Georgia stuns Ohio State with comeback in Peach Bowl classic: CFB media reacts
The Ohio State Buckeyes stunned the Georgia Bulldogs and the college football media with a win in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal.
New Year’s Eve 2022 turned out to be the best day for the College Football Playoff, arguably ever. Both games were thrilling. Both games came down to the final possession.
For Georgia, that meant overcoming a significant second-half deficit to beat Ohio State at the death.
Stetson Bennett engineered a game-winning drive to put the Bulldogs up 42-41.
Ohio State had a chance to win it when C.J. Stroud led them into field goal range with seconds left on the clock. From there, Noah Ruggles missed a 50-yard attempt, sending Georgia to the College Football Playoff Championship vs. TCU.
Best memes and tweets after Ohio State upsets Georgia in CFP semifinal
https://twitter.com/BussinWTB/status/1609413550597865472
Ohio State-Georgia trying to time that thing where the final play happens right as the ball hits for New Year's midnight.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) January 1, 2023
THE KICK IS NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! GEORGIA IS GOING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 1, 2023
pic.twitter.com/xhaTJtcV9i
PERFECT NEW YEARS
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) January 1, 2023
AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT!!!
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) January 1, 2023
THE 1ST WIN OF 2023 GOES TO THE GEORGIA BULLDOGSSSSSSS
Ohio State really missed the field goal as the ball dropped at midnight
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) January 1, 2023
GEORGIA IS GOING BACK TO THE TITLE GAME! #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/YGkpTtrPbG
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 1, 2023
Ohio State may have gone left…but you’ll always go right by buying your family a brand new 2023 Telluride at Stetson Bennett KIA of Waycross and Blackshear
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) January 1, 2023
Congrats to CJ Stroud for playing the game of his life, throwing AND RUNNING Ohio State into position to pull off the upset - all without his best running back and in the end, his TWO best receivers. What a heartbreaker.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/NFLRookieWatxh/status/1609414940829548544
Ohio State deserves everyone’s respect. What a game Ryan Day’s team played when everyone — myself included — counted them out.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) January 1, 2023
Michigan and Ohio State fans. pic.twitter.com/KtmYarU3Cd
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) January 1, 2023
Michigan fans watching that missed field goal from Ohio State pic.twitter.com/Ktvsxp4imk
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) January 1, 2023
Ohio State got wayyyyyy too conservative after CJ’s run. You need to get as close as possible with college kickers.
— Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) January 1, 2023
Incredible game. Still don’t get Ohio State’s play calling before the missed kick
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) January 1, 2023
Ohio state played great up until the last 2 minutes of the game
— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) January 1, 2023
Ohio State for the win pic.twitter.com/kHRrenZHUp
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) January 1, 2023
Happy New Year, and wow, what a way to ring it in with these games. Congrats to TCU and Georgia, and helluva game by Ohio State.
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) January 1, 2023
While TCU beat Michigan in the earlier CFP semifinal, the game between Georgia and Ohio State was relatively even early. Ohio State struck first in the first quarter but Georgia hit back to make it 7-7 after one quarter.
The Buckeyes grabbed the momentum with touchdowns from Miyan Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs didn’t lay down. Kendall Milton and Stetson Bennett finished off drives with touchdown runs and Jack Podlesny hit a field goal to put UGA up 24-1.
Almost immediately Xavier Johnson and the Buckeyes struck back with a touchdown to take a 28-24 lead into halftime.
After the break, Ohio State took a stranglehold of the game. C.J. Stroud found Emeka Egbuka from 10 yards out and Ruggles made the Buckeyes’ advantage 38-24 with a field goal.
Georgia launched a comeback in the fourth quarter thanks to a Podlesny field goal and a 76-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett to a wide-open Arian Smith to pull within three.
Ohio State settling for a field goal opened the door for the Bulldogs to drive to take the lead on a 10-yard pass from Bennett to Adonai Mitchell, 42-41. Then came the fateful missed field goal that propels the Dawgs to their second straight College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
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