Georgia defends their turf in Peach Bowl squeaker
Defense saves the day for the Dawgs as Cincinnati can’t close out the upset.
By: Bossman Slim
Photo: via @UGAAthletics
The SEC was being ridiculed and the pitchforks were out from the chattering class. Auburn and Georgia came out flat in their bowl games, and the pile-on was in full swing.
But Georgia got the last laugh.
The Dawgs found themselves in a (forgive me) dog fight for the entire game. Cincinnati showed up to play and punched Georgia right in the teeth, and never let up. The Bearcats scored with 6 seconds left in the first half to go up 14-10, and did not relinquish their lead until the final, heroic 53-yard kick by Georgia’s Jack Podlesny sailed through the uprights with :03 on left on the clock.
With just 2:20 left in the 4th quarter, Cincinnati had a 91% chance to win the game according to ESPN. But no one told that to the Bulldogs. They continued to fight all through the second half, getting bailed out time and time again in big situations by their suffocating defense, who did not allow another Bearcats score for the final 29 minutes of the game.
JT “Peg Leg” Daniels and the offense seemed off much of the day. The typically prolific Georgia rushing offense obviously missed James Cook, who did not travel with the team to be with his family following the untimely death of his father. The Dawgs were only able to muster 45 yards on the ground, with their leading rusher being Zamir White with 39 yards. Yikes. Plenty of credit to the Bearcats defense, who lived up to their billing as one of the best in the country and played toe to toe with a blue blood SEC program. Their game plan to bottle up the Georgia run game and make JT Daniels beat them with his arm proved smart (though that is playing with fire). Daniels threw for yards (392) and had a respectable game, but he also threw a costly pick in the end zone that cost the Dawgs points, and his timing with receivers seemed a touch off most of the afternoon. But when it mattered, Daniels led a gutsy drive with under 1:30 left to put Jack Podlesny in position for the game-winning field goal.
Kirby Smart was bailed out by his defense multiple times, and Daniels did as well with that last drive, because with 3:00 minutes left in the game, Smart decided to take a timeout, with what most figured would be to go for it on 4th and 3 just across midfield. Instead, he sent out the punt team to give the ball back to Cincy, who would only need two first downs to end the game. It was certainly a puzzling move, that had the social media armchair quarterbacks (us included) wondering what the hell he was thinking. But with the win, Smart avoided disaster and certain message board scorn. Now, no one will remember - winning smooths over all.
Photo: via UGASports.com
Luke Fickell has built the Cincinnati program into one that can compete with the best.
Georgia escaped with a win, but Cincinnati proved themselves worthy of respect. Luke Fickell has built a serious program at Cincinnati, and this game should push the sport to expand the Playoff. Where we once were proponents of keeping the Playoff at 4, we’re now on board for expansion to 8. We’re SEC homers through and through - but the Bearcats deserved their seat at the big boy table in 2020. Their performance in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl proved as much.
Georgia now looks to take the bowl win momentum into 2021, aiming to reclaim their spot atop the SEC East and in the College Football Playoff. Should JT Daniels decide to come back for another season (the smart decision), the Dawgs will once again be a dangerous team, and a likely top 8 team in the preseason rankings.