ATHENS, GA. — The fifth-ranked University of Georgia team demonstrated their competitive spirit and strategic execution in their victory over No. 10 Texas on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs exhibited an aggressive approach on fourth downs, including in their own territory, and executed a successful surprise onside kick following an early fourth-quarter score. This bold strategy contributed to a final score of 35-10, in front of a sold-out crowd of 93,033 attendees for the high-profile matchup.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton achieved a career-high with four passing touchdowns, with wide receiver Noah Thomas catching two of these scores. The Bulldogs’ offense maintained strength throughout the game’s majority, despite periods of defensive resistance from both teams. Ultimately, Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC) secured the victory by capitalizing on their aggressive gameplay and inventive tactics against Texas (7-3, 4-2).
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with touchdowns on their initial two drives, establishing a 14-3 lead, and extended their advantage with three additional touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Stockton completed 24 of 29 passes for 229 yards, adding a rushing touchdown, and Georgia out-gained Texas with a total of 357 yards to Texas’ 274. Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw for 251 yards, with one touchdown and one interception on 27 completions out of 43 attempts, and was sacked three times. Georgia’s defense restricted Texas to just 23 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Linebacker Chris Cole led defensively with seven tackles, including one for a loss.
This game marked Georgia’s second victory over Texas in 2024, having previously defeated them in Austin and in the SEC Championship Game. Notably, Saturday’s contest was the first time Georgia hosted Texas in Athens, with their only prior in-state meeting occurring in Atlanta in 1957. The win evened the all-time series at four wins apiece.
The game commenced with Texas moving effectively until reaching the Georgia 20-yard line. Strategic defensive stops limited the Longhorns to a 33-yard field goal by Mason Shipley, giving Texas a 3-0 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first quarter.
Georgia responded promptly with an impressive drive, culminating in Stockton’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas, giving the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead. Stockton’s contributions during this sequence included a 6-for-7 passing effort for 57 yards and a 20-yard rushing gain. Following a three-and-out stop by Georgia’s defense, the Bulldogs capitalized again as Stockton connected with Thomas from the 4-yard line, extending their lead to 14-3 with 12:49 remaining in the first half. Additionally, Stockton connected with Zachariah Branch for a 30-yard gain, moving inside the Texas 10.
Defensive stops continued to play a crucial role, with safety KJ Bolden intercepting Manning at Georgia’s 16-yard line, though Georgia’s offense was unable to capitalize on this turnover. Texas advanced to Georgia’s 46-yard line before being forced into a three-and-out, aided by a 26-yard punt. Georgia regained possession at their 16-yard line with 2:57 left before halftime. A key reception from Stockton to tight end Oscar Delp for 23 yards set up a drive that resulted in Georgia taking a 14-3 lead into halftime. Stockton’s first-half stats included a 14-of-17 passing performance for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while Manning’s stat line read 12-of-19 for 125 yards with an interception.
In the third quarter, Texas’ defense made a significant play by intercepting Stockton at the Bulldogs’ 36-yard line, resulting in Manning’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo, reducing Georgia’s lead to 14-10. This was the first score since the first half, marking a span of 11 drives without points for either team. Georgia responded swiftly with a drive that included a crucial fourth-down conversion, followed by a 30-yard touchdown catch by London Humphreys from Stockton, increasing the lead to 21-10 with 14:20 remaining.
Continuing their strategic aggressiveness, Georgia recovered an onside kick—its first successful attempt since 2013—at the Bulldogs’ 47-yard line. The drive culminated in Stockton’s fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 6-yard completion to tight end Lawson Luckie, extending the lead to 28-10 with 8:53 remaining. After a defensive stop, featuring a strip sack of Manning by linebacker Zayden Walker inside the Texas 10-yard line, Georgia pushed the lead further, with Stockton rushing for a four-yard touchdown to make it 35-10 with 4:43 left.
“It made the decision for us, there were a couple things working there. We were 21-10, we just took the lead to an eleven-point game. I’m looking at it since we’ve got the best returner in the country. If you kick it to him there’s a chance he houses it, there’s a chance he gets it to the 50-yard line,” Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said. “We felt like we had about an 80% chance on the onside based on our rate. We thought it was there, we worked it, we prepared for it. The hardest thing to do is call that call after a scored touchdown because you could theoretically lose momentum but it was executed well by two players who on Monday in 20-degree weather and 20 miles per hour wind, they were practicing it.”
Looking ahead, Georgia will host Charlotte in their final home game of the regular season next Saturday. The kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.
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