The Georgia Bulldogs ended a uprecendented two-year run with a convincing win over the TCU Horned Frogs 65-7 to win their second consecutive College Football National Championship. The game on Monday, Jan. 9, 2022, in Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium was a fitting conclusion for the Dawgs, who field a team full of NFL-caliber players.
The Dawgs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, putting up 38 points in the first half over the outmanned Horned Frogs. TCU quarterback Max Duggan never found his footing as he found himself on the ground several times as the Georgia defense repeatedly caved in on him.
Georgia Wins Second Straight College Football Title
Georgia scored 42 straight points after TCU cut their early lead to 3 points,10-7.
Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart said the game plan was just to take it to TCU.
“A really aggressive plan. Not holding back anything,” he said after the contest. “We wanted our kids to play without fear, and all year, I told them, ‘We ain’t getting hunted, guys. We’re doing the hunting. And hunting season is almost over. We only got one more chance to hunt.’ And we hunted tonight.”
UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for six touchdowns, tying a college football championship record held by former LSU signal caller Joe Burrow.
The senior signal caller said it was a cool moment when he was given a curtain call ovation from adoring fans and the Georgia sideline.
“I told all the guys, ‘What are we doing? Why don’t we have a play?'” Bennett said. “I was, like, they’re letting me walk out of here.”
“Stetson speaks for himself, the way he leads and prepares,” Smart told reporters. “His mental makeup is such of a quarterback that believes he can make every throw, and what he did tonight was truly amazing. Probably had his best game of his career, in my opinion, with some of the checks he made, some of the decisions he made, just really elite.”
Bennett, who started his Georgia career unsure of his place, finishes the season as a Heisman finalist and an intriguing NFL prospect.
Georgia began the season with the daunting task of running through the always-tough SEC, including a resurgent Tennessee team and inspired play from other SEC East teams. Here’s how the season played out.
Did Smart think the 2022 squad could repeat as champions?
“I’m kind of thinking, ‘Well, that would be nice, but we lost 15 draft picks,'” Smart told media after the game. “Might not be that easy this time.” But Bennett believed Georgia would be good enough again. “He had full conviction that he wanted to come back and go opposite of the mainstream,” Smart said. “He said, ‘I want to go play. I want to go play football and prove to people this is no fluke. We can do this.’ And he did everything that he said he was going to do.”
How Georgia Repeated As College Football National Champs
| Opponent | Date | Time & Location | Scores / Ticket Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Ducks | Sept. 3 | 3:30 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga. | 49-3 W |
| Samford | Sept. 10 | 4 p.m. in Athens, Ga. | 33-0 W |
| At South Carolina Gamecocks | Sept. 17 | Noon at Columbia, South Carolina | 48-7 W |
| Kent State | Sept. 24 | Noon in Athens, Ga. | 39-22 W |
| At Missouri Tigers | Oct. 1 | Columbia, Missouri | 26-22 W |
| Auburn Tigers | Oct. 8 | Athens, Ga. | 42-10 W |
| Vanderbilt Commodores (Homecoming) | Oct. 15 | Athens, Ga. | 55-0 W |
| Bye | Oct. 22 | ||
| Florida Gators | Oct. 28 | 3:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida | 42-20 W |
| Tennessee Volunteers | Nov. 5 | Athens, Ga. | 27-13 W |
| At Mississippi State | Nov. 12 | Starkville, Mississippi | 45-19 W |
| At Kentucky Wildcats | Nov. 19 | Lexington, Kentucky | 16-6 W |
| Georgia Tech | Nov. 26 | Athens, Ga. | 37-14 W |
| SEC Championship vs. LSU | Dec. 3 | 4 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga. | 50-30 W |
| College Football Playoff: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl vs. Ohio State | Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga. | 42-41 W |
Georgia 49 – Oregon 3
The Chick-fil-A Classic in downtown Atlanta, Georgia had no problem disposing of the Oregon Ducks in the first game of the season.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett ran for one touchdown and three for two others as the Dawgs jumped out to an early lead and coasted through the second half of the game.
Here are some highlights:
Week 2: Georgia 33 Samford 0
The #2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs shut out Samford Bulldogs 33 to 0 on Saturday in Athens. Because of the threat of stormy weather, both teams in the agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to 12 minutes.
Here are the highlights:
Having solved the Alabama curse, this Georgia squad is expecting to run the table again, if injuries can be minimized.
Week 3: Georgia 39, Kent State 22
Georgia started off sluggish in their Saturday afternoon game with Kent State. The Bulldogs turned the ball over three times and its special teams unit was fooled by a fake punt, but in the second half UGA regained control.
Let’s watch the highlights:
Week 4: Georgia 26, Missouri 22
Week 5: Georgia 42, Auburn 10
Week 6: Georgia 55, Vanderbilt 0
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 8: Georgia 42, Florida 20
Week 9: Georgia 27, Tennessee 13
Week 10: Georgia 45, Mississippi State 19
Georgia used a stifling defense and a rejuvenated run game to power past the Mississippi State, 45 to 19 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The win put the Bulldogs back into the SEC Championship Game for the third year in a row.
Week 11: Georgia 16, Kentucky 6
Week 12: Georgia 37, Georgia Tech 14
Week 13: Georgia 50, LSU 30
Week 14: Georgia 42, Ohio State 41
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett shook off a bad third quarter to lead the Bulldogs to three scores in the fourth quarter to slip past Ohio State 41-41 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
After game UGA Head Coach Kirby Smart credited his players with keeping their composure.
Great resiliency, a never-say-die attitude and great toughness,” Smart said in his postgame interview. “At the end of the day, we didn’t play real well. Ohio State probably deserved to win the game. But we never quit.”