Georgia tops Texas 23-20 in OT to win SEC Championship despite Carson Beck injury

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia lost it’s starting quarterback just before the half but still found a way to win its third SEC crown under Kirby Smart with a 23-20 victory over Texas in overtime. The Bulldogs scored 19 points in the second half and overtime, all with Gunner Stockton at quarterback.

Carson Beck played just two quarters before exiting with an arm injury. He completed seven of 13 passes for 56 yards. Stockton 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards and one interception while Trevor Etienne carried it 16 times for 94 yards and two scores.

Texas drew first blood but not on its opening drive. A Daylen Everette interception ended a promising Longhorn possession to start the game, but Georgia was unable to do anything with it, going three and out.

The next two Texas possessions both ended in points. One was a nine-play march that ended in a field goal and the other lasted 14 plays before the Longhorns had to settle for a second field goal to make the score 6-0.

Georgia cut the deficit to three points with it’s only successful possession of the first half. It traveled 49 yards and ended with a Peyton Woodring field goal to make it 6-3. Texas missed an opportunity to extend the lead in the first half and the Bulldogs tried to find points at the end of the second quarter but that one ended with a game-changing play.

Beck was hit on a Hail Mary attempt, injuring his throwing arm in some way, and stayed down on the field for a couple of minutes. He went into the locker room under his own power but Kirby Smart told ESPN as the team returned to the field that he was done for the day.

Gunner Stockton came on and took the Bulldogs right down the field on the opening possession of the second half. He took the Bulldogs on a 10-play, 75-yard drive with Etienne finding pay dirt from 10 yards out to give Georgia its first lead of the day. Woodring’s PAT made it 10-6 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Texas had a chance in the third quarter to cut the lead to a point but missed a lengthy field goal. Georgia used that momentum to tack on three more points on a drive that stalled inside of the Texas five-yard line. Woodring’s short field goal extended the lead to 13-6.

With Mercedes-Benz Stadium rocking due to a heavy Georgia crowd, Texas mounted the perfect response. It roared down the field and grabbed its first touchdown of the day as Quinn Ewers DeAndre Moore for a 41-yard touchdown and the Bert Auburn PAT tied the game at 13.

Georgia had an answer of its own when it got the ball back as Stockton and the Georgia run game teamed up to go 72 yards on 16 plays, eating up almost nine and a half minutes of clock. It ended with another chips-shot field goal from Woodring to give the Bulldogs a 16-13 advantage.

Daylen Everette ended the Longhorns ensuing possession on third down with his second interception of the game and the Bulldogs took over at the Texas 28-yard line. After a two-yard run, a 10-yard holding penalty, and a five-yard run, disaster struck. Stockton dropped back and, when pressured, threw to his right where there were only Texas defenders. It was intercepted by Jahdae Barron and returned to the Longhorn 34-yard line.

Texas used that possession to draw even with just 18 seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs had a chance to end it on 4th and 3 at its own 48-yard line but Ewers found Moore for a four-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Auburn came on and hit his third field goal in five tries to that point, this time from 37 yards out.

That kick sent the game into overtime where Texas got the ball first. The Longhorns had it 1st and 10 from the Bulldog 14-yard line but went one yard backward before Auburn hit his fourth field goal of the day to give the Longhorns a lead.

Then Georgia went to work and finished the game. Stockton found Oscar Delp on 3rd and 4 to keep the drive alive. Then he ripped off an eight-yard run to the Texas five-yard line where he was hit hard by a Texas defender, knocking his helmet off. The play was flagged for targeting but replay overturned the call. Beck came back into the game for one play, handing it off to Etienne for the Bulldogs’ second walk-off touchdown in as many weeks.

Georgia is locked into the College Football Playoff where it will likely be the No. 2 seed and play in the Sugar Bowl. Their next game will be in 24 days on January 1.

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