Final: Georgia 24, Penn State 17
A valiant comeback by the Nittany Lions comes up short as the Bulldogs finish 10-3 for the season. Grayson Lambert finishes 10-for-20 for 115 yards and a touchdown for Georgia. Sony Michel had 85 yards rushing on 20 carries with a touchdown. Trace McSorley finishes 14-for-27 for 142 yards and two touchdowns for Penn State, who finish 7-6 for the season. Chris Godwin had six catches for 133 yards for the Nittany Lions.
4th Quarter- :22 left: Penn State is near midfield.
4th Quarter- 1:52 left: Georgia decides against the field goal and Penn State will have a chance to tie it or win it needing to go 75 yards behind backup Trace McSorley.
4th Quarter- 1:58 left: The Bulldogs take a timeout with 4th-and-2 at the Penn State 23.
4th Quarter- 2:45 left: Georgia gets a first down on a Sony Michel rush to keep the clock moving.
4th Quarter- 3:16 left: Penn State takes a timeout with Georgia facing 3rd-and-2.
4th Quarter- Georgia 24, Penn State 17: Trace McSorley finds a receiver in DaeSean Hamilton from 20 yards out and with 6:14 left, it is a one-possession game in Jacksonville. McSorley is 10-for-19 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
4th Quarter- 6:48 left: Penn State converts on 4th-and-8 to keep their hopes alive.
4th Quarter- 9:18 left: Georgia punts again as Grayson Lambert is now 10-for-20 for 115 yards passing on the afternoon.
4th Quarter- 10:56 left: Penn State are forced to kick the ball away and can’t pull any closer.
4th Quarter- 12:58 left: The Bulldogs have to punt after the Penn State touchdown and the Nittany Lions have life in the final quarter.
4th Quarter- Georgia 24, Penn State 10: McSorley finds Geno Lewis for a 17-yard touchdown with 14:53 left in the game and the Nittany Lions have pulled back within 14 points.
End of 3rd Quarter: Penn State will have 4th-and-12 at the Georgia 17 to start the final quarter of play down by 21 points. Trace McSorley is 6-for-13 for 49 yards in relief of Hackenberg while Saquon Barkley has 49 yards rushing for the Nittany Lions. Grayson Lambert is 9-for-18 for 99 yards and a touchdown through the air for the Bulldogs while Malcolm Mitchell has four catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.
3rd Quarter- 2:50 left: The Nittany Lions have made it to midfield behind McSorley.
3rd Quarter- Georgia 24, Penn State 3: Sony Michel finds a hole and goes 21 yards for a touchdown with 4:15 to go in the quarter and the Bulldogs have opened their game up in the waning minutes of the third. Michel has 77 yards rushing on 14 carries.
3rd Quarter- 7:07 left: Penn State goes for it on fourth down but McSorley’s pass goes incomplete, who is just 3-for-9 since coming in for the injured Christian Hackenberg.
3rd Quarter- 9:27 left: Collin Barber misses a 48-yard field goal for the Bulldogs and it remains a 14-point game. Can Penn State rally though with a backup quarterback?
3rd Quarter- 10:57 left: The uphill battle continues for the Nittany Lions as they are forced to punt again and Georgia brings it back deep into Penn State territory.
3rd Quarter- 12:11 left: Georgia has to punt on their opening series of the half. It’s up to McSorley now to lead the Nittany Lions.
3rd Quarter: The second half begins with Hackenberg being ruled out for the rest of the game.
Halftime: Georgia 17, Penn State 3
The Bulldogs appear to be in control of this one especially with Christian Hackenberg out for the Nittany Lions. Hackenberg was 8-for-14 for 139 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury. Greyson Lambert is 5-for-11 for 57 yards and the late touchdown pass. Terry Godwin has a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown for the Bulldogs. Penn State has to be hoping Hackenberg can return for the second half.
2nd Quarter- Georgia 17, Penn State 3: Greyson Lambert finds Terry Godwin on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the half and it is a two-touchdown lead for the Bulldogs.
2nd Quarter- 2:03 left: The Bulldogs take a timeout to force Penn State to punt before the half.
2nd Quarter- 3:29 left: Georgia is unable to move the ball on the Penn State defense and punts it away. The Nittany Lions have just one timeout left.
2nd Quarter- 5:33 left: It’s Trace McSorley’s team now for Penn State with Hackenberg in the locker room as the Nittany Lions go for it on fourth down and come up short.
2nd Quarter- Georgia 10, Penn State 3: Terry Godwin hits Malcolm Mitchell on a 44-yard option pass with 6:46 left in the first half and the Bulldogs re-take the lead.
2nd Quarter- Penn State 3, Georgia 3: The Nittany Lions tie the game on a 34-yard field goal by Tyler Davis with 8:08 left in the first half. Hackenberg is headed to the locker room with a sore right throwing shoulder.
2nd Quarter- 10:08 left: Penn State takes a timeout facing 3rd-and-4 from their own 31-yard line. Hackenberg is 7-for-12 for 88 yards.
2nd Quarter- 11:52 left: The 3-0 game continues to roll on as Georgia punts. The Bulldogs quarterbacks are 2-for-8 for 15 yards while Sony Michel has 39 yards rushing on four carries.
2nd Quarter- 14:54 left: Penn State punts from midfield to begin the second quarter of play.
End of 1st Quarter: Scoring has been at a premium in this one through 15 minutes. Christian Hackenberg is 5-for-10 for 64 yards so far in this one. Saquon Barkley has six carries for 18 yards for the Nittany Lions. Greyson Lambert is struggling for the Bulldogs, going just 1-for-6 for 13 yeards in the opening quarter.
1st Quarter- 3:15 left: The two teams trade punts after Penn State gets the ball to the Georgia 40. It will be Bulldogs ball.
1st Quarter- 5:52 left: After having 2nd-and-1, The Nittany Lions can’t get a first down and are forced to punt.
1st Quarter- Georgia 3, Penn State 0: The Bulldogs get on the scoreboard first as Marshall Morgan makes a 44-yard field goal with 7:02 to go in the opening quarter of play.
1st Quarter- 9:55 left: The Nittany Lions’ drive is stopped as Hackenberg is intercepted and the Bulldogs have it near midfield.
1st Quarter- 13:02 left: Penn State has taken the ball into Georgia territory on their first possession.
Pregame
New Year’s Day has passed and college football is now on to the final full day of bowl games on January 2. The opener is the Taxslayer Bowl at EverBank Field in Jacksonville between the 9-3 Penn State Nittany Lions and the 9-3 Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs got rid of coach Mark Richt after the season and are in transition mode now for this game looking to finish the season strong while Christian Hackenberg has been a solid leader for the Nittany Lions all season long. It’s another Big Ten-SEC matchup which has seen blowouts galore so far this bowl season. Kickoff is scheduled for just after Noon Eastern.
