Georgia Football: 5 Best Bulldogs Moments from Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Rivalry
On Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs will do battle with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the 108th time. Georgia has won 64 of the matchups, but this rivalry has heated up the last couple of years as the last two games went into overtime. The Yellow Jackets beat the Bulldogs last year for the first time since 2008.
The Bulldogs are looking to get back to their winning ways in the rivalry on Saturday to not only “run the state” for the rest of the year, but end a rough regular season on a high note.
Here’s a look at the five best Bulldog moments from the rivalry called “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.”
No. 5: Upset Tech in 1942
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Not too many fans were around to see the Bulldogs win the national title back in 1942, but the Bulldogs had a lot of great moments that year including a big win over Georgia Tech.
The reason the win was memorable was the Bulldogs came into the game ranked No. 5 in the country while the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 2. The Bulldogs not only won the game, but they shut out Georgia Tech 34-0. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 10-1 record and went on to beat UCLA 9-0 in the Rose Bowl.
The Bulldogs went on to win their first national title. Georgia Tech went on to finish the season with a 9-2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll.
No. 4: Mark Richt's First Win over the Yellow Jackets
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One of the reasons head coach Mark Richt was hired as the Bulldogs head coach back in 2001 was they wanted somebody who could beat Georgia Tech consistently.
Before the 2001 game, the Bulldogs lost three straight to the Yellow Jackets including the 1999 contest that went into overtime, the first in the history of the series.
Richt broke the streak in his first season with a 31-17 win. Verron Haynes rushed for 207 yards and Fred Gibson caught five passes for 135 yards.
That win started a winning streak against Georgia Tech that would go on for the next six years.
No. 3: The First Overtime Win over the Yellow Jackets
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The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have played in three overtime games in the series. The only overtime game the Bulldogs won was in 2013, and that game went into double overtime.
Todd Gurley had a huge game against the Yellow Jackets, rushing for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Gurley also had 36 receiving yards and one score. Hutson Mason played well, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns.
What made the win sweeter for Bulldogs is the Yellow Jackets took at 20-0 lead in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered points and pushed the Yellow Jackets into extra time.
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No. 2: The Blowout in 2002
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The 2002 campaign was one Bulldog fans will remember for so many reasons. But the Georgia win over Georgia Tech was a game for the ages simply because of the beating the Bulldogs put on the Yellow Jackets.
The final score was 51-7 and it was the most lopsided win in the history of the series. The Bulldogs ended the game in the first half as they led 34-0. Musa Smith rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown while David Greene threw for 205 yards and one touchdown.
"I wasn't expecting this,'' Greene said after the game via ESPN.com. "We jumped on them early and kept them on their heels all day long. We never let them get any rhythm.''
The Bulldogs went to win the SEC title and the Sugar Bowl.
No. 1: Winning the First Governor's Cup
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The 1995 game was an important one for both schools because it would mark the first time the winner would take home the Governor’s Cup.
Thanks to quarterback Hines Ward (yes quarterback Hines Ward), the Bulldogs rallied to beat the Yellow Jackets 18-17 to win the Governor’s Cup. Ward threw for 242 yards and one touchdown while Torin Kirtsey rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
The win would lead the Bulldogs to a 15-5 record against Tech in the Governor’s Cup era. Currently, the Bulldogs have won five of the last six against the Yellow Jackets.
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