Georgia football fans’ 41 year wait for UGA to bring home a national title is officially over. The Dawgs’ rode their dominant defense and a 20 point fourth quarter to beat rival Alabama 33-18 in the 2021 College Football Championship game Monday night.
Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett went 17/26 for 224 yds and 2TDs in the victory. The former walk-on pivot outdueled reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young who never seemed to be able to get in rhythm against Georgia’s fearsome pass rush. Young had 2 INTs on the night including a game sealing pick six to Kelee Ringo which iced the game for the Dawgs.
The SEC rivals traded field goals in the first half as the Crimson Tide went into halftime up 9-6. However the second half was a much different story as the teams managed to find pay dirt and traded touchdowns before Georgia pulled away late.
Momentum appeared to swing in Alabama’s favour after a Bennett fumble was recovered by the Tide deep in Georgia territory. With 10:14 remaining in the 4th quarter, Young hit Cameron Latu from 3 yards out to give the Tide an 18-13 lead. After the 2point conversion failed, Georgia had to regroup in a hurry if they wanted to avoid another let down against Bama.
2 minutes and 5 seconds later, Bennett found Adonai Mitchell for a 40 yard TD and Georgia never looked back.
The usually stoic Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was moved to tears by the scene that ensued. “I told the guys in the locker room, just take a picture of this, because I think back to the ’80 championship picture and seeing all those players and the Frank Walkers and the Herschel Walkers and all these people that have reached out and said things… Our guys have accomplished that, something special, and as they say, they’ve become legendary, and I want that for them.”
Bennett was named the offensive player of the game and was visibly emotional in the game’s final few moments. “When you put as much time as we do into this thing, blood, sweat, tears, it means something,” said Bennett in his post game interview.
With multiple players on both teams likely headed to the NFL this spring, Georgia and Alabama will have a slew of new faces when the 2022 college football season kicks off. Even so, Caesars Sportsbook didn’t hesitate to make the two SEC powerhouses their favourites to win it all next year. Alabama opened as 5/2 favourites, with Georgia right behind them at 9/2 odds.
Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams was injured in the title game, appearing to tweak his knee after attempting to change directions after a catch. Williams is the number 1 rated wide receiver and number 6 overall prospect in the upcoming 2022 draft. The extent of the injury won’t be known until after an MRI is conducted, however Williams was reportedly lobbying to get put back in the game at halftime before being overruled by Alabama medical staff.
The Dawgs will get the full heroes welcome back home as there are already plans in the works for their championship parade. Initial reports indicate the event will kick off at noon with a parade down Lumpkin Street before ending at Sanford Stadium for more festivities at 2pm ET.
The win marks only the 3rd National Championship in program history for Georgia and their first since Herschel Walker helped them beat Notre Dame in the 1980 Sugar Bowl.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner