ATLANTA — The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes 42-41 in an exciting College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year's Eve in the Peach Bowl.
The Bulldogs (14-0) trailed by two scores in each half and both times rallied to take the lead.
In the first half, the Buckeyes jumped out to a 21-7 lead after Marvin Harrison Jr. caught a 16-yard strike from C.J. Stroud. But Stetson Bennett and the Georgia offense would respond with 17-straight points to grab a 24-21 lead gaining huge chunks of yardage on each play.
However Stroud would get the final answer as he would deliver a lazer strike to Xavier Johnson for a 37-yard score to give the Buckeyes a 28-24 lead as the teams went into the break.
Stroud finished the night passing for 348 yards on 23 of 34 passing and four touchdowns. He also ran for 34 yards.
Ohio State (11-2) appeared to flex their muscle in the third quarter, as they took their first possession of the final half and drove 70-yards in just six plays to extend their lead, as Stroud connected with Emeka Egbuka for a 10-yard score and a 35-24 lead.
Noah Ruggles would later add a 25-yard field goal to give the Buckeyes a 38-24 lead as the Ohio State defense shut out a potent Georgia defense in the third frame.
But Ohio State would see their lead evaporate as the Bulldogs offense would begin to fire on all cylinders, starting with a 31-yard field goal from Jack Podlesny, then Bennett would hit Arian Smith on a 76-yard strike to get within five, and Ladd McConkey would haul in a pass from Bennett for the two-point conversion and make the score 38-35 with 8:41 left in the game.
Ohio State would move quickly into Georgia territory, looking to try and squash the Bulldog comeback. But Jamon Dumas-Johnson would sack Stroud for a 12-yard loss and eventually force the Buckeyes to settle for a field goal from Ruggles to give Ohio State a 41-35 lead.
The Bulldogs would get the ball back with 2:36 and put together a five-play drive that saw Bennett complete all five of his passes, with the final one going to Adonai Mitchell for 10 yards to cap off the comeback and give Georgia a 42-41 lead with 0:54 remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes would put together one final comeback attempt. But just after midnight, Ruggles’ 50-yard attempt would sail wide left and set off a celebration on the Bulldogs sideline.
Bennett finished the game completing 23 of 34 passes for 398 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also had a rushing score.
Georgia will look to repeat as champions as they face No. 3 TCU, who beat No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in a wild Fiesta Bowl semifinal, on Jan. 9 for the national championship.
Ohio State 7 21 10 3 = 41
Georgia 7 17 0 18 = 42
First Quarter OSU—Marvin Harrison Jr. 31 pass from C.J. Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick), 8:16. UGA—Kenny McIntosh 25 pass from Stetson Bennett (Jack Podlesny kick), 3:15. Second Quarter OSU—Miyan Williams 2 run (Noah Ruggles kick), 12:30. OSU—Marvin Harrison Jr. 16 pass from C.J. Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick), 10:56. UGA—Kendall Milton 11 run (Jack Podlesny kick), 9:16. UGA—Stetson Bennett 3 run (Jack Podlesny kick), 6:07. UGA—Jack Podlesny 32 field goal, 1:44. OSU—Xavier Johnson 37 pass from C.J. Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick), 0:49. Third Quarter OSU—Emeka Egbuka 10 pass from C.J. Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick), 10:37. OSU—Noah Ruggles 25 field goal, 0:31. Fourth Quarter UGA—Jack Podlesny 31 field goal, 10:14 UGA—Arian Smith 76 pass from Stetson Bennett (Stetson Bennett to Ladd McConkey), 8:41. OSU—Noah Ruggles 48 field goal, 2:43. UGA—Adonai Mitchell 10 pass from Stetson Bennett (Jack Podlesny kick), 0:54.
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