Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
It’s the accepted name given to the annual Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry with a recent feel of a Real One-Sided Feud.
Since Georgia Tech’s win over the Bulldogs in 2000, Georgia won 16 of 19 over its in-state foes to dominate the Yellow Jackets since the turn of the century.
Much like previous seasons, Friday’s meeting in Athens presents the Yellow Jackets a season-shifting opportunity replete with a bonus of sinking the No. 7 Bulldogs’ postseason plans.
Georgia (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) jumped three spots in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings and already clinched their fourth-straight SEC Championship Game appearance last week when upsets ruled the conference slate. Ranked Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M all lost.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said the Dec. 7 title game is far in the periphery for the Bulldogs.
“My thoughts are on Georgia Tech,” Smart said. “I mean, it’s a great honor to be able to play in the SEC Championship game. It is probably one of the greatest events in all sports because the games that you play in are great matchups. But at this point in time, we don’t even know who that is, nor do I care. My concern is 100-percent with Georgia Tech because of what that game means to so many in this state, so many on our team, and what it means to this season and these seniors playing at home. So that’s the focus.”
Georgia will play the winner of No. 3 Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M next week and even without knowing the other variables at play, the Bulldogs understand the treasure at stake for the SEC title winner.
Last time out, the Bulldogs ran away from overmatched UMass in a 59-21 victory. Fifth-year quarterback Carson Beck threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Beck, who was picked off nine times in his previous four games, has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions in Georgia’s last two wins. A projected first-round draft pick, Beck has passed for 3,132 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
As injuries pile up in the backfield around Beck, freshman running back Nate Frazier was the star of Saturday’s win, rushing for career-highs of 136 yards and three touchdowns. Frazier, who leads the team with 537 rushing yards on the season, has handled the load due to Trevor Etienne’s nagging rib injury.
Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) has an emerging story of its own in recent weeks, with interest rising in the development of true freshman quarterback Aaron Philo.
Thrown into action following starter Haynes King’s shoulder injury suffered on Oct. 12 against North Carolina, the Yellow Jackets are deploying the tandem in a rotation.
In Georgia Tech’s last game – a 30-29 home win over North Carolina State – Philo orchestrated a 75-yard drive in the final minute, capped with his 18-yard go-ahead touchdown run.
A Bogart, Ga., native, Philo grew up less than 20 miles from Athens. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key is a former Yellow Jacket offensive lineman. A win Friday would have far more meaning than bragging rights.
“There’s a reason why (Georgia) is a top-10 team,” Key said. “They’ve got really good players, they’ve got really good coaches and they’re disciplined. They go out and they execute .they’re especially hard to play at their home stadium at night time. So we’re ready for a challenge. … It’s a big game. It’s the last game of the season. It’s a big game for a lot of people associated with both schools. You shouldn’t have to light a fire under people when you’re going into a week like this.”
Georgia Tech has won two games in a row, and is headed to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2014.
–Field Level Media
