By: Will Hearn & Matthew Herren
7 – Sacks by the Georgia Defense
Led by the SEC’s CO-Defensive Player of the Week, Jalon Walker, the Georgia defense amassed seven total sacks. The defensive Dawgs had their best performance of the season in Austin, Texas. Of those seven sacks, three resulted in forced fumbles. Two by starter Quinn Ewers and one by backup Arch Manning. Daylen Everette and Jalon Walker took the internet by storm. Everette forced the first fumble of the game with a disguised corner blitz Ewers never saw coming. Ewers got rocked from behind, and the momentum began to shift even further in Georgia’s favor. Four different Georgia players recorded sacks, including Jalon Walker with three total.
12.9 Million – Average Viewers
Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium was packed with celebrities from the likes of acting, golf, basketball, and music. The top-five matchup between the Dawgs and the Longhorns had an average of 12.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the season so far. In addition to being the most-watched game of the season, this average number of viewers marked the highest regular season audience since 2016. The game peaked at 14.1 million viewers. As Dan Jackson said the other day, “It’s a big game because we’re in it.”
1 – of the craziest overturned calls of all time
College football witnessed one of the most bizarre sequences between fans and officials. In the third quarter, Texas was flagged for defensive pass interference after Jahdae Barron intercepted Beck’s throw. The questionable call resulted in Longhorn students throwing bottles onto the field. The delay in the game resulted in the referees overturning the call “after discussion”, meaning that the actions by the crowd worked. While the SEC did come out with a statement resulting in fines for Texas, it is still one of the craziest overturned calls in recent memory, and something that fans will never forget.
4 – Turnovers forced by the Georgia Defense
Coming into the game, winning the turnover battle was a key to success for the Bulldogs’ road test with Texas. Schumann’s defense forced the Texas offense to turn the ball over four times, leading the Dawgs to a victory. While Beck and the Georgia offense turned the ball over three times themselves, their forced fumbles and interception won the turnover battle, which is a key stat when it comes to winning on the road in the SEC.
3 – Touchdowns from Trevor Etienne
Georgia’s leading rusher had his best game of the season by far, rushing for 87 yards and three touchdowns. The Florida transfer has been waiting all season for the “breakout game”, and he picked a perfect game to do so. He’s not done yet, though, next game is ETN’s “homecoming” game. He will return to the state of Florida and play against his former team in a game that will surely mean even more to him than the matchup against the No. 1 team.