Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King searched for an option on a third-and-7 in the fourth quarter, darting to the backfield. Georgia’s defense closed in, taking on King as he scanned the field.
King never found his target. Outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. sacked him, bringing on fourth-and-20. Instead of a potential touchdown, that play only brought on a Yellow Jackets field goal.
“Those guys really played like they wanted to win,” defensive back Javon Bullard said of Tech. “The stat sheet doesn’t dictate how well they played. Those guys played hard, they fought, they had a great scheme, good coaching staff. The players played like they wanted to win this game.”
The Bulldogs effectively contained King, who went 11-for-20 passing and recorded 158 passing yards, for much of the game. But Georgia isn’t completely satisfied with its efforts, with Bullard saying the defense didn’t play aggressively.
It took overcoming another slow defensive start for Georgia to keep King quiet and defeat the Jackets 31-23. The Bulldogs held Tech to just a field goal in the second quarter, no points in the third and a touchdown in the fourth.
Sluggish starts have become a trend for Georgia, but one they have overcome. The Bulldogs entered the Tech contest averaging more than 40 points to opponents’ 15.
Entering Saturday, the Bulldogs’ past five opponents had scored on their first offensive series. Tech didn’t continue that trend, going three-and-out. But the Jackets did strike first, as King darted into the end zone and the extra-point made the score 7-0 less than four minutes into the game.
King moved the ball with ease in the first quarter aside from the opening series, going 5-for-6 for 68 passing yards. What made him so challenging to contain at first?
“He really hurt us on his legs,” Bullard said. “(The) guy’s sneaky. … We knew coming in we had to ... dial in on our keys.”
King is an “incredible athlete,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. He added Tech has a strong run scheme and King made good decisions.
The Bulldogs’ defense was able to limit the damage from there. Tech relied primarily on rushing through the second quarter, but efforts like lineman Zion Logue’s pass breakup on fourth-and-7, and tallying four tackles for loss for 20 yards, were key to Georgia’s win.
Still, Smart said the defense felt it could have done better at controlling the quarterback run game. It’s good to have a locker room that knows there’s work to be done, he said.
There were some struggles, like the Bulldogs’ two penalties for a loss of 30 yards and the Jackets’ march down the field in the fourth quarter.
Bullard said there wasn’t anything to celebrate post-game, saying the Bulldogs did not play up to their standard. The defense has plenty to fix, he said.
“We can strike better,” Bullard said. “It starts up front. It starts with us ... with the players. We’ve got to buy into the play-calling, the play sheet.”
Next for Georgia: Alabama in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.
Bullard said the players didn’t get into what they needed to fix for next week; that will start Sunday. But it’s officially “crunch time,” he said.
“This is championship week — playoff mode,” Bullard said. “(We’re) taking it one game at time. We can’t win (if) we give up 200 yards rushing.”
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