4 takeaways from No. 23 Georgia Tech’s loss to No. 4 Georgia

It seemed telling that, on a third-and-10 to open the fourth quarter, Georgia called for a quarterback keeper to set up a field goal (a successful attempt by Peyton Woodring for a 16-6 lead) rather than a more aggressive play call to try to convert it and keep the drive going.

After allowing an average of 510.7 yards per game in its past three games, Tech held Georgia to a season-low 260 yards Friday, well below the Bulldogs’ season average of 430.3 yards per game.

Game-changing penalty

The play of the game might have been the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on right guard Keylan Rutledge on Tech’s fourth-quarter drive when it trailed 16-6.

On a second-and-2 from the Georgia 31-yard line, running back Jamal Haynes took a toss and ran for the marker, coming up short. At the end of the play, Rutledge bumped a Bulldogs defender, quite arguably not a contact rising to the level of a penalty.

Instead of a fourth-and-2 from the Georgia 31-yard line — for which Tech could have kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 16-9, or gone for it on fourth down — the Jackets had a third-and-17 from the Georgia 46, which they failed to convert.

Still down two possessions, Tech punted and gave Georgia the ball with 10:25 left. The Jackets didn’t get the ball back until 6:06 remained, which proved not enough time for two scores.

Starring roles

The best player in the first half was Georgia running back Nate Frazier, who gained 97 yards on 11 carries. He exceeded Tech’s total offense for the first half (87 yards) by himself.

Running with quickness and fight, Frazier broke tackles for big gainers and was an engine in the Bulldogs’ three scoring drives in the half.

With his production, UGA coach Kirby Smart was quite happy to feed him the ball. His first-half rushing yardage was more than he gained in all but one of his previous 10 games this season.

The best player in the second half might have been Tech linebacker E.J. Lightsey, who was in on at least five tackles as the Jackets held the Bulldogs to a lone field goal in the final two quarters.

Not clean enough

Tech was going to need to play as cleanly as possible to have a chance against the Bulldogs, but the Jackets didn’t make enough plays to break through.

A sampling: With the score tied at 3-3 in the second quarter, the Jackets came up short on a manageable third-and-3 when Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette came free on a corner blitz and forced an incompletion, resulting in a punt.

On the ensuing Bulldogs drive, the Jackets couldn’t prevent Georgia from converting a third-and-10 as Stockton threw to playmaking wide receiver Zachariah Branch on a screen that he picked up with help from downfield blocking. Georgia got in the end zone later in the drive to take a 10-3 lead, an advantage it held for the remainder of the game.

In the third quarter, with Tech down 13-3 on its first possession of the half, the Jackets couldn’t convert a third-and-2 as a fake toss by King — a staple play in the Jackets playbook — was stopped when Bulldogs linebacker Quintavius Johnson was not blocked coming off the left edge and brought down King. Tech settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 13-6.