Georgia's G-Day game ends in 20-20 tie between red and black
ATHENS, Ga. — After a spring where there seemed to be significant concern over the Georgia defense, it stood tall on G-Day as the red and black teams played to a 20-20 tie. The offense tied the game with less than 30 seconds left as Carson Beck connected on 25 of 46 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Gunner Stockton played for both teams, connected on 23 of 37 passes for 246 yards and a score of his own. Roderick Robinson led all Bulldogs in touches with 14 on the day, 11 on the ground and three catches. Dominick Lovett finished with seven grabs for 104 yards and score.
The Red team got the ball first and drew first blood with a 51-yard drive that used 11 plays. It stalled at the black 24-yard line when Beck threw to Dillon Bell in the end zone. Bell caught it but was out of bounds and Peyton Woodring came on to hit a 42-yard field goal to open the scoring.
That lead didn’t last long. The Black team raced right down the field on its opening possession with Stockton finding Anthony Evans for a 54-yard pass on the first play. The black team punched it in a few plays later with Andrew Paul scoring from one yard out. The PAT made it 7-3 in favor of the black.
After trading punts, Beck and company went to work and got deep into black territory. The Georgia quarterback went to the air on third down but the pass was tipped by Mykel Williams at the line of scrimmage and the junior defender caught his own deflection.
The red team defense got the stop after the interception and forced a punt and the offense responded with its first touchdown of the day. Beck found five different receivers on the drive and hit Colbie Young for a touchdown from two yards out. The PAT put the red team up 10-7.
Beck had a chance to lead the Georgia first-team offense on a scoring drive before the half but was picked off for a second time, this time by CJ Allen. It appeared as if Beck and his receiver weren’t on the same page and the black team was able to use the good field position to tie the game at 10 as the first half came to a close.
The third quarter was uneventful with each team trading multiple punts. The red team had the ball near midfield when the quarter ended and put points on the board in the fourth. Beck and company reached the lower-red area, getting it first and goal but a delay-of-game penalty followed by a short completion sandwiched between two incomplete passes put Woodring in position to hit his second field goal of the day. That gave the red team a 13-10 lead.
The black team responded quickly when it got the ball back. Stockton found Nitro Tuggle for a 32-yard gain to get things going and two plays later connected with Sacovie White for a 26-yard touchdown. The PAT gave the black team a 17-13 lead over the red.
The red team had two chances to get back on the board and potentially take the lead, but a punt and a turnover on downs allowed the black team to extend the lead 20-13 with a short field goal with 51 seconds left.
Beck went to work on the red team’s last try at it. He connected on three of four passes with big pickups to Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas to start the drive. After his lone incompletion of the possession, Beck found Lovett, who made a circus catch, on a slot fade. The PAT was good and tied the game at 20.
The black team got it in position for a 54-yard field goal as time expired but Ian Badger’s attempt was short and right of the mark. The G-Day game ended in a 20-20 tie.
The G-Day marks the close of a five-week, 15-practice spring for Georgia. The Bulldogs will begin their 2024 season on August 31 with Chick-Fil-A Kickoff class with Clemson inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
