Stetson Bennett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds left as No. 1 Georgia rallied to defeat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl at Atlanta on Saturday.
Noah Ruggles missed a 50-yard field goal with three seconds left for Ohio State (11-2). Georgia trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter, but the defending national champion Bulldogs (14-0) are now set to play TCU for the title in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 9. Bennett took the Bulldogs 72 yards in five plays for the winning score.
C.J. Stroud was 23 of 34 for 348 yards and four touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Bennett finished 23 of 34 for 398 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Leading 28-24 in the third quarter, Stroud tossed his fourth TD, a 10-yarder to Emeka Egbuka for a 35-24 lead with 10:37 left. Ruggles added a 25-yard field goal to make it 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
A 31-yard field goal by Georgia’s Jack Podlesny with 10:14 left in regulation made it 38-27. Bennett threw a 76-yard TD to Arian Smith, and with a two-point conversion, it was 38-35 with 8:41 to play. Ruggles made a 48-yard field goal with 2:43 to play for a 41-35 score ahead of the game-winning drive.
No. 3 TCU 51, No. 2 Michigan 45
The defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns and quarterback Max Duggan accounted for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs outgunned the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff semifinals in Glendale, Ariz.
Both teams are 13-1, but TCU is moving on to the championship game on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, Calif., against No. 1 Georgia. Duggan wasn’t as efficient as usual but still completed 14 of 29 passes for 225 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns, and backup running back Emari Demercado rushed for 150 yards.
J.J. McCarthy was 20-of-34 passing for 343 yards and two touchdowns for Michigan, but the two interceptions he tossed ultimately made the difference. Ronnie Bell caught six passes for 135 yards. The Wolverines had a chance to win the game when they got the ball back on their 25 with 52 seconds left but couldn’t gain a first down.
No. 5 Alabama 45, No. 9 Kansas St. 20
Bryce Young threw five touchdown passes and the Crimson Tide overcame a slow start to rout the Wildcats in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Young completed 15 of 21 passes for 321 yards, and the Crimson Tide (11-2) scored 35 consecutive points to take command after falling behind 10-0.
Deuce Vaughn rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Will Howard passed for 210 yards but was intercepted twice for the Big 12 champion Wildcats (10-4).
Iowa 21, Kentucky 0
Xavier Nwankpa and Cooper DeJean each nabbed a pick-6 to headline a masterclass defensive performance that propelled the Hawkeyes past the Wildcats in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.
It was the fourth bowl victory in the past six years for the Hawkeyes (8-5), who lost to the Wildcats (7-6) in last season’s Citrus Bowl. Joey Labas provided the only offensive touchdown of the afternoon when he connected with Luke Lachey for a 15-yard score early in the second quarter.
DeJean’s interception with 1:36 left in the first half sent the Hawkeyes into the break with a commanding 21-0 lead that Kentucky never came close to overcoming. The Wildcats were outgained 206-185, were forced to punt 10 times and never reached the red zone.
–Field Level Media