By Sam Khan Jr., Chris Vannini and Seth Emerson
Georgia put the conference back on notice on Saturday night with a commanding 30-15 road victory over No. 1 Texas, further upending the SEC and College Football Playoff pictures after spending several weeks in an unfamiliar position removed from the top of the SEC standings.
The No. 5 Bulldogs, who began the game as underdogs for the first time in 50 games, stormed out to a 23-0 halftime lead and held off a second-half comeback attempt. Drama abounded in the top-five matchup, which included an overturned defensive pass interference call by officials when Longhorn supporters threw debris onto the field late in the third quarter and a temporary quarterback switch from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning in the first half following Texas’ early problems.
Georgia’s season is rejuvenated
Prior to the start of this season, the majority of Bulldogs would have accepted Georgia splitting its road games against Alabama and Texas. However, following a devastating loss to Alabama and a lackluster showing in victories over Kentucky, Auburn, and Mississippi State, it was unclear if this team was excellent or if the season was going anywhere.
“Now, to paraphrase their opponent, Georgia is back.”
As a visit from Tennessee and a trip to Ole Miss are approaching, there is still work to be done. (The next opponent for Georgia, Florida, has also improved recently.) However, Georgia currently has the tiebreaker over Texas and is in a position to win the SEC championship thanks to Alabama’s second defeat to Tennessee on Saturday. For the College Football Playoffs, the Bulldogs are poised even more favorably. That being said, this victory and the season-opening thumping of Clemson will be very beneficial.
Additionally, the team and the program will get a psychological lift: For the time being, Georgia is still leading college football, producing remains at the top of the college football hill, at least for now, delivering a message both to the rest of the nation and its own fans, who had grown restless and fretful the last few weeks.
Bulldogs play through PI uproar
A huge second-half swing caused by a controversial officiating decision threatened to send this game off the rails before the Georgia defense retook control.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was intercepted by Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron, who put Texas in the red zone with 2:48 remaining in the third quarter while the Bulldogs were defending a 23–8 lead. However, the play was ruled out and the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium crowd went into a frenzy when Barron was flagged for defensive pass interference. There was a lengthy delay as bottles and other rubbish rained onto the field, especially from the area close to the Texas student section.
As the trash started to fall, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and several Texas players approached the end zone’s corner and motioned for the students to stop. While the jeering went on, staff and cheerleaders cleaned up the trash.
As the trash started to fall, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and several Texas players approached the end zone’s corner and motioned for the students to stop. While the jeering went on, staff and cheerleaders cleaned up the trash.
However, following the halt, the officials declared that there was no pass interference and that Texas would actually get the ball, which sent the Georgia sideline into a frenzy. The Longhorns trimmed the deficit to eight points by finding the end zone on their ensuing possession, but they were unable to score again.
Kirby Smart, the coach of Georgia, told ABC’s Katie George following the game, “I’m so proud of these guys, because nobody believed.” We were not given a chance. Your entire network didn’t believe us. We were not believed.
“Our intent was not to take pictures, not to do all the superstar stuff. Our intent was to eat. Our intent was to come eat and be hungry. I’m not interested in bells and whistles. What I want is a team that fights their ass off and they did tonight.”
Now for the Longhorns
This was an absolute wake-up call for a program that had plenty of folks singing its praises as it cruised to a No. 1 ranking on the heels of six dominant wins. Skeptics questioned the strength of the Longhorns’ schedule and were validated in the first half, as Georgia met them with a level of speed and physicality they hadn’t seen all season long. The Longhorns managed just 38 yards and looked outclassed by the Bulldogs in the first two quarters. They were unable to go sideline-to-sideline or downhill as Georgia met Texas with force every step of the way.
Although the Longhorns’ comeback to force a second-half game was heartening, they were unable to complete. For the time being, any fantasies of Texas stomping into the SEC title game should be put on hold.
