Goff Is Leaving Georgia a Winner : College football: A late 34-yard field goal gives fired coach an 18-17 victory over Georgia Tech.

Kanon Parkman thought he had blown Georgia’s opportunity to give fired Coach Ray Goff a victory in his farewell game.

He didn’t.

Parkman’s 34-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining knuckled through the uprights as the Bulldogs rallied from a 14-0 deficit to beat Georgia Tech, 18-17, Thursday.

“I told Kanon that was the worst looking field goal that looked best I’ve ever seen in my life,” Goff said.

Said Parkman: “When I looked at it, I thought it was short. It wasn’t pretty, but it was good.”

He said he kicked the ground behind the ball in his attempt to get off a high kick. “It was sort of like a chip shot out of the rough.”

Torin Kirtsey, benched for the opening quarter as punishment for missing two practices during the week, scored both Georgia touchdowns.

At game’s end, victorious Goff was hoisted on his players’ shoulders.

He was fired Saturday because the Bulldogs (6-5) failed to show the “significant improvement” mandated by Athletic Director Vince Dooley when he kept Goff on the job after last year’s 6-4-1 record.

“I’m just very thankful that we came back,” Goff said. “If you’re gonna leave, it’s really hard to leave if you lose your last game to your biggest rival. For me going out, it adds a little sweetness to it.”

The defeat knocked the Yellow Jackets (6-5) out of a possible bid to the Carquest Bowl and made the Bulldogs eligible for postseason play, although a bid wasn’t certain.

Hines Ward, converted from wide receiver and tailback during this injury-riddled season for the Bulldogs, engineered the 74-yard victory drive that began on the Georgia 10 with 7:23 remaining.

Ward completed third-down passes three times to keep the drive alive as the Bulldogs moved to the Tech 16 with 52 seconds left to set up the game-winning field goal.

Ward, playing with a broken bone in his throwing wrist, completed 23 of 33 passes for 242 yards.

“I’m just glad to see Coach Goff go out on a winning note,” Ward said. “I got the game ball and gave it to him.”

It was Georgia’s fifth consecutive victory in the series.