Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: My Favorite Bulldog Victory over the Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are two proud programs that share a lot of history and wins.

So when they get together for the final game of the regular season each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, every Bulldog and every Yellow Jacket will give everything they have to make sure they come out on top.

But the Bulldogs have come victorious the majority of the time and according to the experts, this year will be no different.

As many times as the Bulldogs have defeated the Yellow Jackets, one of the most memorable victories came in 2006 at Sanford Stadium.

Georgia came into the game with a record of 7-4, 4-4 in the SEC, and unranked. Tech came into the game as the ACC Coastal Division champs and were on the verge of winning 10 games for the first time since 1998.

I was at the game and I attended as a media member working for a newspaper in Atlanta. As much as I thought Georgia had very good chance to taking down the Yellow Jackets, being very honest with myself, I had no idea how the game would play out.

Tech started the scoring when Travis Bell kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Jackets the early lead.

Georgia would respond late in the second quarter when linebacker Tony Taylor recovered a Reggie Ball fumble and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown. Bell would knock in another field goal before halftime to keep Tech within reach.

The game remained quiet until Tech running back Tashard Choice scored on a 10-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to give the Jackets the lead.

But it was the maturity of freshman quarterback Matthew Stafford that gave the Bulldogs the win over Georgia Tech.

Stafford led the Bulldogs down the field on a 12-play, 64-yard drive which ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi, and Stafford also connected with Massaquoi on the two-point conversion to give the Bulldogs the 15-12 lead with 1:45 left in the game, which would be the eventual final score.

I think what made this game memorable was the fact Tech was having the better season than Georgia.

The Yellow Jackets' only two losses were against Clemson and Notre Dame. Georgia Tech was looking to win the ACC title.

Georgia, on the other hand, had disappointing losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky and were looking to salvage its season with a win against their archrival.

However, the Bulldogs dominated an Auburn team that was ranked No. 5 in the nation the week before, and that momentum could have carried into the Tech game.

Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver took Calvin Johnson out of the game. Stafford, who had his share of struggles, outplayed Ball. That Georgia team was not going to let the Jackets win at Sanford Stadium, and the key players for the Bulldogs stepped up to the challenge.

With that win, it showed that no matter what Tech or Georgia does during the year, that all goes out the window when they get together.

The 2006 win over Tech was not the best played game by the Bulldogs, but it was one of the most exciting games of the series and with me being there in attendance, it will be a game that I will never forget.