Stetson Bennett walked off the field with a wry grin on his face and stopped to hug coach Kirby Smart as the crowd roared.
In the fourth quarter of the most lopsided title game in college football, there were only standing ovations and snacks on the sidelines.
Georgia proved that they are the new bullies on the block by becoming the first team in College Football Playoff history to win the national championship again.
In the first half, Bennett, the No. 1, threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores. 1 Georgia destroyed Number 3 TCU beat TCU 65-7 on Monday.
Advertisement Since Alabama won again and again a decade ago, the Bulldogs (15-0) are the first major college football team to do so. The Southeastern Conference appears to be witnessing the rise of a new dynasty.
Smart stated, “We wanted our kids to play without fear.” Throughout the entire year, I informed them, “We ain’t getting hunted guys; we’re doing the hunting, and hunting season is almost over.” We hunted tonight because we only had one more chance.
The first playoff Cinderella team, TCU (13-2), never stood a chance against the Georgia juggernaut. The Bulldogs would not give in to the Hypnotoads’ spell, unlike Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal.
Similar to Nebraska’s 38-point victory over Florida in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, USC’s 36-point victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl, and Alabama’s 28-point BCS victory over Notre Dame in 2013, Georgia delivered one of the greatest big game defeats.
But worse was this.
Too much skill. Too much guidance. The ‘Dawgs have won two titles in a row.
Since the BCS began in 1998, no team has ever scored more points in a national championship game.
Smart called a timeout in the middle of an offensive drive with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter so Bennett could leave to a hero’s ovation in the last game of his arduous college career.
That was special, Bennett said, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. That will remain in my mind for the rest of my life.”
On the sideline as the game came to a close, Georgia offensive linemen were munching on chicken wings. After that, the Bulldogs received a championship trophy and were doused in confetti for the second consecutive year.
Advertisement: “I love our band, this team, and those fans. Bennett stated during the presentation ceremony, “I love everyone.” Baby, back-to-back. Back-to-back.”
In his first seven seasons at Georgia, Smart has won two national titles and is now 81-15. In his first seven seasons as Alabama coach, Nick Saban won three titles and went 79-15.
After losing 15 NFL draft picks from the 2021 team, the Bulldogs were a different kind of dominant this season: more explosive on offense, but not quite as stingy on defense.
Smart stated, “The team probably had more talent on it last year.” But the team this year was different—it was like they had the tiger’s eye on them. They wouldn’t fall short.
Georgia fans were concerned earlier in Smart’s tenure at his alma mater about whether the former defensive coordinator for Saban would be able to create an offense comparable to this high-scoring college football era.
The Bulldogs’ offensive output has increased to new heights under third-year coordinator Todd Monken. They took TCU’s 3-3-5 defense apart from every angle.
Brock Bowers, a versatile tight end, caught seven passes for 152 yards. Ladd McConkey caught two touchdown passes. Seven players for Georgia gained at least 10 yards on 254 yards of running.
All six times the Bulldogs touched the ball in the first half, they scored. Bennett ran it twice by himself; The two quarterback keepers barely mentioned the former walk-on who went on to win two national championships.
In the first quarter, he hit McConkey wide open for a 34-yard touchdown, a perfectly executed play from a bunched formation that left TCU’s defensive backs in disarray. Bennett’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell was more difficult because it was made over a player who was in close coverage.
It resembled the Bennett-to-Mitchell touchdown that gave Georgia a lead it would not give up in the fourth quarter against Alabama in the CFP title game last year.
Advertisement Georgia avenged its only regular-season loss by defeating the Tide to end a 41-year national title drought last season.
The upstart Horned Frogs caused no such drama.
The trip was wonderful. According to TCU running back Emari Demercado, “it’s something I’ll never forget.” Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but in the end, this journey was great.”
Alabama was never a concern for these Bulldogs. They won the SEC easily, beat Ohio State in a classic CFP semifinal, and won a historic blowout to complete a perfect season.
“Do you need to lose money to learn?” Smart stated, Basically, why?
With 10:52 left in the third quarter, Bennett hit Bowers for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 45-7. At Sofi Stadium, the Northern California sophomore signaled a touchdown while lying on the ground. While tapping helmets with one of his linemen, Bennett grinned.
Smart stated, “He’s got GOAT status and will be in Athens, Georgia forever.”
Despite the fact that Georgia’s well-known bulldog mascot UGA was unable to travel across the country to support his team, the experience nonetheless resembled Sanford Stadium in Southern California.
With more than half of the fourth quarter remaining, many TCU fans left the game and went outside into the cold, rainy night rather than continue to watch the huge mismatch.
“I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to put on a better show tonight because that doesn’t show who we are. However, “we’ll look back — it’s going to take some time for the sting to go away, I assure you,” said first-year coach Sonny Dykes. “But we’ll look back and build on it from here.”
In his final TCU game, Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan threw two interceptions in the first half. Duggan led TCU on one of the most unlikely runs in college football history, despite being a four-year starter and never having played in a bowl before this season.
After a disappointing 2021 campaign, the Frogs were picked seventh in the Big 12 and were unranked. They won nine games by 10 or fewer points. They were close to winning the program’s first national championship since 1938.
However, they encountered a monster.
Smart stated, “As long as you don’t have entitlement in your program, you have a chance.” And we do not currently possess that.”
