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Georgia is your 2024 SEC champion.
Following a back-and-forth SEC Championship Game in Atlanta on Saturday, the Bulldogs walked away with a 22-19 win and secured a first-round bye into the College Football Playoff. With both teams entering the game ranked in the CFP Top 5, the loser was never going to be in danger of missing the CFP, but the winner would get one of those coveted top 4 seeds and the bye that came with it.
For Georgia, which saw quarterback Carson Beck and punter Brett Thorson exit with injuries, that bye will be huge.
Georgia trailed 6-3 at the halftime break, but it had to feel like the 3-point margin was a blessing. Texas gained 260 yards in the first half and held Georgia to 54 yards. The Longhorns threw for 228 yards. But penalties and miscues — a Quinn Ewers interception and a missed field goal — kept the Dawgs firmly in the game.
Beck was knocked out on the final play of the second quarter with an apparent injury to his throwing arm.
Gunner Stockton replaced him in the second half and completed 12 of his 16 pass attempts for 71 yards.
With Stockton at the controls, Georgia scored 10 unanswered in the third quarter and then kicked a field goal with 4:32 remaining to go up 3.
On the ensuing drive, Ewers was picked off by Georgia defensive back Daylen Everette for the second time in the game and Georgia looked like it was close to securing its second SEC title in 3 years.
Instead, Stockton threw an errant pass on third-and-13 that was picked off by Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron and returned to the Texas 34. The Longhorns took over with 2:30 to play and kicked a 37-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to tie and force overtime.
In the overtime period, Texas got the ball first and was forced to settle for a field goal.
Georgia took over knowing a touchdown would win it. On a third-and-3, Stockton hit tight end Oscar Delp for 4 yards and a conversion. On a second-and-8, Stockton took off to pick up 8 yards with his legs. On the play, he took a heavy shot from Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba that jettisoned his helmet off.
Beck, unable to lift his right arm, went back into the game and handed off to Trevor Etienne for a 4-yard, game-winning touchdown.
Carson Beck comes back for the final play and GEORGIA WINS THE SEC pic.twitter.com/q3UUA7M0KH
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 8, 2024
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
