Georgia makes ESPN top-100 games twice in 2022

ESPN released its rundown of the top 100 games from 2022 this week, and the National Championship-winning Georgia Bulldogs were a part of two. You might expect a team that won it all to be in more of them, but Kirby Smart’s crew won by an average margin of 26.4-points per game, nearly four touchdowns, on their way to a perfect 15-0 record. Six games were decided by more than 30 points. The two closest games they played however made ESPN’s list.

No. 37 – Georgia 26, Missouri 22 (October 1)

ESPN says: Georgia’s only stiff, 60-minute test in the regular season came in a surprising place: Columbia, Missouri. Eliah Drinkwitz’s Tigers took the fight to the champs, who didn’t respond particularly well and found themselves trailing 22-12 early in the fourth quarter thanks to some field goal bombs from Mizzou’s Harrison Mevis. The Tigers needed one more break to secure the upset, but it never came. Georgia was nearly perfect over the final 14 minutes, and touchdowns from Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards gave the Dawgs the victory.

Georgia looked like the clear-cut No. 1 team in the country through the first few weeks of the season. That’s why after Alabama nearly fell to Texas in Week Two, the Bulldogs rose into the top spot. They stayed there for three weeks until this happened.

After a pair of three-and-outs from the Georgia offense and a fumble following Kendall Milton’s 35-yard run, Missouri made a first-quarter field goal to take a 3-0 lead. They would hold that lead until just 4:03 remained as Daijun Edwards plunged across the goal line from 1 yard out. That followed up Georgia’s first touchdown from Kendall Milton earlier in the fourth quarter with the rest of the scoring coming courtesy of Jack Podlesny, who shared SEC Special Teams Player of the Week with Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis.

The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 13, doing so twice (once in the second quarter and another time in the third). They entered the fourth down seven, a margin that was extended to 10 on Mevis’ fifth field goal of the game – and second from 50+. Georgia however found a way to win on the back of the run game and a couple timely completions by Stetson Bennett to the likes of Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Darnell Washington, Dominick Blaylock and Brock Bowers.

No. 2 – Georgia 42, Ohio State 41 (December 31)

ESPN says: The CFP National Championship was the biggest blowout in bowl history. Consider that the price paid for the greatest day of semifinals we’ve seen in the CFP era. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between Georgia and Ohio State nearly gave us an incredible redemption arc. After getting blown out by Michigan, Ohio State backed into the last CFP slot, but the Buckeyes very nearly took down the defending champs. They probably should have, honestly. They took an early 21-7 lead thanks to a pair of Marvin Harrison Jr. touchdowns, and when UGA erased the deficit with a 17-0 run, Ohio State went on a matching 17-0 run to go up 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter. It was 38-27 when Stetson Bennett hit a wide-open Arian Smith for a 76-yard score — Georgia benefited from both a timely timeout and a huge stretch by tight end Brock Bowers — and it was 41-35 when Bennett drove Georgia 72 yards in five plays, hitting Adonai Mitchell for the go-ahead score with 54 seconds left. That was almost too much time. C.J. Stroud guided the Buckeyes to the UGA 32 with three seconds left, but Noah Ruggles’ winning 50-yard attempt, which went up at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, sailed well wide. Georgia somehow advanced.

Georgia-Ohio State was a battle between two of the most talented teams in the country. That’s exactly what everybody wants the College Football Playoffs to be, and that’s what fans were treated to on New Year’s Eve. The Bulldogs and Buckeyes went back and forth withstanding blows from each other, and the game came down to essentially the final play. It truly was a classic – and I’m a little surprised it wasn’t No. 1.

Georgia seemed to start off strong, getting pressure on CJ Stroud and getting off the field in four plays before driving down the field to get points. However, the Jack Podlesny field goal attempt missed, and Ohio State quickly responded with a touchdown. That was the first of three straight drives by the Buckeyes that ended in the end zone and held them build a 14-point lead, 21-7.

The Dawgs were down, but they weren’t out, putting together their own streak of three straight scoring drives to retake the lead at 24-21. Ohio State only needed four plays to score again though – their third touchdown drive of four or fewer players – before the half and went into the locker room up 28-24.

Ohio State struck once again after a Georgia three-and-out, then there was a punt, a missed field goal and a second 14-point lead for the Buckeyes, this time 38-24 near the end of the third quarter.

Once again, Georgia was down but not out. Kirby Smart opted for a field goal after getting stopped inside the Ohio State 10. The Bulldogs were at the 3 before a play went awry and pushed them back to the 13. Smart was left with no choice but to take the points.

Another Smart decision led to getting the ball back. Ohio State faked a punt from its own 34 and appeared to pick it up, but the Bulldogs’ head coach had gotten a timeout off before they were actually able to snap it on 4th and 1. After Ryan Day decided to actually punt the second go around, Stetson Bennett found Arian Smith wide open for a 76-yard score to get Georgia to within three.

An Ohio State field goal pushed the deficit back to six and meant the Bulldogs needed a touchdown. They got just that five plays and 72 yards later as Bennett found Kenny McIntosh, Brock Bowers, Kearis Jackson and eventually AD Mitchell in the end zone. The made PAT from Podlesny pushed the Bulldogs in front 42-41, their first lead in the second half. Ohio State would have a shot to win the game after Stroud scrambled for a gain of 27 to the UGA 31 with less than 30 seconds to go, but Noah Ruggles‘ kick from 50 yards out missed wide left and sent Georgia to the National Championship Game.