Texas vs. Georgia: Bold decisions propel Bulldogs toward Playoff as Horns’ chances sink

No. 5 Georgia bullied No. 10 Texas again, pushing the Longhorns to the brink of College Football Playoff elimination and staying in contention for another SEC title.

Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes, Kirby Smart coached aggressively in the second half to stub out a potential Texas rally and the Bulldogs beat Texas 35-10 Saturday to improve to 3-0 against the Longhorns since they joined the SEC last year.

The Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1) swept Texas last season, winning 30-15 in a regular-season meeting in Austin and then 22-19 in overtime for the SEC championship in Atlanta. Georgia has played in four straight SEC title games and finished its conference schedule still alive to make it five if it can get a little help in the last two weeks.

Stockton threw two touchdowns to Noah Thomas in the first half to put the Bulldogs up 14-3 at halftime.

Arch Manning and Texas (7-3, 4-2) found life in the second half and cut the lead to 14-10 when the third-year quarterback found Ryan Wingo with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:27 left in the third quarter.

Manning finished 27-for-43 for 251 yards with an interception, but after pulling Texas within four, he didn’t touch the ball again until almost midway through the fourth quarter.

After Texas seemingly had the momentum, the Bulldogs converted a fourth-and-short from their own 36 and a fourth-and-5 in Texas territory, and then capped the drive with Stockton’s 30-yard TD pass to London Humphrey to make it 21-10.

Smart wasn’t done, calling for an onside kick that Georgia recovered to steal another possession and set up another touchdown pass by Stockton, this time from 6 yards out to Lawson Luckie.

Stockton was 24-for-29 for 229 yards, throwing one interception and adding a rushing score to make it 35-10 with 4:43 remaining. Georgia held Texas to 23 rushing yards and sacked Manning three times.

The Bulldogs have won six straight heading into their final two games against Charlotte and rival No. 16 Georgia Tech and need an Alabama loss to Auburn in two weeks to get back to the SEC title game. Smart’s team looks like a shoo-in to reach the Playoff even if it can’t get to Atlanta.

GEORGIA RECOVERS THE ONSIDE KICK 😱 pic.twitter.com/dQCcAcRXdi

— ESPN (@espn) November 16, 2025

Kirby the daring

For a while in his head coaching career, Smart was known for being conservative in his game management, leaning on his defense. But as he’s bought more and more into analytics — which often calls for going for it on fourth down — Smart has taken more chances.

And he took a big one in the second half.

Then he did it again. And then yet again.

It started when Georgia faced fourth-and-1 from its own 36, late in the third quarter, clinging to a 14-10 lead. Smart not only went for it, but his offensive coordinator Mike Bobo dialed up a risky play: Stockton went under center, faked a handoff then rolled out and hit Chauncey Bowens for a 10-yard gain.

Four plays later, Georgia faced fourth-and-5. It lined up quickly for the not-unusual effort to get the defense to jump. This time it actually worked, and Georgia got another set of downs. A few plays later, Stockton hit a wide-open Humphreys for a 30-yard touchdown.

Then Smart went for the jugular: an onside kick, the first of his tenure per Georgia’s communications team. It caught Texas by surprise, with Georgia’s Cash Jones making a clean recovery. Georgia’s offense took the field, and quickly was driving downfield again.

Longhorns on the brink

The preseason No. 1 team that Texas was anointed for the first time in school history this year is now a long shot — at best — to make the Playoff.

It was a lot of the same problems that have hounded Texas all season. The Longhorns couldn’t run the ball, didn’t do a good enough job protecting Manning and had inconsistent play from their receivers.

On the defensive side, Georgia broke Texas’ defense with a 21-point fourth quarter and picked apart the Longhorns secondary, which was healthier than it has been in weeks with two starting safeties back.

Texas still has Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M left on the schedule. Maybe beating the Aggies, the SEC’s only remaining unbeaten team in conference play, to go along with victories against No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt, can keep Texas in play for a third straight CFP appearance under coach Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian fell to 1-7 against top-five teams as Texas coach.

Return of the Georgia defense

After what has been a disappointing, and confounding, season for Georgia on defense, it looks like it’s getting right at just the right time.

It was evident from the start. In its seven previous SEC games, Georgia gave up a touchdown on the opening possession all but once, and in that exception Kentucky got into the end zone on the next drive. But Texas was held to a field goal on its opening possession, then went three-and-out the next drive.

And that three-and-out looked like vintage Georgia: Cornerback Demello Jones threw down Ryan Wingo after a short gain on first down, then a blitz by Quintavius Johnson forced Manning to dump off early, and linebacker CJ Allen clobbered the receiver for a 2-yard loss.

Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann dialed up blitzes throughout the game, creating pressure in ways Georgia has struggled to do this year. And after Texas ran the ball well on the first drive, the Bulldogs stiffened up.

The question for Georgia’s defense was never talent, but experience. Most of the five-stars and other blue-chips are first- or second-year players. As the defense gets more snaps, they appear to be rounding into form. The form people are used to seeing from a Georgia defense.