Georgia weathers bizarre overturned call to beat No. 1 Texas

Georgia weathers bizarre overturned call to beat No. 1 Texas

Georgia weathers bizarre overturned call to beat No. 1 Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had been anticipating a complete performance from his team, and it finally came in the No. 5 Bulldogs' 30-15 upset win over No. 1 Texas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.


After trailing by four touchdowns in a 41-34 loss to Alabama three weeks earlier, Georgia turned things around, jumping to a 23-0 halftime lead over Texas. The Bulldogs' defense dominated, sacking Texas quarterbacks seven times and recording 10 tackles for loss. The Longhorns were held to 259 yards of total offense, with just 29 rushing yards, while going 2-for-14 on third downs and 1-for-5 on fourth downs.


This victory, Georgia's first at Texas since 1958, handed the Longhorns their first loss of the season. With Texas being the last unbeaten SEC team, it marked the first time since 2007 that every SEC team had suffered a loss before the end of October, according to ESPN Research.


A strange sequence of events in the third quarter nearly shifted the momentum. With Texas trailing 23-8, Longhorns safety Jahdae Barron intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck's pass at the Bulldogs' 9-yard line. Initially, Barron was penalized for pass interference, returning the ball to Georgia, but the call was reversed after further review, prompting an angry protest from Kirby Smart.


Texas capitalized with a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quinn Ewers to Jaydon Blue, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 23-15. But Georgia responded with a long drive, capped by Trevor Etienne's fourth-and-goal 1-yard touchdown run, extending their lead to 30-15 early in the fourth quarter.


Ewers, who struggled in the first half and was briefly benched, helped Texas score after Georgia's failed onside kick attempt to open the second half. However, Georgia's defense remained dominant throughout, preventing Texas from mounting a serious comeback.


Georgia's early offensive efforts, led by Etienne's two touchdowns and a strong defensive performance by players like Jalon Walker, helped secure the victory. Walker, with seven tackles and three sacks, became the first player to record such stats against a No. 1-ranked AP team in 20 years.