept past midnight in a marathon for ages, Nate Frazier finally ended it for No. 6 Georgia with a little 3-yard dash that secured perhaps the biggest prize of all.

Another trip to the College Football Playoff.

Frazier went for a 2-pointer in the eighth overtime after Georgia staged an improbable comeback in the fourth quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 44-42 victory over Georgia Tech on a Friday night into Saturday morning.

“Overtime was epic,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “What a great game.”

After falling behind 17-0 at halftime and dominating most of the game, the Bulldogs (10-2, No. 7 CFP) showed plenty in their attempt to secure a spot in the 12-team playoffs Courage — no matter how they perform in next weekend’s Southeastern Conference championship game against either No. 3 Texas or No. 20 Texas A&M.

“Somebody else has to decide that,” Smart said. “Our opportunity is before us.”

Carson Beck threw five touchdown passes – two in OT – in a game in which the Bulldogs never took a lead until regulation ended 27-0. He finished 28 of 43 for 297 yards.

Georgia Tech (7-5) was powered by Haynes King, who ran for three touchdowns and threw two more. But the Yellow Jackets suffered their seventh straight loss to the Bulldogs on a cold, punishing night among the hedgerows.

King passed for 303 yards and ran for 110, a brilliant performance but not quite enough.

Frazier, a freshman, took a handoff from Beck, stormed up the middle and sent fireworks into the sky above Sanford Stadium.

It was the longest game in SEC history and just one overtime short of the record for all FBS games – Illinois’ 20-18 win over Penn State in 2021, which went through nine overtime periods.

“We’re a scrappy football team,” Smart said. “We need to get healthy.”

King scored on an 11-yard run to give Georgia Tech a seemingly comfortable 27-13 lead with 5:37 left, but the Bulldogs drove 75 yards in eight plays to give themselves a chance. Beck connected with Dominic Lovett on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:39 left.

Then the Bulldogs’ defense forced a big turnover from King after struggling to contain the slippery quarterback most of the game. He kept the ball on third-and-1 – only to cough up the ball on a big hit from Dan Jackson.

Chaz Chambliss recovered the fumble at the Yellow Jackets’ 32nd line and Beck quickly led the Bulldogs to the game-winning touchdown with a 3-yard pass to Lovett with 1:01 left.

Then it went into extra time – and the game went on and on.

Beck and King threw matching touchdown passes, followed by conventional extra points. Then it was King who scored on a 1-yard run, after which Beck responded with a 25-yard scoring pass to Cash Jones. Both teams failed to convert their 2-point attempts, so it only came down to 2-point attempts.

Both teams converted in the fifth OT, but it was Frazier who finally finished things off.

“There are no moral victories,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said, fighting back tears. “But I’m proud of these guys.”

The first half was an absolute stunner for the Bulldogs, who have long dominated the in-state rivalry known as the “clean, old-fashioned hate.”

Georgia Tech built a lead that could have been bigger, outrebounding the Bulldogs 307-137 yards and nearly doubling the time of possession in the first half.

King, who was dealing with shoulder problems, appeared to be fully recovered as he led the Yellow Jackets up and down the field. He scored on a 2-yard run and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Haynes, who made a dashing leap to the pylon. The Yellow Jackets also got a 31-yard field goal from Aidan Birr.

But Birr also failed with a 25-yard attempt over the left upright, and Georgia Tech missed another scoring opportunity when Haynes was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on the Bulldogs’ fourth-and-1 play.

Despite those setbacks, Georgia Tech built its largest lead over the Bulldogs since a 20-0 lead in the 2013 game – as Georgia cruised to a 41-34 win in double overtime.

These Bulldogs did it again, extending their record home winning streak to 31 in a row.

The takeaway food

Georgia Tech: When Key took over this struggling program, he insisted that the Yellow Jackets could compete with anyone – including their powerful in-state rival. This will hurt for a while, but Georgia Tech has shown it is close to backing up its bold words after just two full seasons as coach. “He’s done an outstanding job implementing this program,” Smart said.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are nowhere near as dominant as the team that won back-to-back national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They gave up 563 yards to the Yellow Jackets, including 260 on the ground. But amazingly, Smart’s team still has a chance to win for the third time in four years.

Next

Georgia Tech: Expects a second straight bowl invitation and another shot at its first eight-win season since 2016, the last year they beat the Bulldogs.

Georgia: Appears in the SEC Championship Game for the fourth straight year and seventh time in Smart’s nine years as coach. The opponent will be the winner of Saturday night’s game between Texas and Texas A&M.

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