Georgia Bulldog Defense Shines Over Texas To Win 2024 SEC Title
ATLANTA - Thanks to a heroic performance by Gunner Stockton and the Georgia Bulldog defense, Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are once again crowned SEC Champions after their thrilling 22-19 win over Texas.
*Bulldogs Claim 15th SEC Title: The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-2) captured their 15th SEC title with a 22-19 win in overtime over No. 2 Texas (11-2). The Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in SEC Championship Games (SECCG) including 3-4 under Kirby Smart. Today, the Bulldogs played in their fourth straight SECCG. Junior DB Daylen Everette earned MVP honors, joining a list of Bulldog SECCG MVPs in QBs David Greene (‘02) and DJ Shockley (‘05), LB Roquan Smith (‘17) and QB Stetson Bennett (‘22).
*Bulldog Senior Class Gets 53rd Win: With today’s victory, the 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 53-4, adding to its school record. Also of note, for the first time since 1943, Georgia posted two wins over the same team during a season. The previous time was 1943 versus Presbyterian in Athens twice.
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*Summary Of The Offense: Georgia finished with 277 yards of total offense on 67 plays in the 22-19 win in overtime for the 15th SEC title in school history.
*Down 19-16 in the first OT, the Bulldogs powered into the endzone on six plays, going 25 yards on a four-yard TD by Trevor Etienne for a 22-19 win. On the final play, Carson Beck handed it off to Etienne as Beck missed the entire second half except that final play due to injury.
*Georgia played its second straight overtime game of the season, and it was the first in SECCG history. Georgia won the toss and elected defense.
*Georgia is now 10-7 in OT including 3-2 in the Kirby Smart era. Last week in Athens, Georgia beat Ga. Tech 44-42 in an SEC record 8-OTs.
*RS-sophomore QB Gunner Stockton (12-for-16, 71 yards, 8 rushes, 8 yards) began the 2nd half with senior Carson Beck sidelined due to injury that came on the final play of the first half. It was only his fourth game of the year and first appearance since a win over UMass Nov. 23. On the opening drive, Stockton converted a pair of 3rd downs, and it led to a 10 play, 75-yard TD drive capped by a 10-yard run by Trevor Etienne. Stockton was 3-for-4 for 36 yards and ran twice for 12 yards on the drive.
*Junior RB Trevor Etienne and PK Peyton Woodring scored all of Georgia’s points in the two wins over Texas this season. In the first meeting, Etienne had three TDs while Woodring made three field goals and three PATs. Today, Etienne had a pair of TDs while Woodring made three field goals.
*Georgia had its first lead at 10-6 with 10:27 left in the 3rd quarter.
*Etienne’s season-high 48-yard scamper and a four-yard rush on a 4th-and-3 at the UT 8 helped key another scoring drive, a 24-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring for a 13-6 lead with six seconds left in the 3rd quarter. Stockton was the holder with Beck and punter Brett Thorson sidelined with injuries.
*With the game tied at 13:54 left, Georgia went 72 yards in 16 plays and Woodring made a 21-yard field with 4:35 left for a 16-13 lead.
*In the first half, Georgia trailed 6-3 and had just 54 yards of offense on 21 plays. The Bulldogs were 1-for-5 on 3rd Down.
*Georgia now has trailed at the half six times this year (@UK 6-3, @#4 Bama 30-7, vs. Florida 13-6, @#16 Ole Miss 16-7, Ga. Tech 17-0, Texas 6-3) and are 4-2 in those games, beating #2 Texas, Ga. Tech, Florida and Kentucky.
*Today marked the sixth time this season that Georgia has not scored in the first quarter. The Bulldogs are now 5-1 in those games.
*Down 6-0 with 10:22 left in the first half, the Bulldogs’ third possession ended with a 44-yard field goal to cut it to 6-3 with 6:38 left. The drive featured a 19-yard completion to tight end Ben Yurosek. The scoring drive was eight plays and covered 49 yards.
