Following Georgia’s 52-7 victory over rival Georgia Tech, Yellow Jackets’ head coach Geoff Collins and a few of his players met with the media to discuss their loss in the latest edition of “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.”

…The Bulldogs’ blowout victory was essentially a tale of two halves. The Bulldogs led only 17-7 early in the second quarter before each team missed a field goal prior to halftime. Collins, whose team was more than a four-touchdown underdog, was inspired by the Yellow Jackets’ first-half play.

“The part of [the game] that was promising is you go into halftime being ready to go one score down against the No. 4 team in the country, with an absolutely depleted roster of guys that are just fighting and battling and giving us a chance to be in that game,” said Collins, whose first year on the Flats ends with a 3-9 record. “It bodes well for what’s going to happen with this program going forward.”

…After rushing for 73 yards on 10 carries in the first quarter, the Bulldogs were limited to 44 yards on the same number of rushes in the second. In addition, after not turning the ball over in five consecutive games, Georgia lost two fumbles in the second quarter and a third in the third quarter.

“We were doing really well. They couldn’t run the ball on us,” said linebacker David Curry, who totaled five tackles, including one for a loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. “We started packing the box. But then they threw it over our heads, which we weren’t expecting at all. To be honest, coming into the game, I thought they were going to throw it fewer than 10 times. I thought they were just going to try to run it down our throats.”

…Despite completing just four of his first 13 passes, Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm finished 14 of 29 passing for 254 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. His 167.37 passer rating was his highest since the fifth game of the season at Tennessee (188.94). Benefiting from mostly good field position, Fromm led an offensive onslaught in the third quarter, whereby the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives after halftime.

“Once field position gets tipped the other way, that was hard to overcome,” Collins said. “Our guys kept battling, but it got away from us there in the third quarter, and you can’t let that happen against the No. 4 team in the country.”

…Georgia’s 45-point victory marks its largest winning margin in 68 all-time victories over Georgia Tech. In addition, the Bulldogs limited the Yellow Jackets to merely seven first downs and 139 total yards—the fewest yards Georgia has allowed in a game since yielding only 112 to Coastal Carolina in 2011.

“They’re a great team. They got really good players at every position—across the board,” said tight end Tyler Davis, who caught two of Georgia Tech’s five completions including a second-quarter touchdown. “Defensively, they have a great scheme. They play well together. I wish them luck next week [against LSU in the SEC Championship Game].

…Finally, Collins seemed thoroughly impressed with Georgia’s effort, but remembers where the team stood just three years ago—Kirby Smart’s first season—before the fourth-ranked Bulldogs developed into the program Collins aspires Georgia Tech to eventually have.

“I still remember three years ago when I was the defensive coordinator at Florida, first year in the development of [Georgia’s] program, and just to see the impact they've made through recruiting, through development. That’s the way it should be. So we’re actively engaged in that part of the process right now.”