ATHENS — Kirby Smart has spent the past two seasons watching this Ohio storm coming and knowing his Bulldog will probably have to go through it at some point in his journey to the top of the college football world. was
Georgia Football survived Saturday night’s Buckeyes challenge by a small margin. On the stroke of midnight he missed a 50-yard field goal attempt that 42-41 instant decided the result of his Classic.
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From every page of Todd Monken’s playbook and every ounce of buy-in from a reloaded team that exceeded realistic expectations, we’ve gone through Smart’s defensive scheme in full.
The team lost 15 players in the NFL Draft and isn’t supposed to repeat as national champions, but that’s what these No. 1 Bulldogs are trying to do.
Georgia is a very strong contender to finish work next Monday at 7:30 pm at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where they will face Big 12 runners-up TCU in the CFP Championship Game.
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Here’s a look at how individual players trended from the historic CFP Peach Bowl Semifinals. The Bulldogs became the first team in the CFP era to win after trailing him by 14 or more points in the fourth quarter.
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Javon Bullard: The sophomore safety was named the game’s defensive MVP after coming up with Georgia State’s most important play of the night. End He pulled Marvin Harrison Jr. off the ball in the zone and sprawled the Ohio star. turf. The Buckeyes settled for a field goal, Harrison Jr. did not return to the game, and Ohio State’s passing game fell short of punches the rest of the night.
Kenny Mackintosh: McIntosh again totaled over 100 yards, leading Georgia with five receptions, bringing it to 56, including the Bulldogs’ first TD of the night. McIntosh also led the UGA Rusher with 70 yards on five carries, including a 52-yard burst that proved the second-longest offensive play in the game.
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Ariane Smith: The infrequently used and often injured speedster had the first multi-catch game of his career, including a 76-yard TD catch. Smith proved to be his X-factor major on the night the Bulldogs needed, tight his end Darnell as he injured Washington early.
Christopher Smith: The Georgia State All-American safety made another tremendous outing, leading the team with eight tackles while quarterbacking a defenseman who never gave up more than 37 yards of play.
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Broderick Jones: Georgia’s left tackle hasn’t looked to be winning in pass blocking, and has made significant improvements in run blocking in each of the last two seasons. Provides peace of mind on the backside.
Amarius Mims: The sophomore made the most of his first start at right tackle and rated him higher overall than any other Georgia offensive lineman. The experience Mims has gained this season has been pivotal, with Warren McLendon missing his first start in his 38 games.
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Nazir Stackhouse: Stackhouse took full advantage of the special attention the Buckeyes blocker was giving to Jalen Carter, making three stops for the best performance of any defensive starter in Georgia.
Daijun Edwards: A strong run from Edwards, whose powerful legs allowed him to churn out tackles and break out a 21-yard run. Edwards also recorded a 9-yard catch and next Monday he could have another breakout performance against TCU.
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Jalen Carter: The No. 88 was demoted to 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup as Ohio State targeted and effectively neutralized Georgia’s most talented player. Carter also missed Stroud’s open field sack, but still jammed the inside rush lane.
Stetson Bennett: Bennett cut through the clutches and handed over the mandatory MVP award, keeping his stock even on a night when Smart said he left something behind. According to the PFF metric, Bennett’s three lowest-grade offensive outings have come in the last four games, and the hunch here is that Bennett is sharp against the Horned Frogs and earns the CFP title in his game. Max is to beat his Duggan.
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Jack Podresny: The Bulldogs kicker announced his intentions to go pro last week by playing in the All-Star Game, but his audition with Ohio State went awry, and he made just two of his four field goals on errors of 47 and 52 yards. could not be achieved.