What does this signify for the Longhorns’ chances of making the College Football Playoffs? Those will remain intact because, in spite of this outcome, they will still be considered a top-10 team. However, it lowers their margin of error. After a midseason slip-up against Oklahoma (the Longhorns won seven straight to secure a berth in the 2023 Playoffs), Texas will need to finish strong, much like it did the previous season.
Everything is still in front of the Longhorns if they can avoid further hiccups. But they have to start quicker. Saturday night was the second straight game they went scoreless in the first quarter, and they have to take better care of the ball. They committed four turnovers on Saturday night and have committed 11 in their last five games
Georgia defense carries the day
For a half, this looked like the 2021 Georgia defense all over again: five sacks — three by Jalon Walker — and three forced turnovers, two of them by cornerback Daylen Everette. The Bulldogs flustered Texas into a brief quarterback switch and shut down the edge runs that had plagued them for much of the season.
Texas’ first six drives of the game netted only 15 yards.
The second half got dicey, with Georgia giving up two touchdowns on relatively short fields, one after the controversial interception/overturned pass interference, the other after Georgia for some reason squib-kicked the second half kickoff. But the defense held on a key fourth-quarter drive.
In terms of Georgia’s offensive, Beck had a difficult game for the majority of the evening, throwing three interceptions and finding it difficult to get downfield. But Beck delivered when it counted most: late in the third quarter, with a one-possession lead and facing third-and-long from his own 10, Beck hit Arian Smith for a 21-yard gain. Georgia’s following play was a double-reverse flea flicker, which left tight end Oscar Delp open for a 43-yard gain down to the Texas 30.
Georgia finally gave themselves some breathing room by scoring the game’s last touchdown to cap off that drive.
Texas’ fascinating QB situation
A inquiry regarding what it would take for Sarkisian to consider switching quarterbacks mid-game from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning was curtly dismissed two days prior to Saturday’s game. However, we discovered that it required a weak offensive start against a team ranked in the top five.
Although Manning’s agility gave Georgia’s defense another factor to consider, his success was limited. On the two drives Manning led, Texas only covered 33 yards and failed to score. His game-ending play of the evening exemplified Texas’ difficulties: Georgia recovered after Manning was sacked and fumbled.
Ewers came back in the second half and started the third quarter with a touchdown drive. He appeared more like the Ewers and was lot more at ease and self-assured.
After the game, Sarkisian remarked, “I just felt like giving him a chance to kind of step back, regroup.” “Hey Quinn, we’re going to go with Arch here. Give yourself a chance to enter the locker room so we can regroup before returning in the second half,” we said. Thus, we took that action. I thought it worked well. Quinn, in my opinion, came out and performed admirably in the second half and the third quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Barron’s crucial interception return helped Ewers get the Longhorns within one possession. However, Georgia continued to attack Ewers, and Texas was unable to finish. A second Ewers turnover was caused by Mykel Williams
Ewers, with the help of the critical interception return by Barron, got the Longhorns to within one possession late in the third quarter. But Texas couldn’t finish as Georgia kept coming at Ewers. Mykel Williams forced a second Ewers fumble with 10:23 left in the game, thwarting a Texas drive in Georgia territory.
Some may wonder whether this performance creates a quarterback controversy at Texas. The way Sarkisian handled it — and the way Ewers improved after being benched — suggests it won’t be much of one. Manning is talented, but it was clear that he also had his own struggles with Georgia’s defensive speed. Still, it can’t be ruled out. Ewers’ response was one of a seasoned veteran. But it will be something to watch in future Texas games if he has another poor stretch.
“Quinn’s our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian said after the game. “I appreciate the fact that we’re fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that could come into the game and provide a spark in some sense. But at the end of the day, Quinn’s our starter. Like I said, we’ve got to do a better job around him. I think he would tell you he can play better, but we’ve got to coach better. Everybody’s got to be better for our offensive football team to perform better.”
To be fair to the quarterbacks, Texas’ protection problems made it nearly difficult for anyone to run, so it might not have mattered much who was behind center. Georgia deserves praise for its strategy and vigor. Additionally, Texas made a number of mistakes that hurt itself.