It’s the biggest game of them all when it comes to the Red & Black – and the Old Gold as well – Georgia and Tech, the ancient enemies square off Saturday at high noon from Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field.
Tech is coming off a 55-0 loss at Notre Dame. The Yellow Jackets are 3-8 on the season. The game in South Bend was uncharacteristic for Tech. Of the eight losses this season, five have come by nine or fewer points.
Georgia improved to 11-0 with a 56-7 win over Charleston Southern on Senior Day in Athens. The Bulldogs had played eight straight games against Southeastern Conference foes. After the tuneup against the Buccaneers, every game is now for a championship. That begins with the battle for the Governor’s Cup and the state championship.
Dating back to 2001, Georgia has won 10 consecutive games against Tech at Grant Field. The Bulldogs have won three straight against the Yellow Jackets since 2017. Going back to 2001, Georgia has won 16 of the last 19 overall in the series. Last season, due to … well, everyone knows, these two did not play each other for the first time since 1924. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Tech 68-39-5.
Kirby Smart, in the sixth season as the head coach at his alma mater, has talked all season about playing to a standard and the Bulldogs, despite tremendous success thus far this season, not being a finished product. Even with the overwhelming 49-point margin of victory against Charleston Southern, there was a lot for Smart to point to for improvement. Namely with turnovers. The Bulldogs had three against Charleston Southern.
So as Georgia pursues the state championship, Smart is driving his team to play at a peak performance. Along with the ramifications of this all-important in-state battle, Georgia is also riding some history. Dating back to last season’s 4-0 close to the season, Georgia has won 15 consecutive games. That is tied for the second longest winning streak in school history, along with the 15 straight Georgia won from the 1979 Tech game through the 1981 Cal victory, primarily encompassed by the 12-0 national championship season of 1980. The school record of 17 straight wins was set from the middle of the 1945 campaign through the 1947 season opener, primarily made up of the perfect 11-0 SEC championship season of 1946.
The pursuit of history continues, as these Bulldogs try to become the first Georgia team since the 1980 national champions to post a 12-0 record in a season. Spoiling the Bulldogs dreams would make the Jackets season.