2 years ago
476
By RALPH D. RUSSO
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook vocation and Georgia’s defence sealed the sweetest triumph successful programme history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 Monday nighttime for its archetypal nationalist rubric successful 41 years.
Bennett connected with Adonai Mitchell connected a 40-yard touchdown to springiness No. 3 Georgia a 19-18 pb with 8:09 near and past hooked up with Brock Bowers for a 15-yard TD connected a surface to enactment the Bulldogs up 8 with with 3:33 left.
The last stroke came from Georgia’s ascendant defense. Kelee Ringo intercepted an underthrown heavy shot down the sideline by Heisman Trophy victor Bryce Young.
“I conscionable saw the shot successful his hands and that was each she wrote,” said information Lewis Cine, the game’s antiaircraft MVP.
Instead of going down with a small implicit a infinitesimal left, Ringo took disconnected and down a convoy of blockers and went 79 yards for a touchdown that acceptable disconnected a chaotic solemnisation by the relieved Georgia fans who packed Lucas Oil Stadium.
“There’s going to beryllium immoderate spot torn up successful Indianapolis tonight,” Georgia manager Kirby Smart said, paraphrasing the precocious Georgia play-by-play antheral Larry Munson.
The Bulldogs (14-1) hadn’t won a nationalist rubric since freshman Herschel Walker led them determination successful 1980. If simply snapping the drought wasn’t bully enough, doing against No. 1 Alabama (13-2) had to marque it consciousness adjacent better.
“I cried, truthful beauteous good,” Bennett said erstwhile asked however it felt.
Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide had won 7 consecutive against the Bulldogs, including the past 4 against Smart, Saban’s longtime assistant.
Smart returned to his alma mater arsenic manager successful 2016 and has been chasing his mentor ever since. The Bulldogs mislaid 2 SEC title games to Alabama, including 1 5 weeks ago, and the 2018 CFP rubric crippled to the Tide nether Smart.
“I told them we burned the boats. The lone mode location was done them,” Smart said helium told his squad astir the Crimson Tide.
Mission accomplished.
Bennett, the erstwhile walk-on turned starter, finished 17 for 26 for 224 yards and nary interceptions.
For astir of the archetypal 3 quarters, archetypal CFP rubric crippled to beryllium a rematch of a regular-season crippled was an ol’ manner Southeastern Conference antiaircraft struggle.
The archetypal touchdown of the crippled came with 1:20 near successful the 3rd quarter. After James Cook broke a 67-yard tally to get the Bulldogs into the reddish zone, 3 much moving plays — a facemask punishment by Alabama — got them into the extremity zone. Zamir White went successful lasting up from a gait retired with monolithic antiaircraft tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis starring the mode arsenic blockers. The Bulldogs led for the archetypal time, 13-9.
After Alabama added different tract goal, the Tide caught a interruption connected unusual looking turnover by the Bulldogs.
As Bennett was being taken down heavy successful Georgia territory, helium tried to propulsion the shot away. The shot slipped loose, and bounced toward the sideline, seemingly harmless. Alabama’s Drew Sanders casually caught the shot arsenic helium was jogging retired of bounds.
Surprisingly, the ruling connected the tract was a fumble, recovered by the Tide and replay upheld the call, giving the Tide the shot successful the reddish zone. A fewer plays later, Young eluded the unreserved and recovered Cameron Latu for a 3-yard touchdown that enactment Alabama up 18-13 with 10:14 near successful the fourth.
Once again, it felt similar Georgia would not beryllium capable to interruption immoderate spell Alabama seemingly had connected the Bulldogs.
Bennett was 13 for 22 for 141 yards arsenic the adjacent thrust started, and you could practically perceive each skeptical Georgia fans wondering wherefore Smart didn’t crook to his four-star back-up QB, J.T. Daniels, for a spark.
As helium has done truthful galore times during a vocation that started connected the scout squad and took a detour done inferior assemblage successful Mississippi, the small-town Georgia kid nicknamed Mailman came through.
Bennett implicit each 3 of his passes for 68 yards, including a agelong onslaught to Mitchell for a touchdown with 8:09 near that gave the Bulldogs a 19-18 pb aft a failed 2-point conversion.
The Bulldogs’ defence clamped down connected Young, forcing a three-and-out connected the Tide’s adjacent drive, and past Georgia went to enactment connected sealing a long-awaited championship.
Young finished 35 for 57 for 359 yards with 2 interceptions and was sacked 3 times aft Georgia didn’t bring him down 1 successful the SEC rubric game.
“We played a heck of a crippled against a heck of a squad for the archetypal 3 quarters of the game,” said Saban, who was denied his 8 nationalist title, seventh with Alabama successful the past 13 years. “Nobody tin instrumentality the SEC title distant from this team, the Cotton Bowl championship.
“We conscionable didn’t decorativeness the mode we needed to finish.”
__
Follow Ralph D. Russo astatine https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and perceive astatine http://www.appodcasts.com
___
More AP assemblage football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
English (US) ·