Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs Arrive in Los Angeles for National Championship Game
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LOS ANGELES - Georgia Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart arrived at here at LAX on Friday. The Bulldogs are set to take on Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Los Angeles. TCU arrived in Los Angeles ealier today.
The Bulldogs touched down just before 3 PM PST - about 6 PM eastern. The Dawgs arrive in one plane - a Vince Dooley-signed Delta plane.
“One of the hardest things to do in all of sports is finish, and we the opportunity to finish a really good season on Monday night,” Kirby said. “We have a great opponent to go through to get there. I have a lot of respect for TCU, and the work our guys have put in. It is an honor to be on this stage.”
The Bulldogs are scheduled to practice Saturday and have a CFP-required Media Day.
“We've gotten better and improved,” Kirby added about his 2022 team. “We played some really good opponents - particularly at the end of the year. We have come a long way. The young players have shown the most progress. Some of our younger players are starting to play better. We've also tried to manage fatigue. It is important to manage you players' bodies.”
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BULLDOGS BATTLE TCU FOR CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Top-ranked Georgia enters the CFP National Championship Game with a 14-0 mark following its 42-41 victory over No. 4 Ohio State at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Bulldogs are aiming to become the first team in the CFP era to win back-to-back national championships. A year ago, Georgia was seeded No. 3 and beat No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in a semifinal and then No. 1 Alabama 33-18 for the championship. Also, the Bulldogs will be looking to become just the third FBS team in the modern era to cap a perfect 15-0 season with a national title as Clemson did it in 2018 and then LSU in 2019 when it beat the Tigers.
Georgia has won 16 straight games going back to last season's CFP semifinal/Capital One Orange Bowl win over Michigan. The school record is 17 in a row set from 1945-47. The Bulldogs are now 4-1 in the CFP in Kirby Smart's seventh season at the helm. In just his second season in 2017, the Bulldogs reached the CFP and won a thrilling semifinal over No. 2 Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl Game (54-48 in double overtime). Then, the Bulldogs were stunned by No. 4 Alabama 26-23 in overtime in Atlanta to miss out on a crown. Georgia has won three consensus national championships in its history, claiming the title in 1942, 1980 and 2021.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE HORNED FROGS
Georgia owns a 4-0 advantage against TCU with a pair of wins in bowl games and two during the regular season in Athens. The most recent meeting came in the 2016 Liberty Bowl to wrap up Kirby Smart's first season at the helm. Georgia posted a 31-23 win in Memphis. Before that, Georgia claimed a pair of victories during the Vince Dooley era, winning 38-10 in Athens in game two of the 1988 season and 34-3 in Athens in game four of the 1980 national championship season. The first meeting with TCU came in the 1942 Orange Bowl in Miami, a 40-26 Bulldog triumph.
The victory gave Georgia a 9-1-1 season under Wallace Butts and with a team that featured All-America halfback Frank Sinkwich, who played most of the year with a broken jaw. His performance in the Orange Bowl is still considered by many as one of the best in the postseason. He accounted for 382 yards of total offense (139 rushing, 9-for-13 passing for 243 yards and 3 TDs). Sinkwich would become Georgia's first Heisman Trophy winner the next season.
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SENIORS MAKING HISTORY
After capturing the SEC Championship with a 50-30 win over No. 14 LSU in Atlanta on Dec. 3, Georgia erased a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to top No. 4 Ohio State in the CFP Semifinal. The Bulldog senior class has established a school record for most career victories with a 48-5 mark. That mark included just nine regular season games and a bowl triumph during the COVID-shortened season of 2020. The 2021 Bulldog class that finished their career as national champions tallied a 45-8 mark.
DID YOU KNOW?
14 after Kirby Smart's squad also accomplished the feat in 2021 en route to a 14-1 season and its first national championship in 41 years.
Delta Commemorates Coach Vince Dooley
Delta commemorated the life and legacy of renowned University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley on Tuesday with the dedication of a Boeing 767-400 featuring a memorial seal honoring the Hall of Famer.
The dedication ceremony was attended by CEO Ed Bastian as well as fellow Delta leaders – and UGA alumni – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tim Mapes and Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband. The Dooley Family was in attendance alongside Gov. Brian Kemp; Lt. Governor-Elect Burt Jones; Billy Payne, former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club; Frank Ros, team captain of the 1980 UGA team; and several Delta employees, who are also UGA alumni.
"Vince Dooley's legacy lives on through his enduring spirit and meaningful dedication to the University of Georgia and Bulldog fans everywhere," said Allison Ausband, class of '83 and incoming chair of The University of Georgia Foundation. "Delta and the University of Georgia have a longstanding relationship. As the official airline of UGA Athletics, we are honored to dedicate this aircraft to Coach Dooley in remembrance of his impact across athletics, community and family."
At the ceremony, Vince Dooley's son, Daniel Dooley, shared memories of Dooley's celebrated career and dedication to the University of Georgia athletic program.
Delta has been the official airline of Georgia athletics for more than 40 years dating to 1980, when Delta first transported Dooley's team to New Orleans to win a national title. In 2022, Delta welcomed home the victorious UGA Bulldogs after a victory in the 2022 NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship.
In addition to Delta's support for UGA athletics, The Delta Air Lines Foundation has supported the University of Georgia Foundation for many years. This includes projects involving athletics, such as a grant for renovating Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, the athletics administration center that houses the football program, and academic support for programs including the Delta Innovation Hub, the Driftmier Engineering Center, and Delta Hall in Washington, D.C.
In a few days, Delta will once again carry the University of Georgia football team to their second consecutive College Football Playoffs in Los Angeles, California.