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Sports Jan 09, 2023
The College Football Championship trophy sits high atop SoFi stadium. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles College Football Playoff Host Committee
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By STEVEN HERBERT
Stetson Bennett threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as Georgia routed TCU, 65-7, in the College Football Playoff title game Monday evening at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The Bulldogs (15-0) scored on all six of their first half-possessions to build a 38-7 halftime lead en route to becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since Alabama in 2011 and 2012.
“We had things go about as bad as they could go in the first half,” Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes said at halftime. “We turned the ball over three times, we gave up big plays. I think early on our guys were a little wide eyed.”
Georgia out-gained the Horned Frogs 354 yards to 121 in the first half and 589-188 the entire game. The Bulldogs led 32-9 in first downs, including 19-5 in the first half. Georgia led 36:59-23:01 in time of possession, including 18:47-11:13 in the first half.
Bennett completed 18 of 25 passes for 304 yards and ran for 39 yards on three carries before a crowd announced at 72,628.
Max Duggan completed 14 of 22 passes for 152 yards with two passes intercepted. He ran 2 yards on a third-and-1 play with four minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter for the Horned Frogs’ lone touchdown.
TCU (13-2) played without its leading rusher, Kendre Miller, who suffered a knee injury in its 51-45 victory over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve that put the Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff title game. Miller told ESPN on Saturday he has a sprained MCL in his right knee.
Inglewood native Emari Demercado rushed for a game-high 59 yards on 14 carries for the Horned Frogs Monday after rushing for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the Fiesta Bowl.
Bennett opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown run to complete a five-play, 57-yard drive after the Bulldogs forced TCU to punt after three plays on the game’s opening drive. Jack Podlesny kicked a 24-yard field goal for Georgia, six plays after defensive back Javon Bullard recovered Derius Davis’ fumble at the Horned Frogs’ 33-yard line.
Bennett threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Ladd McConkey and ran 6 yards for a score on the Bulldogs’ next two possessions.
Kendall Milton ran 1 yard for a touchdown for Georgia 1:19 before halftime. Bennett threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell with 26 seconds left in the first half, two plays after Bullard intercepted a pass by Duggan at TCU’s 25-yard line and returned the ball 3 yards.
Bennett threw 22- and 14-yard touchdown passes to Brock Bowers and McConkey in the third quarter. Freshman running back Branson Robinson ran for 1- and 19-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter for Georgia.
