They saw Georgia, then the American Dynasty, take a group of meritorious horned frogs from TCU, beat them 65-7, and turn them into something resembling prey. They saw Georgia capture its first repeat national title (and first championship in 10 years) in the College Football Playoff era, become the fourth team ever to go 15-0, and win the NFL April hit 29-1 through the late two seasons to blow up their roster. Even if they don’t see the competitive drama, they see the greatness of collaboration.
When they were watching or ultimately not watching, a group of rugged Bulldogs sprinkled the field with the graceful play and indecent stoppages necessary to elevate their college football to its best form yet. Nine days after escaping Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl National Semifinals, they were so tight they reminded others to cement their budding dynasty with romps like the 1996 Fiesta Bowl (62-24) or Alabama Nebraska (42-14) in the 2013 Bowl Championship Series championship game. They also reinforce the notion that the best American football comes from the Southeast, a region that has won eight straight national titles from four different colleges.
From the start, Georgia players ran on open grass of their own creation and a set of threats of their own, from 25-year-old quarterback Stetson Bennett IV on a 21-yard touchdown pass through the gap, Ladd McConkey receiving a throw from Bennett 37 yard touchdown pass, McConkey ran so uninterrupted, he looked a bit alone, to tight end Brock Bowers pinpoint catch, pinpoint throw, 7 catches for 152 yards and finish in the third quarter Excellent touchdown.
Bennett completed 18-of-25 for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the air. He also rushed for 39 yards three times and scored twice, earning his second straight Offensive MVP honors in the national championship game.
“He was really good tonight,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “Probably the best game of his career.”
“It seemed like for the last three or four months we’d been looking to see if somebody could beat us, but our game was over,” Bennett said.
And then he finished: “Nobody can.”
TCU coach Sonny Dykes acknowledged the challenges he faced after the fact.
“We met a really good team,” Dykes said. “We did something unusual and it just snowballed on us.”
If you need Georgia to prove it can rush across the field quickly, it can do it, like four carries for 70 yards, five carries for 57 yards or four carries for 55 yards. If you need it to prove that it can slow down effectively, it can do just that, 11 games for 92 yards or 11 games for 66 yards.
Do you need it to show that it can limit a great offense? Yes, it can take on TCU’s gritty quarterback Max Duggan, or limit its greatest player, wide receiver Quentin Johnston, to three yards on a catch.
Eye-catching stats abound, from Georgia’s 9.3 yards of advance as it led 38-7 in the first half, to Bennett’s passer rating soaring and staying above 200, a testament to the quarterback’s long ascent. Journey: He once transferred from Georgia to a junior college at Mississippi State and back again, and Georgia’s coaches never doubted his rise to this level.
TCU (13-2), the most unexpected finalist so far in the nine-year College Football Playoff era, only got one moment of hope, and it won a season of gruesome battles with certifiable character. While trailing 10-0, it made a pass that sent Johnston across the middle and wide receiver Dries Davis spun on the outside. Georgia saw Johnston but lost Davis, who caught a Dugan pass for a 60-yard gain and set up Dugan’s two-yarder.
Georgia then scored 11, 11, 11 and 37 on a 70-yard drive with McConkie leading the way with a touchdown. Georgia then ran for 92 yards on those 11 players and headed for Bennett’s 6-yard touchdown. Then Georgia went for 66 yards on Kendall Milton’s one-yard touchdown in 11 plays. Then Georgia got an unwanted interception and finished with 22 yards in two plays, Adonai Mitchell caught Bennett’s 22 yards and was tight and precise, proving that Georgia can do the same with ease .
Eventually, things came down to the fourth quarter, and Bennett could stand on the sidelines for a second straight title with much more ease than Alabama’s 33-18 run that helped Georgia clear a long-running hurdle last year. . Backup running back Branson Robinson had seven carries for 42 yards and scored on his sixth from a yard. That makes it 59-7, uncompetitive even by the standards of the College Football Playoff, which already knows its downfall.
By then, Georgia will apparently be 81-15 over Smart’s seven-season tenure, the former Georgia defensive back who once coordinated another dynastic Alabama defense. Georgia will establish itself as the dominant force in the game, even as it moves toward another quarterback with Bennett finally finishing. Those who watch Georgia, especially those who watch Georgia in red and black, will know that they are seeing a level rarely seen in art history.