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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Once Georgia thwarted Vanderbilt's best shot at a knockout punch, the Bulldogs put on their rally caps. Quincy Carter threw a pair of touchdown passes in a 24-point fourth quarter as 14th-ranked Georgia rallied for a 27-17 victory over the Commodores in a Southeastern Conference East game. The Bulldogs are 23-2-1 in the last 26 games in the series, which they lead, 41-17-2. Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC East) spotted Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-3) the first 17 points of the game and was on the ropes, trailing 17-3, when the Commodores drove to the 8-yard line after the second-half kickoff. But defensive tackle Richard Seymour intercepted a tipped ball to stop the drive, turning the momentum and keeping Georgia within 17-3. "It was a matter of tipped balls and the good Lord on their side," said Vanderbilt linebacker Jamie Winborn, whose team was victimized by four interceptions, including two by middle linebacker Kendrell Bell. The Bulldogs did not find the end zone until nine seconds into the fourth quarter, when Carter hit tight end Randy McMichael with a six-yard scoring pass. Vanderbilt then gave the Bulldogs a gift, botching a fake punt attempt on 4th-and-15 and handing the ball the Georgia on its own 15. Two plays later, Robert Arnaud's one-yard scoring run with 12:02 left in the game tied the score, 17-17. "When you call a play like that, it's either hothouse or penthouse," Georgia coach Jim Donnan said of the risky call by Vanderbilt coach Woody Widenhofer. "I feel bad for Woody. It was a big momentum shift." "On fourth down, the fake punt was my decision," Widenhofer said. "We had practiced it all week, and we watched the films. It worked two-thirds of the previous times. That time they changed the rush and had two players on the outside. If I had it again, I still would have called it. When these type of plays work, good things happen. When they don't, they have good field position. It's a gamble." Carter said there was more than just the great field position in Georgia's favor after the crucial play. "The emotional swing was great after the fake punt," Carter said. "It was a tough call for the other coach to make. If it works, it's a great call. If it fails, you get blamed." An interception set up the go-ahead score, Carter's 25-yard TD toss to running back Patrick Pass with 9:58 left. Hap Hines, who got Georgia on the board with a 35-yard field goal late in the first half, booted a 28-yarder with 3:19 left after another pickoff. Carter completed 16-of-25 passes for 192 yards and was intercepted twice. "We did a good job of regrouping at the end of the first half," Carter said. "At halftime, we talked about how there's a full 30 minutes on the clock and that there's no rush. The halftime was a real gut check and a loss here would have been a real setback. The momentum the defense provided in the second half gave the whole team a lift. They played real well and made us work a lot harder." Arnaud had 70 yards on 17 carries and Terrence Edwards caught five passes for 72 yards. "The main thing we had to do was make first downs, which we didn't do in the first half," Arnaud said. "The difference between the first half and the second half is that we became more relaxed in the second half and stuck to our game plan. We knew they were a good team and a well-coached team." John Markham got Vanderbilt on the board 11:03 into the game with a 32-yard field goal and quarterback Greg Zolman made it 10-0 with 34 seconds left in the first quarter on a 13-yard scoring reception from reciever Tavarus Hogans on a gadget play. Zolman was 14-of-27 for 210 yards and was undone by three interceptions. Rodney Williams posted 80 yards on three receptions and 45 on 15 carries. "I believe we deserved to win this ballgame," Zolman said. "We were winning 17-0 against the Georgia Bulldogs and didn't put them away. We had a great week of practice, we just didn't finish the game." Linebacker Lamont Turner increased the bulge to 17-0 just 2:46 later when he returned an interception 59 yards for a score. "I think it was a combination of field position and lucky breaks," Turner said. "If both teams are playing well, it's going to come down to who gets the most breaks, and Georgia did."
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