Everyone in the SEC has a loss.
No. 1 Texas, the conference’s last undefeated team, was overwhelmed by No. 5 Georgia in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 30-15 victory Saturday night. Georgia took a 23-0 halftime lead as Texas turned the ball over four times and used two different quarterbacks.
“I’m very proud of these guys, because no one believed, no one gave us a chance,” Smart said in his postgame interview on ABC/ESPN. “His entire network doubted us. Nobody believed us. And then they tried to rob us with calls in this place and these guys are very resistant.”
We’ll get to what Smart refers to about being “robbed” in just a second. Georgia officially closed as a 3.5-point underdog on the road, hardly a deficit that would make anyone think the Bulldogs had a chance.
After Texas gained just 15 yards and Quinn Ewers fumbled and threw an interception on the Longhorns’ first five possessions, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian made a QB change. He hired Arch Manning to replace Ewers in hopes of boosting the Texas offense.
It didn’t matter. Texas punted on Manning’s first drive of the game and then the redshirt freshman fumbled on his second drive. That fumble with 25 seconds left in the second quarter set up a Georgia field goal to extend the lead to 23 points.
Ewers regained his spot early in the second half and immediately led a scoring drive. Texas cut Georgia’s lead to 15 points and seemed to be back in the thick of things after one of the strangest sequences you’ll see all season.
Defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and returned the ball inside the Georgia 10-yard line with 2:48 left in the third quarter. However, Barron was called for pass interference on the play and the interception was overturned.
The decision was dubious at best, and the Texas fans let the referees know by throwing a shower of objects onto the field. Over the course of the several-minute delay to clear the field, officials continued to confer on the decision even though the ball was detected and ready to play for the Bulldogs.
Before play resumed, the referees announced that the pass interference did not actually occur and that Texas would have the ball. Two plays later, the lead was down to 23-15.
Texas fans threw debris onto the field after an interception was called back due to pass interference.
The arbitrators overturned the decision after further discussion. pic.twitter.com/3PAgLcD1hQ
-ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024
Was this Texas’ chance to come back and take the lead much like Georgia did against Alabama earlier in the season?
No, it wasn’t. The Bulldogs responded with a 21-yard pass to Arian Smith on third down and then a 43-yard pass to Oscar Delp one play later. RB Trevor Etienne’s third rushing touchdown of the night capped the drive and finally put the game out of reach for the Longhorns.
Georgia’s defensive front dominates
Texas was overwhelmed by Georgia’s talent up front, especially in the first half. Jalon Walker had three of Georgia’s five sacks in the first half and recovered Manning’s fumble that led to the field goal.
The Bulldogs scored four times in the second quarter as the Texas defense did a phenomenal job of forcing field goals despite Georgia’s short fields. Georgia kicked three field goals in the quarter and its longest drive of the period was 34 yards. The Bulldogs’ three field goals came on drives that totaled a combined 42 yards.
As Georgia’s defensive talent shined, any thoughts that Beck or Ewers could win the Heisman with a strong performance were extinguished. Neither quarterback had a great game, and it’s entirely possible that neither quarterback will be in New York at the end of the season.
Each QB turned the ball over three times. Beck threw three interceptions, while Ewers had one interception and two fumbles. Georgia hasn’t had any qualms about Beck letting it fly this year and hasn’t taken a step forward. Beck has already surpassed his interception total (six) from a season ago and six of his eight interceptions this season have come against Alabama and Texas.
Given that Georgia won the game handily despite playing far from flawless football, it will be fascinating to see where the Bulldogs rank in the AP Top 25 on Sunday. Oregon is likely to move from No. 2 to No. 1 after its 35-0 win over Purdue on Friday. Both No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State were off Saturday. Will they move up to 2 and 3 or will the Bulldogs overtake one or both despite losing?