*In its first two possessions, Georgia tallied only nine yards of offense on seven plays and trailed 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.
*At halftime, senior QB Carson Beck was 7-for-13 for 56 yards. He was injured on the final play of the first half and did not return.
*Georgia’s leading receivers today were junior wideout Arian Smith (5 for 41 yards) and RB Trevor Etienne (5 for 28 yards).
*Defensive Review: In the first OT, the Bulldogs went on defense first and forced UT to a 32-yard field goal and a 19-16 advantage. UT finished with 389 yards on 74 plays. Georgia led 16-13 with 1:39 left UT converted a 4th-and-3 at the UGA 48 and eventually made a 37-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to force OT.
*Down 13-6, UT responded with a 75-yard TD drive capped by a 41-yard scoring strike to DeAndre Moore to tie the game with 13:54 left to play.
*Senior Chaz Chambliss notched his team-leading 6.5 sack to give him nine for his career. In the second half, junior Jalon Walker tied Chambliss with his 6.5 sack of the season. He has 12.5 for his career. Sophomore Damon Wilson had a sack to give him three on the year as it led to a 51-yard missed FG.
*Senior Warren Brinson picked up his 2nd sack this season and sixth of his career. Junior Mykel Williams collected two sacks to give him five this year and 14 for his career.
*Georgia’s top tacklers were junior Malaki Starks with eight and sophomore CJ Allen with seven. The Bulldogs had six sacks today. Junior DB Daylen Everette was named the SECCG MVP, the fifth Bulldog to earn that honor and second defensive player, joining linebacker Roquan Smith in 2017.
*In the first half, Texas led 6-3 after posting 260 yards of offense on 42 plays and was 4-for-10 on 3rd Down. UT had the ball for 20:02.
*In the first half, UT had eight passing plays of 16+ yards that combined for 198 yards including four of those on 3rd down.
*UT’s first possession of the game began at the 11 and covered 48 yards before ending at the UGA 33 with an interception by Daylen Everette, his second this year. Everette notched his second INT of the day in the 4th quarter. It was third of the year, all versus UT. Everette is the first Bulldog with two INTs in a game since Javon Bullard versus #3 TCU in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game, and Everette is the first Bulldog with two in an SECCG.
*Special Teams In Action: Junior P Brett Thorson, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, posted a 53.5 average on four punts (49, 52, 53 and 60 yards) with two returns for 23 yards before a knee injury. It was the best punting average by a Bulldog in an SECCG. On the year, he has 18 punts of 50+ this year. Georgia has allowed just 46 yards on nine returns. The Bulldogs came in today ranked third nationally in Net Punting.
*Georgia ran a successful fake punt on 4th-and-5 from its own 30 as Arian Smith caught a flip pass from Drew Bobo and ran for nine yards. It was the first fake punt for the Bulldogs since trying one in the 2018 SEC Championship Game that failed, and the first successful one since 2016 at Ole Miss when punter Marshall Long completed a 29-yard pass to Sony Michel on a 4th-and-8.
*Sophomore PK Peyton Woodring tallied 10 points on field goals of 44, 24 and 21 yards plus a PAT. For the year, he is 20-for-22. Also, he handled kickoffs.
*Captains, Coin Toss And For Starters: Georgia’s captains were Carson Beck, Tate Ratledge, Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams.
*Georgia won the toss and deferred the ball until the second half.
*With LT Earnest Greene III still not 100 percent due to injury, sophomore LT Monroe Freeling made his fourth straight start. Greene did see action today. *Junior RB Trevor Etienne returned to the starting lineup after missing the past three games due to an injury. Junior safety Malaki Starks made his team-leading 41st consecutive start. Also, seniors Xavier Truss (OT) and Nazir Stackhouse (DL) started their 41st game in their career.
*Up Next: The SEC Champion Bulldogs (11-2) tune in to Selection Sunday at noon on ESPN when the final CFP rankings and bracket. The Bulldogs should be a top four seed and play in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
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