Georgia slams Texas 35-10 in showdown for the SEC and the playoff

Georgia followed its typical pattern this season and improved as the game went on, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter in a 35-10 rout of Texas.

Texas, the AP preseason No. 1, sees its slim playoff hopes vanish in the blowout loss on the road. Georgia’s 9-1 record beats out 8-2 Alabama, likely putting the Bulldogs in position for the SEC Championship game.

Georgia backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi subs in for Stockton with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Stockton finished the outing with 229 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 29 rushing yards and a rushing score.

Stockton is heating up at the right time. He’s thrown for 13 touchdowns over the past three outings and 19 this season.

A defeated Longhorns team goes three-and-out in less than a minute after Georgia’s pair of scores. With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs punch it in for another one.

This time, Stockton runs the ball in for a four-yard rushing touchdown. Georgia leads 35-10.

Just over five minutes later, Georgia finds the end zone for the fourth time tonight. Stockton notched his fourth passing touchdown of the evening with a six-yard completion to tight end Lawson Luckie.

Orange shirts and jerseys begin to leave the stadium as Georgia holds an 18-point lead with 8:53 remaining.

A six-minute drive extended by two fourth-down conversions ends with a 30-yard touchdown caught by Georgia receiver London Humphreys. Georgia’s lead extends to 21-10.

The Bulldogs shock Texas moments later and opt for a surprise onside kick, which was recovered at Georgia’s 47-yard line by Cash Jones. Stockton and the Bulldogs’ offense return to the field moments after they left it.

The third half is underway in Athens, and it isn’t going as smoothly for Georgia as the first two quarters did. The Bulldogs went three-and-out to start the half.

Gunner Stockton was intercepted by standout Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. on the following drive, giving Arch Manning possession at Georgia’s 36-yard line. Manning found Ryan Wingo for a 7-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 14-10 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

It was a near-flawless first half for Georgia. Quarterback Gunner Stockton led two productive drives, both ending in touchdowns from receiver Noah Thomas. The same can’t be said for Texas. Three of the Longhorns’ six first-half possessions resulted in a punt, one was an interception and the other was a set of downs to end the half.

Third downs have been a big difference-maker, with Texas failing to convert on all six of its attempts. The Bulldogs are 3-for-6 on third-down conversions. Georgia also had the edge in time of possession (16:22).

It didn’t take Stockton long to reach 100 passing yards tonight.

Stockton completed four passes for 46 yards on Georgia’s second drive of the night, that included a 30-yard pass to Zachariah Branch. The Bulldogs’ second drive ended the same way the first one did – with a Noah Thomas receiving touchdown.

Quarterback Arch Manning got the Longhorns’ offense rolling early, leading a 13-play, 59-yard drive to start the game. Manning found Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore Jr., Jack Endries and Quintrevion Wisner on an opening drive resulting in a 33-yard field goal.

The Bulldogs promptly responded with a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Gunner Stockton was 6-of-7 for 57 yards on the drive, and he carried the ball twice for 18 yards. Stockton found Noah Thomas for a 17-yard touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead.

Alabama took its first lead of the night midway through the third quarter, thanks to a one-yard rushing touchdown from Daniel Hill. Momentum slowed as Alabama went three-and-out and fumbled on the next two drives.

The Sooners took advantage of prime field position and responded to the fumble with a 24-yard field goal to take a 23-21 lead. The Crimson Tide were held scoreless in the fourth quarter with another three-and-out and a late turnover on downs, setting Oklahoma up for victory formation.

Texas received two big blows on its way to the playoff last season, both at the hands of Georgia.

But if those two losses provide incentive for the 10th-ranked Longhorns as they prepare to meet No. 5 Georgia for the third time in two seasons, the players aren’t conceding that publicly.

Texas has more tangible motivation than retribution when it plays at Georgia on Saturday.

The Longhorns can’t afford a loss if they hope to reach the SEC championship game for the second time in two seasons as a league member. And losing a third game overall would marginalize them as a contender for their third straight trip to the College Football Playoff.

“The SEC championship, that’s all the motivation we need for this game,” edge rusher Colin Simmons said.

▶Read more about Texas’ playoff hopes

The door to a top-four CFP ranking has creaked open for No. 5 Georgia after No. 4 Alabama fell 23-21 to Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide now sit at 8-2 overall and 6-1 in SEC play.

With a win tonight against Texas, Georgia’s record would improve to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in conference, making a convincing case for the No. 4 spot and the first-round bye in the College Football Playoff that comes with it. Of course, the Bulldogs’ sole loss was to Alabama in Week 5.

Several thousand people lined up for the Dawg Walk, an Athens home-game tradition where Georgia players walk down Lumpkin Street before preparing for the game.

Some fans say they’ve cheered at the spot for the team bus for over 40 years.

The Longhorns opened the season with a loss at Ohio State and later played four straight games away from Austin.

They lost at Florida, beat Oklahoma in Dallas and defeated Kentucky and Mississippi State before returning home against Vanderbilt. The Kentucky and Mississippi games both went to overtime.

Quarterback Arch Manning has improved after a difficult start to the season — emblematic of a team that was AP preseason No. 1, stumbled to a 3-2 start while often looking unsightly, and then regained some traction.

Texas (7-2, 4-1) will take a four-game winning streak into tonight’s game at Sanford Stadium.

Georgia (8-1, 6-1) extended its winning streak to five games with last week’s 41-21 win at Mississippi State.

Coach Kirby Smart called the win a “total team effort.”

Marcel Reed threw for a career-high 439 yards and three touchdowns and No. 3 Texas A&M rallied from a 27-point deficit to remain undefeated with a 31-30 victory over South Carolina earlier today.

It’s the biggest comeback in school history, eclipsing a 21-point rally by a Johnny Manziel-led team in a 52-48 win in the 2013 Chick-Fil-A Bowl over Duke. Entering Saturday, teams were 0-286 in Southeastern Conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more.

▶ Read more about what happened in Texas A&M vs South Carolina