UGA storms back in fourth, edges Ohio St
ATLANTA– For the bulk of the 2nd half of its College Football Playoff semifinal game versus Ohio State, it appeared Georgia was not going to get the possibility to protect its nationwide championship.Then Stetson Bennett delivered yet another play for the ages. Bennett threw a 10-yard pass to Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds left, leading the Bulldogs to an improbable 42-41 resurgence victory over Ohio State on Saturday in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and a spot in the nationwide title game against TCU on Jan. 9. The Buckeyes had one last shot to win, but Noah Ruggles’50-yard basket attempt sailed broad entrusted to 3 seconds left– setting off a wild celebration on the Georgia sideline, with Bennett running onto the field with his arms stretched out in victory.2 Related Georgia, which went into the 4th quarter trailing 38-24, completed the biggest fourth-quarter resurgence in a CFP game.”Our people are extremely resistant, “Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart stated.”We talked at halftime about some games
that we have been in this year that we’ve been behind in. I had no doubt that our group would come out fighting. We didn’t play our finest football game. A great deal of that related to Ohio State.” Georgia opened as a 13-point preferred over TCU at Caesars Sportsbook, the largest point spread for any College Football Playoff or BCS National Championship. Miami(Florida )was a 12-point preferred over Ohio State in the 2002 BCS Champion Game.The Buckeyes appeared to be completely control in the 4th behind C.J. Stroud and a defense that had actually controlled up front for the bulk of the game.But Bennett showed the poise
that led the Bulldogs to the nationwide title a year ago. In spite of tracking by 14 points headed into the 4th quarter, Georgia never ever wavered in its belief it would win the game. In truth, players remembered back to the Missouri game earlier in the season, when the Bulldogs got in the 4th quarter trailing by 10 points and won 26-22. “We had been through something very similar at Missouri. So it was simply understanding that, truthfully, we had been through what we felt was even worse, “center Sedrick Van Pran stated.” So we simply wanted
to keep pressing.”Ohio State led 38-27 when Bennett tossed a 76-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Arian Smith after safety Lathan Ransom fell down on the have fun with 8:41, trimming the lead to three.After Ohio State kicked a field goal to go up 6
, Georgia got the ball back with 2:36 to go. Bennett calmly and efficiently led Georgia down the field, capping the drive with the game-winning rating. Van Pran noted that colleagues took turns in the huddle advising everyone,”Do your task. No one be Superman. Everyone do their job.” “Simply taking a look at everyone and saying,’We have not played our finest, and we have not done our tasks to the best of our capability, however we’re here now,’ “Bennett said. “It remains in our hands now. Where else would you rather be? Having the ball with two minutes left, and if you score a touchdown, you win the game
. I looked around, and there was just an entire lot of just identified, strong stares from all the men. It provided me confidence, and everybody else had self-confidence when we went down the field.”Now, Georgia will have an opportunity to become the first team to safeguard its nationwide title given that Alabama in 2011-12. “If you would have told me that when we were down whatever we were down in the fourth, I would have been like,’You are crazy’, “Bennett said when asked what being in another title game would resemble.”
However we’ll see you there.”Stroud finished going 23-of-34 for 348 backyards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and added a career-high 66 lawns on the ground. The Buckeyes had 2 100-yard receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr.But the game changed for Ohio State offensively after Harrison left the contest late in the 3rd quarter after taking a hit to the head in the end zone.
From that point forward, Ohio State scored only 2 basket the remainder of the game. Georgia also dialed up more pressure in the 4th quarter, blitzing Stroud on eight of his 14 dropbacks. Stroud went 2-of-6 for 17 lawns and was sacked once on those plays, according to ESPN Statistics & Information.Harrison’s absence was big, therefore was the reality Ohio State had a makeshift backfield thanks to injuries and depth concerns. In addition, tight end Cade Stover left the game with a back injury and was taken to the healthcare facility.”To say that losing Marv didn’t have an effect on the game, it definitely did, “Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.But until that moment, Stroud was masterful. While Ohio State may have felt excellent about the match benefit it had with Harrison and Egbuka on the Georgia cornerbacks, Stroud showed patience and a scrambling capability that turned mundane plays into unforgettable ones.On his 2nd touchdown pass of the night, Stroud got away two Georgia linemen who nearly had him in their grasp, ran to his
right and tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Harrison in the corner of the end zone. By the time the very first half was over, Ohio State
led 28-24 and Stroud was 15-of-19 for 238 backyards and 3 touchdowns, while Harrison had five catches for 106 backyards and two touchdowns.That continued in the 2nd half. After forcing a three-and-out on Georgia’s opening series of the 3rd quarter, Ohio State marched down the field, and Stroud tossed a 10-yard pass to Egbuka on a stunning little bit of misdirection, as Egbuka ran behind the line and up an open joint for ball game to give them an 11-point lead.But as they have actually done so typically with Bennett behind center, the Bulldogs discovered a way. Bennett made plays when he needed to, especially in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN Statistics & Details, Bennett went 4-of-4 for 152 backyards and 2 touchdowns on passes thrown 15-plus backyards downfield
in that quarter alone.Bennett won game MVP honors after going 23-of-34 for 398 backyards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Asked what more there is to say about Bennett, teammate Kenny McIntosh said, “He’s a tough worker. He’s a hard-fighting man. However the task’s refrained from doing yet. He’s still got to do it one more time. As soon as he does that, you can call him whatever you want.” After Ohio State got the ball back with 54 seconds left, Stroud got Ohio State down to the 31-yard line, thanks in big part to a 27-yard scramble.” The last drive, I seen how much time we had with timeouts, and I knew we could do it,”Stroud said.”I attempted my hardest to get us down there.
I think I left my heart out on that field.”Ruggles lined up for a shot to win the game, but his kick did not have much of a possibility. McIntosh dropped to his knees, then giddily ran onto the field. When the kick went wide, Van Pran stated,”You always think, however when things really happen, it was really impressive to see. “In the end, it was jubilation for Georgia, however a
gut-punch for an Ohio State team that had played all right to win.”They’re an amazing team, man. Wow, “Bennett said.”We combated, we fought and they were
beating us, it seems like the whole game. And then we made a few plays, and … unbelievable. “