Another SEC Championship Game is in the books after a historic matchup between the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, and the radio broadcast during the game-winning score sums up the emotion from Saturday night’s epic finish. It was the fourth-straight SEC title game appearance for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, who entered the matchup as narrow underdogs. On the other side, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns were making their first SEC championship appearance in program history after coming over from the Big 12 in the offseason. The two met earlier in the season with Georgia pulling out a 30-15 victory on the road in Austin. Texas had not lost a game since that night, while the Bulldogs had faltered against Ole Miss in November.
There was certainly a lot on the line in the rematch, with the winner heading to the College Football Playoff with an automatic bid and a first-round bye. The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Texas Longhorns in overtime in the 2024 SEC Championship game. Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images An SEC defensive battle ensued in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both offenses struggled to find points in the first half with Texas clinging to a 6-3 lead at the break. UGA had just 54 yards of total offense by halftime, while the Longhorns had racked up 260.
Georgia faced some adversity in the second half, as star quarterback Carson Beck missed the majority of the second half after going down with an upper extremity injury on the final play of the second quarter. Redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton took the helm and engineered a second-half comeback. While Texas and star quarterback Quinn Ewers ultimately answered when needed, the game would come down to the wire. For the first time in SEC Championship Game history, the score was tied at the end of regulation, setting up an overtime finish for the conference crown.
Texas kicked a field goal on the first possession in overtime, giving Stockton and company a chance to win the game with a touchdown. After losing his helmet on a vicious hit from the Longhorns, Stockton was replaced by Beck for the game’s final play. UGA tailback Trevor Etienne took an inside handoff from Beck and found the end zone for the second time on the night, handing the Bulldogs a 22-19 victory. An emotional victory like that is often times summarized perfectly by the winning side’s radio broadcast. UGA play-by-play broadcaster, Scott Howard, gave an electric take on Etienne’s score.
Hand it to Etienne straight ahead,” Howard said. “Touchdown, touchdown – Dawgs are SEC champions. Dawgs have won it.”
The Bulldogs avenged their SEC championship loss to Alabama from last season. Georgia was bounced out of the playoff race because of that 3-point loss to the Crimson Tide. But Smart and company won’t have to worry about a controversial decision by the playoff committee this season, as UGA has secured a top seed and a first-round bye. The semifinals will be played from Dec. 31-Jan. 1, allowing Georgia (11-2) to heal up from the nation’s toughest regular-season schedule. Texas will await its new ranking during Sunday’s final playoff rankings reveal.