Georgia Tech vs. Georgia: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate 2014 Score, Twitter Reaction

In what was arguably one of the wildest college football games of 2014, the No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets came from behind to beat the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs 30-24 in overtime Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets improved to 10-2 by winning the rivalry game affectionately known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, and they managed to do so away from home at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

As is often the case, Georgia Tech owed much of its success to its dominant, high-volume running game, according to ESPN College Football:

In the end, Tech needed every yard and every play to score its first win over Georgia since 2008, per SportsCenter:

Based on the first drive alone, it seemed quite possible that Georgia was poised to blow out the Yellow Jackets. It took just over four minutes for the Bulldogs to score a touchdown on their opening drive of the game.

Freshman running back Nick Chubb punched it in from one yard out on a fourth-down play, which was a precursor for what would be a huge first quarter for the first-year star.

According to Seth Emerson of The (Macon) Telegraph, Todd Gurley's replacement registered well over 100 total yards with three quarters still to play:

Chubb has been spectacular all season long, and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson even suggested prior to the game that Chubb is on an equal or greater level when compared to Gurley, per Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

"Chubb's really good," Johnson said. "Take nothing away from Todd Gurley because he was a really good player, too. You'd be hard-pressed to play between the two if you watched them play."

With that said, Chubb was far from perfect. Georgia had a golden opportunity to go up 14-0 late in the first quarter after a 65-yard run by Chubb got the Dawgs down to the 1-yard line. The Yellow Jackets came up with a huge momentum-shifter two plays later, though, as they forced Chubb to cough the ball up.

As demoralizing as that may have been, the Bulldogs were undaunted. In fact, the Georgia defense dominated early on and became the first team to hold the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the opening frame in more than a year, per ESPN Stats & Info:

After blocking a 37-yard field-goal attempt by Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker, Georgia once again drove all the way to the red zone early in the second quarter.

Their drive ended in familiar fashion, however, as they fumbled once again near the goal line. On this occasion, freshman running back Sony Michel was the culprit.

Having recovered two fumbles deep in their own territory, there is no question that the Jackets were leading a charmed life. With luck and momentum clearly on their side, Matt Chernoff of 680 The Fan wondered if they would be able to capitalize:

Although Georgia Tech struggled to move the ball for most of the first half, that changed on its final possession. The Yellow Jackets used 14 plays to drive 80 yards in less than three minutes, and it culminated in a seven-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Justin Thomas to senior wide receiver Darren Waller with just eight second remaining in the half.

With that, Georgia Tech went to the locker room tied at 7-7 despite being thoroughly outplayed for much of the opening 30 minutes.

The Yellow Jackets did manage to rush for 119 yards as a team, which has been their forte over the past several years. Chubb had 117 on his own for Georgia, though, which marked his seventh consecutive 100-yard effort, per the Bulldogs' official Twitter account:

Momentum was firmly on Georgia Tech's side at the start of the third quarter, as it received the ball to open the half and proceeded to orchestrate an impressive drive. Starting from their own 8-yard line, the Yellow Jackets used 11 consecutive runs to get down to Georgia's 2-yard line.

Just when it seemed like Georgia Tech was destined to score a touchdown and seize the lead, Georgia flipped the script from the first half. Thomas was stripped at the goal line by senior cornerback Damian Swann, who scooped up the loose ball and it took it 99 yards for a touchdown to put the Dawgs back up by a 14-7 score.

The play held up after review, and Swann made Georgia football history in the process, according to Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

After a poor Georgia Tech punt gave Georgia the ball at the Yellow Jackets' 36, the Bulldogs attempted a 49-yard field goal. In keeping with the flipped symmetry between the first and second halves, however, Marshall Morgan's kick was blocked.

Junior defensive lineman Adam Gotsis got his hand on the ball and furthered Georgia Tech's reputation as one of the nation's top kick-blocking teams in the process, per Yellow Jackets assistant athletic director Chris Yandle:

Aside from Thomas' fumble, Georgia Tech had a great deal of success on the ground to open the second half, so it decided to go back to the well. The Jackets executed an eight-play drive comprised entirely of runs with senior Zach Laskey racking up 31 yards, including a four-yard score to knot things up at 14-14.

