Overtime Victory for Georgia Tech

Freshman Luke Manget, who wanted to attend Georgia but ended up at Georgia Tech, kicked a second-chance, 38-yard field goal in overtime to give 20th-ranked Yellow Jackets an improbable 51-48 victory over the No. 16 Bulldogs Saturday at Atlanta.

Manget’s first kick was blocked.

Georgia (7-4) rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half but couldn’t overcome a disputed fumble by Jasper Sanks at the Georgia Tech two with nine seconds left in regulation. It appeared Sanks was down when the ball popped out, but the officials called it a fumble.

Referee Al Ford, who headed up the Southeastern Conference officiating crew, defended the call.

“I had two guys who saw the ball come loose,” he said. “Neither of them saw the runner down and both said forward progress had not stopped. A Georgia Tech player recovered the ball, so possession went to Georgia Tech.”

The Bulldogs also lost an apparent touchdown in the fourth quarter when the officials ruled Thad Parker was out of end zone on a five-yard reception. Replays indicated he got a knee down inside the line before tumbling out of bounds, but Georgia was forced to settle for a field goal that tied the game at 41-41.

In overtime, the Bulldogs got the ball first but failed to score. Quincy Carter, who threw for 345 yards, was intercepted in the end zone by Marvious Hester, who earlier had a critical fumble.

Georgia Tech took over at the 25 and, facing a third-and-six at the 21, decided to send Manget on the field a down early to attempt a 38-yard field goal. Georgia’s kick-blocking specialist, Kendrell Bell, swatted away the ball, seeming to give the Bulldogs another chance to win.

“I thought it was over,” said Manget. “My heart was sinking.”

But Georgia Tech’s holder, George Godsey, recovered the loose ball at the 21 to give Manget another chance from the same distance. This time, his kick sailed high over the Georgia line and inside the left upright, providing the Yellow Jackets their most amazing victory in a series that began in 1893.

Georgia Tech (8-3), defeating the Bulldogs for the second year in a row on a field goal, clinched its second consecutive trip to the Gator Bowl. Georgia also is headed to a bowl, perhaps the Music City.

No. 6 Tennessee 38, Vanderbilt 10--Travis Henry ran 19 times for 153 yards and scored a touchdown before leaving after suffering a neck injury late in the first half at Knoxville, Tenn.

Henry landed on his head as he tried to score, and he was strapped down on a stretcher and carted off to a hospital as his teammates prayed. But they got the word at halftime it was only a mild concussion and a pinched nerve.

Tennessee, 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the SEC, improved its chances for an at-large bid to the Bowl Championship Series.

Vanderbilt (5-6, 2-6) failed in its bid to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1982 and instead ended up with its 17th consecutive losing season.

Washington State 22, Hawaii 14--Adam Hawkins rushed for two touchdowns and Rian Lindell kicked three field goals at Honolulu as the Cougars (3-9) ended the Rainbow Warriors’ five-game losing streak.

The loss kept Hawaii (8-4) from setting an NCAA record for best win-loss improvement from the previous season, when the Rainbow Warriors went 0-12. Hawaii remains tied with the 1940 Stanford and 1943 Purdue teams for the greatest turnaround.

Miami 45, Syracuse 13--Ken Dorsey threw three touchdown passes and Santana Moss scored twice--on a punt return and a reception--as the Hurricanes (7-4, 5-1) became bowl eligible by defeating the Orangemen (6-5, 3-4) in a Big East game at Miami.

Oklahoma 44, Oklahoma State 7--Josh Heuple completed 22 of 32 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Sooners (7-4, 5-3) routed the Cowboys (5-6, 3-5) in a Big 12 game at Norman, Okla.

West Virginia 52, Pittsburgh 21--Marc Bulger threw four first-half touchdowns and Avon Cobourne ran for 210 yards and three scores as the Mountaineers (4-7, 3-4) defeated the Panthers (5-6, 2-5) in a Big East game at Morgantown, W.Va.

Southern 37, Grambling State 31--Backup quarterback Terrence Levy passed for two touchdowns and sparked a 21-point comeback as the Jaguars (10-1) defeated the Tigers (7-4) at New Orleans.

It was Southern’s seventh consecutive victory over Grambling and clinched the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division.

Other Games

Jack Hawley threw three touchdown passes and Jonas Lewis rushed for 131 yards to lead San Diego State (5-6, 3-4) to a 39-7 victory over Wyoming (7-4, 4-3) at San Diego, ending the Cowboys’ chances at a tie for the Mountain West title and possible bowl berth. . . . Kevin McDougal ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns to lead Colorado State (8-3, 5-2) to a 35-17 victory over Nevada Las Vegas (3-8, 1-6) at Las Vegas. The Rams join Utah and Brigham Young as co-champions of the Mountain West Conference. . . . Sean Stein was 21 for 29 for a season-high 300 yards and New Mexico (4-7, 3-4) converted on four fourth-down as the Lobos rallied from a 21-7 first-half deficit for a 33-28 victory over Air Force (6-5, 2-5) in a Mountain West game at Albuquerque.