Georgia holds on to defeat Ohio State and advance to CFP title game
ATLANTA — Stetson Bennett has that Dog in him.
The Georgia quarterback threw the game-winning touchdown pass to receiver Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds remaining to send the top-seeded Bulldogs to the College Football Playoff national championship game with a 42-41 win over No. 4 Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia will try to defend its title on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium against No. 4 Texas Christian, which earned a spot in the final after an exhilarating 51-45 victory over No. 3 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl.
Behind standout play from Max Duggan and two touchdowns off interception returns, TCU defeated Michigan 51-45 to advance to the national championship game.
After the Horned Frogs and Wolverines battled in what many hailed on social media as the best College Football Playoff game ever, Georgia and Ohio State didn’t disappoint in the Peach Bowl. The Bulldogs overcame two 14-point deficits and rushed the field after Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal with three seconds remaining sailed wide.
Bennett, who won most outstanding offensive player, finished with 398 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 23-of-34 passing, dueling with fellow Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud.
The Ohio State quarterback had 348 passing yards and four touchdowns on identical passes. The Rancho Cucamonga High alumnus led the Buckeyes down the field for their final field-goal attempt, but was left to retreat up the tunnel as Georgia players celebrated on the field after the final horn.
The Bulldogs (14-0) will have a chance to become the first repeat national champions since Alabama won in 2011 and 2012. After giving up 10 consecutive points in the third quarter to enter the fourth with a 14-point deficit — the largest it had faced all year — Georgia kept Ohio State’s offense out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
With most of USC’s starters on the offensive line playing in their final game Monday in the Cotton Bowl, major changes will be coming to the unit next season.
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