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ATLANTA (Ticker) -- True freshman kicker Luke Manget could not have imagined that he would be the hero in No. 16 Georgia Tech's amazing 51-48 overtime win over archrival and 21st-ranked Georgia. Manget (pronounced MON-zhay) booted a 38-yard field goal to cap a stunning series of plays as the Yellow Jackets pulled out a victory that appeared to be a sure defeat. The Yellow Jackets are headed to the Gator Bowl, likely against Miami. Georgia will have to wait until next week to find out where it is headed this postseason. Georgia Tech (8-3) had a 41-24 lead late in the third quarter, but allowed the next 24 points to fall behind by a touchdown. After Joe Hamilton hit William Glover with a six-yard scoring pass to tie the game, 48-48, with 2:37 left, Georgia took over and marched towards the apparent winning score. Jasper Sanks ran the ball down to the Georgia Tech 1 with 13 seconds left and carried one more time with Georgia (7-4) on the verge of avenging last season's 21-19 loss that came on a field goal with two seconds left. Sanks bulled up the middle and appeared to be fully down inside the 1 when the ball came loose after hitting the turf. Strong safety Chris Young grabbed the loose ball, the Yellow Jackets were awarded possession at the 1 and Hamilton took a knee to run out regulation. "They said he was down and that the guy came running up and took the ball," Georgia coach Jim Donnan said. "One official marked the ball down and the other guy said Georgia Tech had it. It doesn't make any difference. The call was the call. ... We thought we could score and if we didn't, we would call a timeout and kick a field goal." It was just the second fumble recovery of the season for Georgia Tech, which entered the game last in the nation in turnover margin. By contrast, the Bulldogs were fourth in that category. "I was a little surprised that they didn't kick that one that was fumbled," Georgia Tech coach George O'Leary admitted. In overtime, Georgia received the ball first and the bad breaks continued. Georgia Tech defended a play with 12 men on the field, but a penalty that would have resulted in a first down was not called. On 3rd-and-3, Quincy Carter missed a pair of open receivers and instead found cornerback Marvious Hester, who had been the extra man the previous play and botched a pair of sure turnovers earlier in the game, for an interception in the end zone. "I just asked God to give me a chance to redeem myself," said Hester, a freshman. "He really works in mysterious ways. I never knew he would make me drop two fumbles in order to make the play." "It just seems that someone is watching over you when things go right," Yellow Jackets linebacker Ross Mitchell said. Georgia Tech gained four yards on two plays before Manget was summoned on third down. His field goal attempt was blocked into the air, but alert holder George Godsey picked up the loose ball and ran it back to the line of scrimmage. Finally, Manget kicked it through on fourth down and ended the wild affair. "I'm glad we sent him out there on third down to try that field goal instead of fourth down and got another chance to win the game," O'Leary said. "What's the sense of taking a chance? And that's why you kick on third down." "They had another shot at it and with two shots, it is hard to block two in a row," Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. "We just have to deal with it and go from there." Hamilton completed 22-of-32 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and added 94 yards on 15 carries as Georgia Tech racked up 555 yards of offense. He set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record with 3,794 yards of total offense, tied the career league mark by having a hand in 83 touchdowns, and is the all-time league leader in total offense, touchdown passes and pass efficiency. "That was a great way to end the regular season," Hamilton said. "During the game, you don't think about losing, you just hope you are able to score enough to win, and we did." Dez White had nine catches for 165 yards and Kelly Campbell added six for 92. "We knew we could beat them deep in their secondary," Campbell said. Carter was 29-of-52 for 345 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions as Georgia netted 547 yards, pushing the combined total for both teams to 1,102. Georgia tight ends Jevrais Johnson and Randy McMichael combined for 15 catches, 236 yards and two touchdowns. Injuries forced them to play wideout. The Yellow Jackets have won two straight games in the series after losing seven straight to Georgia, which won the 1997 game, 27-21, on a touchdown with eight seconds left. Despite the loss, Georgia has a 52-35-5 lead in the all-time series. "It is up there with last year's win against Georegia, but probably a little bit better," Yellow Jackets defensive end Felipe Claybrooks said. Georgia Tech held a 24-17 halftime lead and built the advantage to 17 points when Manget hit a 29-yard field goal and Hamilton threw a 17-yard scoring pass to White in a 33-second span, aided by an interception by cornerback Travares Tilman. "I will take this win any way I can get it and I think the team will, also," said Tilman. Georgia's Robert Arnaud ran in from two yards before Hamilton threw a five-yard scoring pass to tight end Conrad Andrzejewski to make it 41-24. The Bulldogs rallied for a 48-41 lead. Carter started the comeback with a 10-yard run with 1:34 left in the third quarter and Sanks scored on a 15-yard run with 13 minutes left in the game. Hap Hines booted a 23-yard field goal with 6:36 left and Carter hit Johnson with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 5:12 remaining. Manget and Hines traded field goals and Georgia Tech took a 10-3 lead into the second quarter when Hamilton connected on a 47-yard scoring pass to Campbell with 11 seconds left. Sean Gregory, who ran for 80 yards on 26 carries, scored on a one-yard plunge to push Georgia Tech's lead to 17-3 with 10:26 left in the first half. The Bulldogs forged a tie on Carter's 71-yard pass to McMichael and Arnaud's 19-yard run, but Georgia Tech grabbed back the lead 1:16 before the half on another plunge by Gregory. "It's a tough loss," Arnaud said. "I think it is tougher for me that it is my last regular-season game."
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