Stetson Bennett lifts Georgia to first national title since 1980

“The Mailman” delivered Georgia’s first national title in 41 seasons Monday night, with Stetson Bennett leading the third-ranked Bulldogs to a 33-18 win over top-ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Bennett is a former walk-on affectionately called the “Mailman” because he stood out at recruiting camps after showing up wearing a U.S. Postal Service cap. He guided Georgia to two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally the Bulldogs from an 18-13 deficit. Bennett now is 14-3 as Georgia’s starter, and the 14^th win will live forever in Bulldogs lore.

Bennett had some trouble in the first half, facing constant pressure and being sacked twice. He also had a key fumble in the fourth quarter that led to the Tide taking that 18-13 lead. But Bennett was 3-of-3 for 68 yards and a touchdown on the ensuing possession to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. Georgia scored again on its next drive using its rushing attack, but the final 15 yards of the 62-yard drive came on a TD pass from Bennett to tight end Brock Bowers. A pick-six by Kelee Ringo with 54 seconds left ended the scoring and gave the Bulldogs their first national title since 1980.

Bennett finished 17-of-26 for 224 yards and the two touchdowns; he did not throw an interception. Georgia rushed for 140 yards and finished with 364 total yards.

Alabama Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young was 35-of-57 for 369 yards, with one TD and two interceptions. The Tide managed just 30 rushing yards as Georgia’s defensive front impacted the game in a big way.

Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams left the game early in the second quarter with what appeared to be a knee injury, which meant the Tide was without its top two receivers. Leading receiver John Metchie III suffered a knee injury in Alabama’s SEC title-game rout of the Bulldogs.

Alabama had been aiming for its second consecutive national title, its fourth of the 8-year-old College Football Playoff system and its seventh in coach Nick Saban’s 15 seasons.

In addition to being a rematch of the SEC Championship Game, which Alabama won 41-24, it also was a rematch of the CFP title game following the 2017 season; Alabama won that 26-23 in overtime on Tua Tagovailoa’s 41-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith.

This is the eighth year of the CFP, and it’s the first time the No. 3 seed won the title.