Fourth-Quarter Grit Fueled Another Comeback

By Kyle Tatelbaum
UGA Sports Communications

For nearly a decade, Kirby Smart's teams have built their dominance on a simple principle: be hard to kill. This fall, that familiar relentlessness has returned, perhaps with more late-game nerve than ever.

Georgia's 43–35 win over Ole Miss last Saturday night in Athens added another entry to the pattern. The Bulldogs, who moved up to fifth from ninth in the latest Associated Press Top 25, again surrendered points early, faced a deficit at halftime, and had a remarkable performance in the second half. While Georgia's offense was strong throughout — it never punted and finished with 510 yards — the defense surrendered touchdowns on the Rebels' first five possessions before responding with three consecutive stops in the fourth quarter: two three-and-outs and a decisive stand to cause a turnover on downs.

"I just told the guys that's a culture win because you don't win that game if you're not physically tough, mentally tough. We call it hard to kill. The one thing we are, we're hard to kill. We won't go away," said Smart after Georgia scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought win over the previously undefeated Rebels, who dropped from fifth to eighth in the AP poll.

Over the past month, Georgia's defense has turned halftime into a reset button. Since the team's 44–41 win over Tennessee, the Bulldogs have yielded just 21 points across eight quarters of second-half football.

Staring with Alabama on Sept. 27, Georgia flipped a switch, erasing a 21-point deficit, holding the Crimson Tide scoreless after halftime and nearly finishing the comeback. At Auburn on Oct. 11, the Bulldogs did it again, shutting out the Tigers while permitting just 40 yards and zero third-down conversions after the break.

One week later, Ole Miss met the same fate. After falling behind early, Georgia's defense flipped the tone of the game with suffocating pressure. A 3-yard touchdown run by Nate Frazier cut the gap to two points, and shortly after, cornerback Daylen Everette's deflection on a third-down throw forced the game's first punt of the night, igniting the Georgia sideline and stands.

"Deafening; by far the loudest this stadium has been," ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said during the TV broadcast of the crowd after Everette's pass breakup to complete the first Ole Miss three-and-out.

The Bulldogs, now invigorated, marched 67 yards to the end zone, where tight end Lawson Luckie gave Georgia the lead, 40-35, on his third touchdown catch of the game, one shy of his career total entering the night. On the Rebels' next drive they faced a third-and-9 when defensive back Demello Jones's left hand knocked the ball loose from Harrison Wallace III's grasp to force another three-and-out.

After a 10-play, 66-yard drive — Georgia scored on all eight of its possessions before the end-game kneel-downs — resulted in a 42-yard field goal from Peyton Woodring to extend the lead to eight, 43-35, the Bulldogs needed another stand to seal the victory and secure a third fourth-quarter shutout in their past four games.

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacey started the drive with a 12-yard draw up the middle for a first down, indicating the previous two Ole Miss drives were an exception. Georgia's defensive unit promptly disagreed. Mississippi's quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, missed his target on first down and did so again a play later, pressured by defensive tackle Josh Horton. On fourth down, following another pass deflection from Everette, Horton answered the bell again. The redshirt sophomore twisted around three Ole Miss linemen to reach the right edge of the Rebel line to bat down Chambliss' throw and call game. Just like that, Georgia did it again.

"The most resilient team in college football, the Georgia Bulldogs," Herbstreit said. "They did not look good early. They just keep together. They just believe."

In its last four games, Georgia has delivered eight second-half takeaways compared to three in the first half: five on downs, two interceptions and one fumble, while allowing 40 total second-half yards to Auburn and no second-half points to either Alabama or Auburn. Against Alabama, the Bulldogs converted a three-point halftime deficit into a 24–21 finish by forcing two key stops, including one on fourth down deep in their own territory.

"I think that was something that was put in place way before we got here — that's a culture thing," linebacker CJ Allen said of the second-half shutdowns. "Fourth quarter, you go through all the programs in the summer, spring, all the conditioning, all the workouts, all the lifting, just for moments like that."

This iteration of Georgia looks less like the overwhelming juggernaut of recent years and more like a team rediscovering how to finish. Saturday marked the third time this season that the Bulldogs' defense flipped a game's tone after halftime.

"I always felt like we've got good fourth-quarter teams," Smart said. "We've always been really a good, physical win-the-game-in-the-fourth-quarter team."

University of Georgia Athletics

Players Mentioned

CJ Allen

Daylen Everette

Nate Frazier

Josh Horton

Demello Jones

Lawson Luckie

Peyton Woodring

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