Dan Jackson was never officially recruited by Georgia, but the Bulldogs are certainly glad he chose to come.

If not for the walk-on, Georgia might not even have had the chance to come back in the fourth quarter and ultimately claim Friday night’s eight-overtime win over arch-rival Georgia Tech.

Jackson made the defensive play of the game with Georgia down 27-20 with just over three minutes left when he forced a fumble from quarterback Haynes King. Linebacker Chaz Chambliss recovered at the 32 of Georgia Tech.

Five offensive plays later, Georgia tied the game on Carson Beck’s second touchdown pass to Dominic Lovett, sending it to overtime.

“Dan always plays with everything he has,” Chambliss said. “Words can't express what he means to me and what he means to our team.”

Head coach Kirby Smart beamed when asked about the play.

“Man, to think that guy came to Georgia on his own without us even recruiting and to make the plays he's made,” Smart said. “That hit fumble will be one for the ages because he wasn't just hitting a normal dude. That guy's a competitor. I just have a lot of respect for Dan. He didn't even have to come back this year. I mean, he debated whether he was going to play football again this year.”

The Bulldogs are happy that he did.

During the marathon overtime, Jackson saved the Bulldogs a second time when he sacked King sending the game to the sixth overtime.

Georgia would win when Nate Frazier scored for the Bulldogs during their eighth try.

“Yeah, man, he's a hell of a player, a hell of a leader,” cornerback Daylen Everette said. “He's been here a long time. He's been here since I've been here. He's someone that I always try to take advice from and stuff like that. I'm just real proud of how he played.”

Jackson finished the game with six tackles, including the one forced fumble, and was on the field for all of Georgia Tech’s 84 offensive plays.

“I think about where we'd be without him. Just a lot of respect for him and his leadership,” Smart said. “All these kids that want to go and transfer and change and do all this. You look at a guy like Dan Jackson. He is what college football is all about, guys. He's not asking for more money. He's not trying to go somewhere else. The guy just loves Georgia.”