ATHENS — Five former Georgia Bulldogs will be fitted for Super Bowl rings after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Sony Michel, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, running backs coach Thomas Brown and offensive line assistant Nick Jones all wore the Rams’ blue and gold on the way to victory. All once wore the red and black of UGA.
Coach Kirby Smart made sure the newest Bulldogs were aware of it. Georgia’s 19 midyear enrollees watched the Super Bowl at Smart’s house.
An argument could be that one of those Bulldogs should have become the fourth to be named Super Bowl MVP as well. But instead of Stafford, who threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:29 remaining, that honor went to Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught the winning score.
Kupp finished with 92 yards on eight catches and two TDs and executed a huge 7-yard run on fourth down to keep the winning drive alive. But Stafford was doing yeoman’s work all night long without any semblance of a run game to help. With Odell Beckham Jr. injured during the game and two other key pass-catchers already sidelined, Stafford managed 283 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-40 passing. And he did so under heavy pressure all night and injured an ankle in the process.
Stafford certainly wasn’t griping about that afterward. The Bulldogs’ star quarterback from 2006 to ‘08 was nothing but exhilarated after leading LA to a Super Bowl in his first season with the team. Stafford toiled in Detroit for 12 seasons before landing with the Rams in a blockbuster trade before this season.
“I’m just so proud of this team,” Stafford said after the game. “There are so many guys on the team who deserve this. Our players have given their heart and soul to this team. This game was the story of our season – up and down and tough – but we got it done.”
Floyd contributed significantly as well. The six-year pro from Eastman in Dodge County finished with five tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. Floyd played for the Bulldogs from 2013 to ‘15.
It was a very quiet evening for Michel, who gained 2 yards on two carries while backing up Cam Akers. But it is the second Super Bowl championship in just four NFL seasons for the Fort Lauderdale native. He starred for the Bulldogs from 2014 to ‘17.
Keep an eye on Brown in the coaching ranks. In just his second season with the Rams. he served as the assistant head coach this year and is considered a fast-riser in the NFL after nine seasons as a collegiate assistant. Brown rushed for 2,646 yards as a Georgia Bulldog from 2004 to ‘07 (his final two seasons with Stafford as Georgia’s quarterback) and coached running backs at Georgia in 2015.
Jones, an offensive lineman and captain for the Bulldogs when he played center from 2003 to ’06, joined the Rams’ staff this season. He was with the Falcons last year.
Reserve offensive lineman Trey Hill was the only Bulldog on the Bengals’ active roster for the game.
Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Stafford joined Fran Tarkenton as the only former Georgia quarterback to throw a TD pass in the Super Bowl and the first to start and win the big game (Tarkenton played in three losses with Minnesota, Zeke Bratkowski was a backup for two Green Bay wins).
Had Stafford landed the MVP trophy, he would have joined former Bulldogs Jake Scott, Terrell Davis and Hines Ward in claiming that honor. Four different alums winning Super Bowl MVP would’ve been a record. Michigan currently claims the most with six, but Tom Brady accounted for five of those.
Regardless, a great year for Georgia, both the state and the school.
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