The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to score a 42-41 comeback win over No. 4 Ohio State in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday night. A record crowd of 79,330 watched the drama unfold at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here’s how Saturday’s game broke down:
Key play
Trailing 41-35 with just under two minutes to play, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett found slotback Kearis Jackson open on a post route in the middle of the field for a 35-yard gain to the Ohio State 15. Two players later, Bennett hooked up with split end Adonai “A.D.” Mitchell in the left side of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 54 seconds to play. Mitchell, who had been unable to play almost the entire season because of an injured ankle, scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Bennett in Georgia’s national championship win over Alabama in January. Fifty-one seconds later, Ohio State’s Noah Ruggles hooked a 50-yard field-goal attempt wide left, and the Bulldogs were able to escape with victory.
Game ball
Once again, Bennett left a playoff game as the offensive MVP. He is now 3-for-3 in that regard in CFP appearances. The sixth-year senior from Blackshear completed 23 of 34 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in for a 3-yard touchdown as the Bulldogs rolled up 533 yards against the Buckeyes. Arian Smith led the Bulldogs with 129 yards on three receptions. He accounted for 76 on a touchdown catch that got Georgia to within a field goal with 8:41 to play.
Key stat
While there were incredible plays made on offense and defense, ultimately it was field goals – both misses and makes – the determined the final outcome. Ohio State’s Ruggles missed the final kick of the night from 50 yards, but he made a 48-yarder just 2:40 earlier. And Jack Podlesny missed a 47-yarder at the end of Georgia’s first offensive possession, and then a 52-yard try late in the third quarter. But his makes from 32 yards in the season quarter and 31 in the fourth, as well as four PATs, gave the Bulldogs just enough points to leave the stadium with the victory.
What we learned
Georgia has some very serious defensive liabilities against the pass, and it will be facing another all-star quarterback in TCU’s Max Duggan on Jan. 9. C.J. Stroud had a field day against the Bulldogs on Saturday, completing 23 of 34 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka led the Buckeyes with 112 yard and a touchdown, and Marvin Harrison added 106 and two scores before having to leave the game following a hit by Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard late in the third quarter. The pass break-up resulted in the Buckeyes having to settle for a field goal.
They said it
“My heart goes out to those guys because they played well enough to win. They’ve got a really good team. So do we, and our guys are extremely resilient.” – Georgia coach Kirby Smart
“At the end of the game, I don’t know, it kind of frees you up. You’ve just got to, otherwise we’re going to lose.” – Bennett
“I think I left my heart out on that field. It’s heavy on my heart. It’s going to be tough to go out like that, but I love my teammates so much.” – Stroud
What’s next?
Georgia: The Bulldogs head home to Athens to prepare for its second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff Championship game. Georgia (14-0) will face No. 3 TCU (13-1), which defeated No. 2 Michigan 52-46 in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday afternoon.
