Shaq Says He'll "Eat A Horned-Frog" If Georgia Beats TCU For the Championship
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ATLANTA - Oh boy. Shaquille O'Neal is at it again.
The NBA Hall-of-Famer and current NBA analyst for TNT is always up to something. The former Los Angeles Laker legend is part of one of the best NBA shows on television right now alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Georgia alum Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA.
Of course, Johnson is an avid Georgia Bulldog fan who loves to talk about the Bulldogs when given an opportunity. Earlier this week, Johnson had a Bulldog helmet on set and had some fun with the crew on air.
“We had a game decided by 29 points and 31 points tonight, just a little over what the game on Monday will be decided by when Georgia beats TCU 45-17” Johnson said. Of course, Shaq placed a friendly wager with Johnson during the segment.
“I’ll make you a bet, Ernie. If Georgia beats TCU, I’ll eat some frogs”. Shaq said. “I’ll eat a horned frog.”
Classic Shaq. He may have played basketball at LSU, but he doesn’t seem too confident right now in Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, who have 12.5-point odds to defeat TCU on Monday night according to FanDuel.
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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.