WATCH: Georgia Bulldog Fans Light up Sofi Stadium Against TCU in the National Title Game
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LOS ANGELES - Georgia Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart are getting ready to take on Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs at the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The program has some of the best fans in college football, and they showed that Saturday night in LA.
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Georgia Halftime Notes: The CFP NCG vs. #3 TCU, Jan. 9, 2023 in Inglewood, Calif.
Season High Offensive Output In First Half: Georgia came in ranked 9th nationally in Scoring (39.4 ppg) and posted 38 points, with 371 yards on 40 plays in the first half. The 38 points in the first half was a season high and the most in a half of a CFP National Championship Game.
*Senior QB Stetson Bennett was 14-for-18, 223 yards, 2 TDS passing in the first half including a career-high 2 rushing TDs. The last Bulldog QB to have two rushing scores in a game was Justin Fields versus Tennessee in 2018.
*Bennett set the single season mark for Passing Yards (4,036) as the old mark was 3,893 by Aaron Murray in 2012). He passed Murray on a 11-yard completion to Ladd McConkey in the first quarter.
*Georgia has outscored teams in the first quarter 139-37 and 341-105 in the first half this season. Georgia’s 17 points in the first quarter was a season high for a first quarter, the previous high was 14 (five times), and the most in a CFP National Championship Game.
*The leading receiver in the first half was sophomore TE Brock Bowers (5 rec., 102 yards). It was Bowers’ seventh game of 100+yards receiving. while Ladd McConkey was next with four receptions for 74 yards including a 37-yard TD.
*Georgia had its fourth drive of 90+ yards on the year, going 92 yards on 11 plays in 5:43 capped by a Bennett six-yard score for a 24-7 lead. *Georgia’s fifth drive (fourth TD) covered 66 yards on 11 plays in 5:15 for a 31-7 lead with 1:19 left.
*On the team’s first drive, Bennett directed a 57-yard TD drive on five plays in 2:58 capped by a 21-yard TD scamper by Bennett, his 9th rushing TD of the year. It gave Georgia 7-0 lead with 11:01 left in the first. The second drive resuled in a field goal while the third was another TD (4 plays, 70 yards in 1:56 including a 37-yard scoring strike to McConkey for a 17-7 lead with 2:43 left in the first. The third TD drive of the game covered 92 yards.
*In the rushing attack, senior Kenny McIntosh had a team-high 50 yards on six carries while junior Kendall Milton had 25 yards and eight carries, 1 TD. Milton notched the team’s third rushing TD of the night as Georgia tied the single season mark for rushing TDs. Georgia had 42 in 2017, going 13-2 and reaching the CFP National Championship game. Milton’s TD made it 31-7 with 1:19 left in the first half.
Defense Limits TCU To A TD: Georgia came in ranked second nationally in Scoring Defense, allowing just 12.8 points a game while TCU came in ranked 5th nationally in scoring (41.1). TCU posted 7 points in the 1st half on 121 yards of total offense of 27 plays.
*Sophomore DB Javon Bullard, who was Defensive MVP of the CFP semifinal win over Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, has accounted for all three turnovers (2 INTs, Fumble Recovery) that has led to 17 points.
*The leading tacklers at the half was sophomore Smael Mondon with five while senior Chris Smith had three and a forced fumble.
*Georgia had two sacks (freshman Mykel Williams team-best 4.5 and freshman Bear Alexander, his 2nd)
*Georgia forced a three-and-out on TCU’s first posession, limiting them to three yards. Georgia forced a fumble on the 2nd possession, caused by Chris Smith and recovered by Javon Bullard at the TCU 33. On the 3rd possession, they scored a TD on a 75-yard drive including a 60-yard completion.
Special Teams Summary: Senior PK Jack Podlesny registered eight points, going 1-for-1 in FG (made 24-yarder) with 5 PATs. He is 26-for-31 in FGs this year. He handled kickoffs too. Georgia did not punt in the first half.
Red Zone Review: Georgia went 3-for-3 in the Red Zone with 2 TDs & 1 FG while TCU finished 1-for-1 with 1 TD.
*Georgia came in tonight ranked 1st nationally in the Red Zone at 97 percent. They have now scored 78-for-80 times including 54 TDs and 24 FGs. *The Bulldogs came in No. 1 in Red Zone Defense (67%) as opponents are now 23-of-34 on the year with 13 TDs and 10 FGs with 11 times no points.
Points Off Turnovers: Georgia came in minus one in Turnover Margin on the year and forced three turnovers in the first half. The Bulldogs forced a fumble in the first quarter (by Chris Smith, recovered by Javon Bullard), and it led to a field goal and a 10-0 lead with 6:51 left. Bullard notched his first career INT. Georgia took over at its own 34 and it led to a TD. Bullard notched his 2nd career INT at the TCU22 with 36 seconds left in the half. It led to a TD and a 38-7 lead with 26 seconds left. Georgia has scored 71 points of 19 turnovers this year.
Captains, Coin Toss and For Starters: Seniors Nolan Smith (OLB), Chris Smith (FS) and Stetson Bennett (QB) along with redshirt sophomore Sedrick Van Pran (C) served as the captains with Matt Stafford (QB-L.A. Rams; UGA '06-'08) the honorary Bulldog captain. Georgia won the toss and elected to defer the ball until the second half. Sophomore Amarius Mims (RT) made his second straight start in place of junior Warren McClendon who had started 37 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team, before missing the CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Bowl due to injury. These are Mims’ first two career starts.
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.