It would be a fairy tale ending no matter what team won the 2022-2023 college football national championship. For #1 Georgia, the defending national champion, undefeated SEC champion, they were roaming the countryside knocking over everything in their wake like a giant of yore. For #6 Tennessee, their QB Joe Milton III was a real Cinderella story: holding clipboards at Michigan and Knoxville, getting a chance to start in the last game of the season. Tennessee barely made the big dance as the last at-large team, and Milton made ugly stepsisters out of #3 Ohio State and #2 Michigan on his way to the big stage: SoFi Stadium in Southern California. Georgia had beaten Tennessee 27-13 at home at Sanford Stadium earlier in the season, but Milton made it in for a play. Time to see the Giant versus the Cinderella.
Tennessee took the opening kickoff, but Milton went 1-4 passing, and the Vols punted. Georgia's giants took the ball 87 yards, capped by running back Kendall Milton punching it in for a touchdown as the Bulldogs scored from 1 yard out, with just under 8 minutes to go in the first. Tennessee's possession played to the Vols strengths, as a 14 play, 75 yard, five and one half minute drive culminated in Jaylen Wright's matching 1 yard TD run to even the score with 2:10 left in the first frame. As the first quarter ended, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny connected on a 57 yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead.
Tennessee's second quarter was offensively dismal: two punts and a Milton lost fumble on eleven total plays. On the Bulldog side of the ball, they added a 21-yard Podlesny field goal, and then a touchdown on Adonai Mitchell's 22 yard pass from Stetson Bennett IV, and finally a 48-yard Podlesny field goal as the first half ended. Georgia was in solid control after dominating the quarter, ahead 23-7 at the break.
Georgia started the second half with the ball, and controlled with a seven minute drive which culminated with a 38-yard Podlesny field goal, for a 26-7 lead. Tennessee continued to create the big plays that had been a big part of their portfolio, and produced a scoreless third quarter.
Podlesny started the fourth quarter scoring with a 38 yard field goal, and the 29-7 lead was starting to look insurmountable for Tennessee. The Vols did add a five minute 91 yard drive, ending with Wright's 2 yard TD run, to close the lead to 29-13, as the two-point conversion failed, and 9:03 remained. The Volunteer defense stopped the Bulldogs for a three and out to keep their hopes alive. However on a fourth down pass, Milton was sacked and lost the fumble. The Bulldogs had the ball in Tennessee territory. and Brock Bowers 22 yard pass from Bennett for TD stretched the lead to 36-13, with 2:29 to go. Tennessee drove downfield but Milton tossed an interception from the UGA 12 with 46 seconds left. The celebration started as Georgia wins back to back titles.
''We wanted our kids to play without fear,'' Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. ''All year I told them, I said, `We ain't getting hunted guys, we're doing the hunting, and hunting season's almost over. We've only got one more chance to hunt,' and we hunted tonight.''
''That was special,'' said Georgia QB Bennett. ''I'll remember that for the rest of my life. I love this team, I love those fans, I love our band. I love everybody. Back-to-back, baby. Back-to-back.''
''Last year's team probably had more talent on it,'' Smart said. ''But this year's team was different, like they had this eye of the tiger. They weren't going to lose.''
No comments:
Post a Comment