Kirby Smart slams Georgia for easing up on Michigan in second half

Things went exactly as planned for Kirby Smart and the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, as they routed No. 2 Michigan, 34-11, in the Orange Bowl on Friday, punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff national title game.

And yet, Smart wasn’t all that please with the Bulldogs’ performance in the semifinal game Georgia started out fast in Miami, gaining momentum as early as the first quarter and never once taking its foot off the gas. Georgia started with two touchdowns and a field goal; meanwhile, the Bulldogs defense stopped Michigan via a turnover on downs and a punt in the Wovlerines’ first two drives.

Georgia had a 27-3 lead heading into the locker rooms for halftime, the game already out of reach for Michigan. In the third quarter, the game continued in quiet fashion, with neither team scoring until the fourth. Michigan and Georgia each scored a touchdown in the fourth, but with the Wolverines’ two-point conversion, Michigan had won the second half 8-7.

In Smart’s mind, Georgia didn’t play up to par in the second half.

“I did not think we played as well in the second half as we’re capable of and got a little flat, but I appreciate the effort and the commitment to the players,” Smart said. “Nobody understands how long a layoff that is and how many practices you’ve got to continue to have, and they bought into that each day and came to work and answered a lot of questions that everybody had for them.”

Kirby Smart dishes out high praise after Stetson Bennett’s performance

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett heard all the noise.

Bennett, a former walk-on from Blackshear, Georgia, took the reins as Georgia’s starter early this season while JT Daniels, the Bulldogs’ routine starter, nursed a lat injury. Bennett never gave up his starting spot, and he guided Georgia’s offense to a perfect regular season, including an SEC regular-season crown. However, Bennett was unable to get the job done against Alabama in the SEC Championship, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns but adding two crucial interceptions. After his SEC Championship loss, Bennett had his fair share of skeptics heading into the Orange Bowl matchup against No. 2 Michigan.

He put those concerns to bed early in Friday night’s contest, as Georgia routed Michigan, 34-11, behind Bennett’s 20-of-30 performance, good for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought he performed at a really high level today,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the win. “He’s been really focused the last couple weeks. I think it’s amazing to have a guy his age block out all the noise and just focus harder. It’s almost like every time he hears noise he just focuses harder on the game plan and what he has to do to execute. You look at some plays he made out there with his feet, they couldn’t account for his mobility and some of the plays he made with his feet, and just really proud of the way he prepped for this game.”