Georgia's ensuing drive lasted for nearly six minutes, but it was once again plagued by red-zone woes.

Aided by a successful fake field goal that saw Morgan run for 28 yards, the Dawgs eventually had 1st-and-goal at the Jackets' 1-yard line. Unfortunately, two ineffective Chubb runs and an incomplete pass from quarterback Hutson Mason forced them to settle for a 19-yard field goal, which put them up 17-14.

The Bulldogs' failure to reach paydirt proved costly, as Georgia Tech once again ran the ball down Georgia's throat on the next drive. The Jackets utilized 13 straight runs to go 80 yards with Laskey once again capping things off.

"

Zach Laskey gives GT the lead. His 2nd TD today, and has 109 yards total. GT up 21-17 with 4:22 to go. #GTvsUGA

— ESPN ACC (@ESPN_ACC) November 29, 2014"

With Georgia needing a big drive in the closing minutes to come out on top, Georgia Tech reached into its bag of tricks. The Yellow Jackets successfully recovered an onside kick, but not in the traditional sense, per Yandle:

The Bulldogs were clearly caught off guard by Georgia Tech's pooch kick, and it put the Jackets in prime position to put their rivals away.

Tech started at the Georgia 27, so a field goal should have been the bare minimum result. Based on the chaotic nature of the game, though, perhaps it shouldn't have come as a big surprise when sophomore safety Quincy Mauger sacked Thomas, who fumbled while attempting to pump fake.

It was a borderline play, but Amarlo Herrera recovered for Georgia, and it was ruled a legitimate fumble.

With that, the Bulldogs had just under three minutes to drive 69 yards for a potential game-winning score.

Georgia quickly got the ball deep in Yellow Jackets territory, but started to sputter once again near the goal line. After failing to reach the end zone on three attempts from the 5-yard line, it came down to a 4th-and-goal situation.

Mason came through in the clutch when it counted, as he found junior wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell for a three-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining to put Georgia up 24-21.

Per Towers, the Georgia coaching staff put a great deal of trust in the somewhat inexperienced senior signal-caller by having him move outside the pocket:

All signs pointed toward a Georgia victory with just seconds remaining, but Tech managed to pull off a near-miracle. After a conservative kickoff allowed the Yellow Jackets to start from their own 43, Thomas ran 21 yards to the Georgia 36, which gave Butker a chance to tie it with a 53-yard field goal.

Despite having a much shorter kick blocked earlier in the contest, Butker remarkably converted to send the game to overtime.

As pointed out by Jeff Fischel of ACC Digital Network, the sophomore made it by the skin of his teeth:

The Jackets got the ball to start OT and ran the ball with ease, as Laskey carried four times and scored from two yards out for his third touchdown of the day.

In perhaps the most bizarre twist of all, Butker's extra point attempt was blocked mere minutes after nailing a 53-yard field goal, which meant Georgia needed only a touchdown and extra point to win.

Just when it seemed as though the Bulldogs were in the driver's seat, Mason threw only his fourth interception of the season with Georgia at the Jackets' 9-yard line. He was picked off by Georgia Tech junior defensive back D.J. White, which meant that the Yellow Jackets came away with an astonishing 30-24 victory.

While this nonconference game was about pride and positioning in the rankings more than anything, there is no doubt that the Yellow Jackets will enter next week's ACC Championship Game against Florida State with a ton of confidence after such an impressive win.

The Seminoles will be undefeated if they can take care of Florida Saturday, and they haven't lost since 2012. The Yellow Jackets needed some magic to beat the Bulldogs, but they looked great for long stretches while running the ball and should be a major challenge for Florida State.

Nothing remains on Georgia's schedule aside from a bowl game, so the loss may not have a major impact, but it will almost certainly knock the Dawgs out of the Top 10.

This is an extremely young team with plenty of growing and developing left to do, and although losing in such agonizing fashion is something the players may not soon forget, it could be key in terms of teaching them how to win.

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