Georgia Tech: 27
Georgia: 15

Georgia Tech entered the 2000 installment of the “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” game having won seven straight to compile a record of 8-2. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, had dropped two of their last three games to Florida and Auburn to fall to 7-3 on the season. Tech was in search of its third win in as many games against the Bulldogs, and the contest was expected to be a tight one given that each of the previous two meetings had been decided in the final minute of the game.

The Jackets took the ball first and promptly marched into Georgia Territory. George Godsey then turned around the right end on an option keeper and raced 33 yards for a Georgia Tech touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.
Later in the quarter, Godsey led the Jackets on another scoring drive, finding Kerry Watkins from 8 yards out to push the lead to 14-0.

The Tech lead increased towards the end of the period when Luke Manget hit a 42 yard field goal to give Tech a 17-0 advantage.

The second quarter saw very little offense, as each offense scored just three points. Bill Bennett got Georgia on the board with a 23 yard field goal, and Luke Manget answered from 21 yards out to make the score 20-3.

Tech’s defense stepped up late in the half when Felipe Claybrooks tipped Cory Philips’s pass at the line of scrimmage. Freshman linebacker Daryl Smith alertly snatched the ball from the air and took it 70 yards for a touchdown to give Tech at 27-3 lead with one minute to play. The Georgia fans began to head for their cars as the teams went to the locker rooms at intermission with the Jackets ahead by 24.

The Ramblin’ Wreck would not score in the second half, while the Bulldogs battled back to make the game look respectable. Phillips led Georgia to a score to open the third quarter when he connected with Damian Gary on a 37 yard touchdown pass. Georgia missed on a two point conversion, however, and the Bulldogs trailed 27-9.

Later in the third period, Phillips hooked up with Randy McMichael for a 4 yard touchdown pass, but another missed two point conversion would keep the score at 27-15.

Georgia had another scoring chance with about 10 minutes to play in the game, but Phillips missed Reggie Brown on 4th and 9 from the Yellow Jacket 10 and the Ramblin’ Wreck would go on to defeat the Bulldogs for the third time in a row, a task that Tech had not completed since defeating Georgia in 1961, 1962, and 1963.

In winning, Tech handed Georgia its fourth loss of the season and completed a sweep of the Bulldogs by its biggest three rivals in Tech, Auburn, and Florida. The loss would be the final regular season game for head coach Jim Donnon, who was fired largely due to his record against Georgia’s rivals. Donnon would coach the Bulldogs once more, however, in the 2000 Oahu Classic, where he led Georgia to a 37-14 win over the Virginia Cavaliers.

Statistics:

First Downs:
GT – 18
UGA – 24

Rushing Yards:
GT – 140
UGA – 26

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
GT – 20-35-222
UGA – 37-63-435

Fumbles (Total-Lost):
GT – 0-0
UGA – 1-1

Interceptions thrown:
GT – 2
UGA – 2

Penalties (Total-Yards):
GT – 7-50
UGA – 2-10

References:
Game Summary: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/gah.at.gaf.game.html