Tate Finally Lives Up to His Promise and Leads Georgia Past Tech, 31-24

Lars Tate was a disappointment until Georgia was forced to play him.

Tate, who became a starter because of an injury to Tim Worley, rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead the Bulldogs to a 31-24 victory over Georgia Tech.

“You never like to lose a player like Worley,” Georgia Coach Vince Dooley said. “But having Lars Tate on hand made it a lot easier to adjust.”

Georgia Tech (5-5-1) took a 24-21 lead on Rick Strom’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Gary Lee with 11 seconds left in the third quarter, but Georgia (8-3) pulled even on Steve Crumley’s 39-yard field goal with 10:10 remaining.

Tate’s five-yard scoring run with 4:38 left sent the Bulldogs into the Hall of Fame Bowl against Boston College Dec. 23 on a winning note.

“I’m very proud of the way our team played,” Dooley said. “There were many chances when we could have folded. But we were able to hang in there, keep fighting and find a way to win in the fourth quarter.”

Tate, a 209-pound junior from Indianapolis who failed to live up to expectations in past seasons, became Georgia’s No. 1 tailback when Worley was lost for the season in the fourth game.

Tate earned All-Southeastern Conference honors and has rushed for 954 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. He scored on runs of four, nine and five yards Saturday.

Keith Henderson added 116 yards rushing for the Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech scored first on Malcolm King’s one-yard run with 2:46 left in the first quarter. Georgia tied it, 7-7, with 5:36 left in the first half on Tate’s first touchdown, then fell behind, 14-7, when Georgia Tech’s Jerry Mays scored on a five-yard run 4:57 before halftime.

The Bulldogs pulled even again with 1:48 left in the first half when James Jackson threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Nathaniel Lewis.

Georgia then went ahead, 21-14, on Tate’s second scoring run midway through the third period.

David Bell kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal for Georgia Tech before the Yellow Jackets took the lead heading into the final quarter.

Georgia Tech threatened in the closing moments on the passing of Strom, who completed 15 of 26 for 223 yards, but Mays failed to gain on fourth and one at the Georgia 46 with 90 seconds left.

“The better team won today,” Georgia Tech Coach Bill Curry said. “Georgia did the things right when they had to, especially toward the end of the game when everything was on the line.

“We called some of the same plays in the second half that we had in the first, but Georgia’s coverage was different and better.”

Lee helped set up Georgia Tech’s first two touchdowns with receptions of 45 and 55 yards. But after catching 3 passes for 108 yards in the first half, Lee’s only second-half reception was his touchdown.