Georgia collapsed. There's no excuse for allowing a team to score in 18 seconds at the end of the fourth quarter. But coach Mark Richt decided to execute a squib kick which allowed Georgia Tech to start on their own 43. A Justin Thomas 21-yard scamper set up the game-tying 53-yard FG. Two plays. That's all it took for Georgia Tech to send the game into overtime. Hutson Mason threw a game-ending INT in OT, which snapped the five-game winning streak over GT with a 30-24 loss. After the game, a dejected Richt spoke with the media to recap the loss:
Overall thoughts on the game ...
"I'm very proud of the players and how they played heroically. I'm disappointed the way it ended. ... They guys played with a lot of heart and soul and put us in position to
win. I'm so proud of the way they played and I'm sad it ended the way it did."
On the squib kick ...
"I'm disappointed in my decision to squib kick. That gave them the field position to get it in range and kick it. That was a poor decision on my part. That was no one's
decision but mine."
On needing touchdowns more than field goals today ...
"That's usually the case in a game like this. They were calculated risks, but they were things we believed we could get done, so we took the risks and most times it
worked."
On Tech's third-quarter time of possession ...
"They had a lot of time of possession. They had a long drive, then we ripped it out and scored and we had to go back out and play defense again. That's just part of the
game. They did a good job of being methodical running the ball. We got some stops when we needed to, but we just didn't get it done in the end."
On the last play of the game ...
"It was a slant route and the guy jumped it. He did a good job of undercutting it."
On plays at the goal-line today ...
"Goal-line plays were very interesting. We fumbled twice and we ripped one out and scored. The goal-line offenses for both struggled at times. It was unusual."
On the fake field goal ...
"We knew if they came hard off the edge there would be a chance to get it. Unfortunately, we didn't score a touchdown, but we were in a lot better shape when we kicked a
field goal. It was a calculated risk, but it was one we had repped and had faith in and executed it well."
On Georgia's last scoring drive in regulation ...
"We believed if we got the ball again, we had a chance to score, and sure enough we did. It was a dramatic drive, scoring on fourth down. It looked like it was over, but
obviously it wasn't."
