ATHENS, Ga. - It wasn't the first time Kirby Smart had tasted bitter disappointment this season, but Saturday's 28-27 come-from-ahead loss to rival Georgia Tech seemed to sting the first-year Georgia head coach more than any other.
The 7-5 Bulldogs lost a 13-point fourth-quarter lead in the second consecutive win for the visitors at Sanford Stadium. Smart was especially upset for the group of seniors he's gotten to spend just one season with.
"I'm sick for this team and the seniors, who have given so much for the program," he said. "They are what this game is all about, and I hate that we couldn't send them out on top at home.
"To the fans, I'm just as sick as you are, I'm just as upset as you are and I'm just as disappointed as you are," he added. "There's nothing we can do about this game, so we need to get it back together and go. We want to finish on a big win in a bowl game."
Run game shows out
Georgia Tech came in with the nation's ninth-rated run game, but it was the Georgia rush attack that stole the show. Led by Sony Michel's career-best 170 yards, the Bulldogs outrushed Tech, 263 to 226.
"The yards are nice but they don't mean much since we didn't win," said Michel, who moved into the program's top 10 in career rushing. "We made some plays, but we had a lot of opportunities to make more and we missed them."
Nick Chubb, who had 88 yards on 22 carries, moved past Garrison Hearst into third place on the career list with 3,282 yards. He's only 3 yards behind No. 2 Todd Gurley and is 12 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark this season.
The pair of juniors may have played their final games at Sanford Stadium, with decisions on whether to enter the NFL draft coming.
Tech's Searcy lauded
Georgia Tech's Qua Searcy's game-winning 6-yard run was praised by Georgia defenders who witnessed it. Searcy, on what was designed to be a throwback to quarterback Justin Thomas, tucked the ball and ran it in with 30 seconds to play, diving the final few yards.
"The guy just made a play," Georgia linebacker Davin Bellamy said. "He saw the pass wasn't there and dove at the 5-yard line. He put his body on the line for his team, and I tip my hat to him. We defended the play they were trying to run. His instincts took over and he became a ballplayer."
Odds and ends
Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith had a career-high 13 tackles, including seven solo stops, while fellow linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy had eight tackles each. Usual starting inside linebacker Natrez Patrick did not play for the third consecutive game due to injury. Georgia defensive back Dominick Sanders had his 12th career interception and a fumble recovery on a hit by Roquan Smith early in the second half. Among the seniors honored pregame Saturday were a pair of northwest Georgia equipment managers, former Northwest Whitfield player Silas Ledford and Dalton's B.J. Rowland.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.