A Renaissance Legend
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech 2022
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech 2022
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A VIEW FROM ... ATLANTA PG. 55 | BUTLER’S PLAYERS PG. 59 | JD’S TOP 15 PG. 78<br />
SPORTS<br />
STETSON BENNETT LEADS<br />
HIS FELLOW SENIORS INTO<br />
THEIR FINAL GAME IN<br />
SANFORD STADIUM!<br />
PHOTO BY: ROB SAYE<br />
GEORGIA VS GEORGIA TECH<br />
GAME TIME: NOON<br />
CHANNEL: ESPN<br />
GEORGIA VS GEORGIA TECH<br />
BY: JEFF DANTZLER<br />
<strong>Legend</strong>ary Hall of Fame Georgia coach Dan Magill always called<br />
the annual battle with the in-state rival Yellow Jackets, “the<br />
biggest game of all.” There may be some teams that Bulldog fans<br />
would rather beat, but there is no foe where a loss stings more.<br />
It’s a high noon kickoff Between the Hedges, as top-ranked,<br />
11-0 reigning national champion Georgia hosts 5-6 Tech.<br />
Georgia is coming off a physical, old school 16-6 victory over<br />
Kentucky in frigid Lexington, which wrapped up Southeastern<br />
Conference play for the Bulldogs with a perfect 8-0 record. Kirby<br />
Smart’s Bulldogs have posted 8-0 SEC records in back-to-back<br />
years. That’s only the third time that has happened since the<br />
league split into division play back in 1992. Steve Spurrier led<br />
Florida to back-to-back 8-0 conference marks in 1995 and 1996,<br />
and Nick Saban (with a young Smart as his defensive coordinator)<br />
led Alabama to consecutive 8-0 SEC records in 2008 and 2009.<br />
Overall, the Bulldogs have won 29 of the last 30 games, dating<br />
back to 2020. Georgia has won 13 straight contests, going<br />
back to last season’s Orange Bowl victory over Michigan in the<br />
College Football Playoff, and the Dogs have been victorious in 26<br />
successive regular season contests.<br />
For the fifth time in the last six seasons (with 2020 being the<br />
exception), the Bulldogs are bound for the SEC Championship<br />
Game with a record of either 11-1 or 12-0. A victory over the<br />
Yellow Jackets would make it the latter.<br />
While Tech is seeking the upset. After a rough start to the<br />
season, the Yellow Jackets parted ways with Geoff Collins, who<br />
had been at the helm on North Avenue since 2019.<br />
Things looked bleak for the Jackets. But Brent Key took over and<br />
has turned things around.<br />
The Yellow Jackets were 1-3 when Collins was fired. Since, Key<br />
has led them to four victories, highlighted by a stunning 21-17<br />
victory over North Carolina this past week in Chapel HIll. A<br />
win in Athens, where the Jackets are 3-3 in their last six games<br />
with Georgia in Sanford Stadium, would push Key’s team to<br />
bowl eligibility. That seemed like an extreme long-shot back in<br />
September.<br />
Smart’s Bulldogs have won four straight against Tech by a<br />
cumulative score of 180-35. Since 2001, Georgia is 17-3 against<br />
the Yellow Jackets.<br />
There is so much on the line. A win over Tech would not only<br />
deliver the Governor’s Cup, state pride and bragging rights, it<br />
would greatly increase the odds of Georgia returning to the<br />
College Football Playoff.<br />
A raucous crowd similar to the one that helped deliver<br />
Georgia’s epic victory over Tennessee would be a big lift, as<br />
these Bulldogs of 2022 continue to march towards making their<br />
own history.<br />
BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED 47 ISSUE FOURTEEN • GEORGIA TECH