Georgia spent much of the third quarter swinging around a big disadvantage in field position, which began when McClendon slipped down at his own 2 after catching the second-half kickoff.

The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first possession, giving Georgia Tech the ball at the Georgia 48, but the Yellow Jackets couldn’t do anything offensively. Georgia gradually worked out of the hole, getting a big boost on Flowers’ 30-yard punt return late in the period.

Shockley completed 15-of-34 for 198 yards, while Ball was held to 155 yards passing and had three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble.

Georgia Tech took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field. Ball had runs of 13 and 11 yards, sandwiched around a 28-yard pass to James Johnson. On second-and-goal from the 2, Ball threw a high pass toward the left corner of the end zone, giving Calvin Johnson enough time to make a spectacular diving catch with cornerback DeMario Minter trailing hopelessly behind him, giving Georgia Tech its first lead over Georgia since 2001.

Minter even clapped his hands after the catch, acknowledging the brilliance of Georgia Tech’s star receiver. But Johnson made only one more catch, finishing with a season-low two receptions for 14 yards.

“The plan was to just get physical with him, just beat him up at the line and get in his head a little bit,” Minter said.

Georgia tied it up before the first period was over, driving 82 yards in eight plays. Kregg Lumpkin accounted for 31 yards on four carries, while Shockley completed passes of 25 yards to Leonard Pope and 23 yards to Mohamed Massaquoi. Brannon Southerland finished it off by powering into the end zone from the 1.

What looked like an offensive shootout in the making suddenly turned defensive, and stayed that way.

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