Tee Johnson in Sports

Georgia Bulldogs Win First National Championship In 40+ Years

On a frigid night in Indianapolis, the Georgia Bulldogs found themselves down by five points in the fourth quarter after their quarterback, Stetson Bennett, gave the ball away on an inexplicable fumble.

But Bennett, who had yet to completely win over a sizeable portion of Bulldogs Nation, refused to fold under pressure.

Georgia Beats Alabama, Wins College Football Championship

“After that fumble, I told myself I wasn’t going to be the reason we lose this game,” he said in postgame comments.

And true to his word, he wasn’t the reason the Bulldogs lost. He was the reason they won.

But it wasn’t just him. It was Kelee Ringo, who took back a Bryce Young interception for 79 yards. It was a

The Georgia Bulldogs finally reached the top of college football on Monday, January 10, 2021, taking down perennial power Alabama 33-19.

A late pick-six would seal the win and give the Dawgs their first national championship since the 1980 season.

After the game, UGA head coach Kirby Smart said he wanted the team to remember this moment.

“I told the guys in the locker room, just take a picture of this, because I think back to the ’80 championship picture and seeing all those players and the Frank Walkers and the Herschel Walkers and all these people that have reached out and said things,” Smart said. “Our guys have accomplished that, something special, and as they say, they’ve become legendary, and I want that for them.”

Kirby is one of only two former assistants of Alabama head coach Nick Saban to beat him. The other is Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher.

“I love Kirby,” Saban said after the game. “I think Kirby has a lot of respect for us. He did a great job for us for a long time. If we had to lose a national championship, I’d rather lose one to one of the former assistants who certainly did a great job for us and has done a great job for his program and his team.”

Let’s take a look back at the magical 2021 football season that would end in a championship trophy for Athens.

Week 1: Georgia 10 Clemson 3

On Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, No. 5 Georgia took down No. 3 Clemson 10-3 in Charlotte. The Bulldogs defense overwhelmed the Tigers in a battle between two offenses trying to find their way in a new season.

Georgia has added Arik Gilbert from LSU and senior running back James Cook looks like he’s ready for a breakout season.

Week 2: Georgia 56 UAB 7

UGA’s defense and running game proved to be too much for UAB in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs improved to 2-0.

Watch Georgia-UAB Highlights

A lot of the media’s attention has been focused on running back Kendall Milton, who figures to be one of the top backs in the SEC. Let’s take a look at who Georgia plays this year:

Date	Opponent	Time And Location	Score / Ticket Information
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021	Clemson Tigers 3 Bulldogs 10	7 p.m. Charlotte, NC	10-3
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021	UAB 7 Bulldogs 56	3:30 p.m. Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium	Find Seats
Sept. 18, 2021	South Carolina Gamecocks 13 Bulldogs 40	7 p.m. Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium
Sept. 25, 2021	Vanderbilt Commodores 0 Bulldogs 62	TBA, Nashville, Tennessee
Oct. 2, 2021	Arkansas Razorbacks 0, Georgia 37	TBA, Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium	Find Seats
Oct. 9, 2021	Auburn Tigers 10, Georgia 34	TBA, Auburn, Alabama
Oct. 16, 2021	Kentucky Wildcats - 13, Georgia 30	TBA, Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium	Find Seats
Oct. 30, 2021	Florida Gators - 7, Georgia 34	3:30 p.m., Jacksonville, Florida
Nov. 6, 2021	Missouri Tigers - 6, Georgia 43	Noon, Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium	Find Seats
Nov. 13, 2021	Tennessee Volunteers - 17, Georgia 41	3:30 p.m. ET, Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov. 30, 2021	Charleston Southern (Homecoming) 7, Georgia 56	7 p.m. ET Athens, Ga. Sanford Stadium	Find Seats
Nov. 27, 2021	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 0, Georgia 45	noon, Atlanta, Ga.
Dec. 4, 2021	Alabama - 41, Georgia 24	4 p.m., Atlanta, Ga.

Let’s hope Head Coach Kirby Smart can bring home a championship!

Week 3: Georgia 40 South Carolina 13

The Georgia defense rallied around Doty, who threw for 153 in his first action of the season. The Bulldogs improve to 3-0 on the season with a stifling defense as they opened up SEC play.

Let’s watch the highlights.

Week 4: Georgia 62 Vanderbilt 0

The No. 2 Bulldogs ran over the Commodores in Nashville, Tennessee. Georgia moved the ball largely at will, piling up 524 yards in complete domination. Vandy only garnered 77 yards as Smart’s squad improved to 4-0.

Week 5: Georgia 37 Arkansas 0

The No. 8-ranked Razorbacks come into Athens with something to prove as the Bulldogs face their toughest contest yet.

Week 6: Georgia 34 Auburn 10

Georgia steamrolled the Auburn Tigers, 34 to 10, hamstringing their quarterback, Bo Nix. Georgia’s defense set the pace early on and the offense pulled away with 17 second half points.

Even more sweet news? Georgia was projected to move to the #1 national spot after Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M.

Here’s what Coach Smart has to say about the team’s victory:

Week 7: 13 Kentucky Vs. 30 Georgia

Once again, Georgia’s defense proved to control the game as the No. 1 Bulldogs topped No. 11 Kentucky 30-13 on Saturday afternoon in Athens.

Week 8: Georgia 43 Missouri 3

The No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs had little trouble with the Missouri Tigers, dominating the Tigers in a 43-6 rotue at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.

Here are the highlights.

Week 9: Georgia 65 Charleston Southern 7

UGA’s Bennett threw for three touchdowns vs. one interception as the Dawgs easily handled Charleston Southern on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 before more than 92,000 fans at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

Here are the highlights.

Week 10: Georgia 45 Georgia Tech 0

The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs blanked Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium, 45-0 on Saturday, November 27, 2021, in Midtown Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets limp into the game at 3-8, while the Bulldogs have national championship aspirations.

Here are the highlights:

SEC Championship Game: Georgia vs. Alabama

No. 1 ranked Georgia finally lost a game, being outgunned by sophomore Bryce Young and the Alabama Crimson Tide, 41 to 24. The matchup went down on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 before a packed house in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Georgia’s vaunted defense held up in the first quarter, but gave up 24 straight points in the second quarter to trial by 7 at the half. Bama held court for the entire second half.

Here are the highlights.

College Football Playoff: Georgia 34, Michigan 11

Then came the Orange Bowl: The Bulldogs heard a lot of smack all week about how good the Michigan Wolverines were, but the rugged SEC schedule prepared the Dawgs well: Quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs ran away with the game.

Here are the highlights from the Orange Bowl:

This set up a rematch of the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia. Would the Bulldogs avenge 40 years of close calls and missed opportunities??

Yes. Yes, Georgia did that. Go, Dawgs!

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Tee Johnson: Tee Johnson is the co-founder of AtlantaFi.com and as an unofficial ambassador of the city, she's a lover of all things Atlanta. She writes about Travel News, Events, Business, Hair Care (Wigs!) and Money.