by ATLANTA — The term “inch game” has been associated with college football since at least 1941, when it was first attributed to Illinois coach Bob Zuppke. More than eight decades later, on the last night of the year 2022, this aphorism was more relevant than ever.
Inches. Seconds. The razor’s edge that can separate victory and defeat. Enough of those tiny time-and-distance margins broke Georgia’s path for the defending national champion Bulldogs to beat. ohio state42-41, in a classic Peach Bowl College football playoff semifinal.
It was so close. This time. It’s dramatic.
“My heart goes out to these guys,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Ohio State. “They played well enough to win. We played well enough to win too. Just enough.”
Smart was just quick enough to call a crucial fourth-quarter timeout before an Ohio State fake punt on the fourth and first to go – if the ball had been snapped in time. Smart said he recognized the Buckeyes weren’t in their traditional punt lineup and signaled a timeout to the official, without help from his assistants on the helmet. The head coach’s headset has three channels he can switch between — offense, defense, and special teams — and Smart was on the defensive channel coming out of that defensive streak. “They were saying something on the special teams line, but I wasn’t on that line,” Smart said. But in the end, he didn’t need any help – smart play indeed.
Officials review a Georgia play before awarding Bowers a critical first down.
Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY Network
Tight end Brock Bowers was just athletic enough to keep his body off the ground and stretch for a first down to keep a fourth-quarter drive alive in the replay review when he was ruled short. “Brock was pretty stunned,” Stetson quarterback Bennett IV said. Georgia had to settle for a field goal three games later, but it turned out to be a vital three.
Defensive back Javon Bullard was just fairly legal with a devastating hit on Marvin Harrison Jr., which was originally called targeting before being knocked down, preventing a touchdown and knocking out the superstar wide receiver for the rest of the game. That hit prevented Ohio State from taking a three-run lead late in the third quarter.
If any of those three plays go the other way in a one-point game, the Buckeyes are likely to upset and play. TOS for the national championship next week. Instead, Georgia was inches and seconds better. The best day in PCP history swung longest to two surprising upsets, after the Horned Frogs defeated Michigan in a savage shootout, but ultimately the ‘Dogs made every inch count.
In the end, Bennett was just good enough to erase several past mistakes and lead another playoff comeback in the fourth quarter, after etching his name in school lore last year with a rally to beat Alabama for the national championship. As was the case then against the Crimson Tide, Bennett’s mistakes were part of what put his team in deficit.
“I felt like there was a 30-minute period where I just played bad football,” Bennett said. He took bad sacks, made risky throws, and at one point threw a red-zone lateral that Ladd McConkey had to fall on for a big loss, turning a touchdown into a field goal.
“Freaking, I threw a lateral,” Bennett said in the post-game press conference, and next to him Smart closed his eyes for several seconds, painfully reliving that bad moment. “Stupid.”
But once again, the former undersized extra, who is one of the great Cinderella stories in sports history, rose to the occasion under incredible pressure and delivered on his promise. This game, like several others, was a microcosm of his career – just when Georgia fans were ready to give it up, just when the general public was writing it off, he found a way.
“It sort of frees you up,” Bennett said of the do-or-die stakes the ‘Dogs faced. “You have to. Otherwise we will lose.
Trailing 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter, Bennett led three straight scoring streaks to pull the game out of the fire. On those last three possessions, with his six-year college career on the line, Bennett completed 12 of 14 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the stuff of legends, pushing him further into the unlikely realm of great Georgia quarterbacks. In a school that had many, none accomplished what Bennett did.
The last drive was perfect: Bennett completed five straight passes, working in midfield to drive Georgia to the Ohio State 10-yard line, then firing a route to Adonai Mitchell for the touchdown. It was Bennett to Mitchell for the nod against Alabama last year as well.
Bennett described the mindset of the final practice: “It’s in our hands now. The defense came up whenever we needed it. Where do you prefer to be? Have the ball two minutes from time and if you score you win the game. I looked around and there was just a bunch of strong, determined stares from all the guys.
Except Georgia still hadn’t won the game after scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Bennett guided the Bulldogs down the field so efficiently and quickly that they gave Ohio State and its brilliant quarterback, CJ Stroud, 54 seconds on the clock for one last chance.
Stroud led the Buckeyes to the Georgia 31-yard line, after which Ryan Day made a poor call on a night he coached a big game. He ran the ball on first down, a conservative call, instead of trying to push further into the goal range of kicker Noah Ruggles. In the end, Ruggles was left with a 50-yard attempt – and he entered the game 0 for 4 in his career from 50 yards or more. Now he’s sadly 0-for-5 after hooking the wide left kick, not close.
Running back Kenny McIntosh, who had 126 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, watched the culminating kick from the right where the ball was broken. When he saw him turn left, “I fell to my knees at that moment. Then I ran into the field.
Bennett will look to become a two-time national champion when the Bulldogs meet TCU for the title.
Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY Network
On the sidelines, Bennett was again reduced to tears by the emotion of the moment. Last year, when Kelee Ringo made a six-pick interception return, he crumbled. This time, Bennett sobbed again before taking the field for one final knee.
That last play took place at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day 2023. The guy taking the knee is 25 and started his college career in 2017. His labyrinthine journey to hero status ended in a transfer at a junior college, then a return to Georgia, then several benches as Smart searched for a better QB. Turns out he had a national champion on the roster all along – and now possibly a two-time champion.
After receiving the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game award, Bennett walked off the podium and was inundated with well-wishers after others as he tried to make his way off the field into the Georgia locker room. Eventually, he grabbed the back of an offensive lineman and asked him to be his primary blocker.
Once cleared, Bennett began running – left hand in the air waving to the Bulldogs fans, able to gloat in a moment that nearly slipped away. Inches and seconds were on Georgia’s side Saturday night, and the ‘Dogs needed them all.
