Quarterback Carson Beck shakes off his frustration and saves Georgia against Georgia Tech

So that’s what Beck did. There would be many, many more plays in this epic game at Sanford Stadium. Beck made a lot of good hits as the Bulldogs tied it with a minute left in regulation and beat Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes.

After that three-pointer, Beck ended Georgia’s scoring drought with a touchdown pass to Oscar Delp. His second TD throw cut Georgia’s deficit to one touchdown. Beck threw another TD pass to tie the score in regulation time and one in each of the first two overtime periods before rules turned the game into an attrition with two-point attempts.

“I have to watch the tape to really see how he played,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Beck. “But I know how he leads.”

Smart said Beck doesn’t typically show much emotion during games. That was notable when he openly showed his irritation on the sideline early in the third quarter. Beck said Ratledge’s message was simple: “Just keep going.”

“I should have emotions,” Beck said. “Of course I will be frustrated if we didn’t score at all. We have to write points on the board. Our defense needs us. They are doing their job. We have to do ours.

“I was just frustrated and (teammates) just came over to pick me up.”

Beck picked up the Bulldogs from there. On the three-pointer on the first drive after halftime, he was 11 of 20 passing for 115 yards. From that point on, he was 17 of 23 for 182 yards and five touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets were better than the Bulldogs for most of the game. They had a chance to beat Georgia when they got going with 3:33 left in regulation and a 27-20 lead. Georgia’s defense gave Beck another chance. Dan Jackson forced a fumble that his teammate Chaz Chambliss recovered at the Tech 32-yard line with 2:02 left.

The Bulldogs had a chance to make or win a game that seemed lost just moments before. What was Beck’s mindset at this point?

“We will win the game 100%,” he said. “I feel confident in situations like this. We practiced it. I’ve been through it. We made it. If the ball is in my hands, we will win.”

That’s what finally happened. The teams played so many overtimes that Beck couldn’t remember immediately afterwards how many there were.

Starting in the third OT, the teams alternated with two-point attempts. Neither was able to convert in the third and fourth overtime periods. They traded points in the fifth overtime before both teams failed to score in the sixth and seventh overtimes.

“I think it’s definitely the craziest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Beck said. “But our group showed tonight that we were resilient. And we’ve proven that time and time again this season, that no matter the circumstances, we will never give up.”

The eighth overtime set the record for longest SEC game. Tech went first and was unable to score. Georgia won the game by two points thanks to Nate Frazier’s run. Smart said the Bulldogs had two options for the play and Beck chose the right one.

It turns out that Beck’s part-time frustration was a temporary state.

“Carson is doing well,” Smart said. “I’m sure he was frustrated. We are all frustrated. Carson pulls himself together and plays the next piece. That’s all he can do. He saw everything and was there. It’s nothing that stresses me out about him.”

Beck didn’t save Georgia’s season. The Bulldogs could have lost this game and still made the College Football Playoff by winning the SEC Championship Game on December 7th. But thanks to Beck, Georgia extended its home winning streak to 31 games and defeated Tech for the seventh straight time.

Beck said it could be his last home game for Georgia. If the Bulldogs win the SEC title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they will almost certainly receive a bye to the second round of the playoffs. Beck is expected to declare for next year’s NFL draft, although he declined to say so after this game.

Beck lingered on the field after the emotional victory.

“I just took a second and looked around and tried to take it all in and just enjoy it,” Beck said.