No. 5 Georgia's strong first half leads Bulldogs to a 30-15 win over No. 1 Texas

Everyone in the SEC has a loss.

No. 1 Texas, the conference's last undefeated team, was overwhelmed by No. 5 Georgia in the first half of the Bulldogs' 30-15 win Saturday night. Georgia took a 23-0 halftime lead as Texas turned the ball over three times and used two different quarterbacks.

“I'm so proud of these guys because nobody believed us, nobody gave us a chance,” Smart said in his postgame interview on ABC/ESPN. “Your entire network doubted us. Nobody believed us. And then they tried to rob us here with calls, and these people are so resilient.”

We'll get into what Smart is referring to when it comes to being “robbed” in a moment. Georgia officially finished as a 3.5-point underdog, barely a margin that made anyone think the Bulldogs had a chance.

After Texas gained just 15 yards and Quinn Ewers fumbled and threw an interception over the Longhorns' first five possessions, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian made a QB change. He brought in Arch Manning to replace Ewers in hopes of bolstering Texas' offense.

It didn't matter. Texas punted on Manning's first drive of the game and then the redshirt freshman fumbled on his second drive. That fumble with 25 seconds left in the second quarter gave Georgia a field goal and extended the lead to 23 points.

Ewers got his job back at the start of the second half and immediately led a scoring drive. Texas cut Georgia's lead to 15 points and appeared to be back in the thick of things after one of the most bizarre sequences you'll see this season.

Defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Georgia QB Carson Beck and returned the ball inside the Georgia 10-yard line with 2:48 left in the third quarter. However, Barron was cited for pass interference during the game and the interception was wiped out.

The call was dubious at best, and Texas fans let the officials know by raining objects onto the field. During the several-minute delay in clearing the field, the officials continued to discuss the call, even though the ball was spotted and ready for play for the Bulldogs.

Before play resumed, officials announced that there had been no pass interference and that Texas would have the ball. Two plays later, the lead narrowed to 23-15.

Was this a chance for Texas to come back and take the lead, similar to what Georgia did against Alabama earlier in the season?

No, that wasn't it. The Bulldogs responded with a 21-yard pass to Arian Smith on third down and one play later with a 43-yard pass to Oscar Delp. RB Trevor Etienne's third rushing TD of the night capped the drive and ultimately put the game out of reach for the Longhorns.

Georgia's defensive front dominates

Texas was overwhelmed by Georgia's talent on offense, especially in the first half. Jalon Walker had three of Georgia's five sacks in the first half and recovered Manning's fumble that led to the field goal.

The Bulldogs scored four goals in the second quarter as the Texas defense did a phenomenal job forcing field goals despite Georgia's short fields. Georgia kicked three field goals in the quarter and its longest drive of the period was 34 yards. The Bulldogs' three field goals came on drives that totaled 42 yards.

As Georgia's defensive talent shined, any thought that either Beck or Ewers could win the Heisman with a strong performance was erased. Neither quarterback had a great game and it is very unlikely that either QB will be in New York at the end of the season.

Each QB turned the ball over three times. Beck threw three interceptions while Ewers had a pick and two fumbles. Georgia hasn't been afraid to let Beck break through this year, and he hasn't taken a step forward. Beck has already surpassed his interception total (six) from a season ago, and six of his eight interceptions this season have come against Alabama and Texas.

Given that Georgia won the game handily despite playing less than flawless football, it will be fascinating to see where the Bulldogs rank in the AP Top 25 on Sunday. After Friday's 35-0 win over Purdue, Oregon looks set to move from No. 2 to No. 1. Both No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State had Saturday off. Will they move up to 2nd and 3rd or will the Bulldogs overtake one or both despite a loss?