2022-23 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Recap: Georgia 65, TCU 7

Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) kisses the trophy after winning the CFP national championship game against the TCU Horned Frogsat SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In this version of David and Goliath, the giant broke David’s slingshot and stomped him to a pulp.

A dynasty was born for the Georgia Bulldogs, as the top-ranked team eviscerated No. 3 TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. It’s Georgia’s second-straight title, making the Bulldogs only the third team since 1980 to repeat as national champions: Nebraska in 1994-1995 and Alabama in 2011-2012.

It’s also the largest score differential in national championship history, trumping the 36-point deficit that USC beat Oklahoma by in 2004.

Offensive Spotlight: Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett saved his best for last. The senior currently has a 93.7 grade on first review, which would be a career-high. The former walk-on completed 72% of his passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, with two scores coming on the ground as well.

Bennett becomes the first quarterback to win multiple national championships as a starter since Alabama’s A.J. McCarron a decade ago.

Defensive Spotlight: Georgia interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter cemented his status as a top-five pick with a strong showing against the Horned Frogs. PFF’s No. 4 prospect in the 2023 Draft registered a couple of pressures on 20 pass-rushing snaps and finished with a game-high 76.6 grade on first review for defenders.

2023 NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo was absolutely lockdown for the Bulldogs. PFF’s No. 14 prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft was tasked with following TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, PFF’s top wide receiver in the draft. 

Ringo only allowed one catch for five yards on the night, with only 0.20 yards allowed per coverage snap. This comes after Johnston exploded for 163 yards and a touchdown against second-ranked Michigan in the semifinal.

Offensive Line Spotlight: My biggest key for Georgia heading into this game was to dominate in the trenches and that’s exactly what the Bulldogs did. Georgia only allowed a pressure on 10.3% of its pass-blocking snaps and the Bulldogs had 112 rushing yards before contact. The interior of that offensive line especially dominated as guards Tate Ratledge, Xavier Truss and center Sedrick Van Pran didn’t allow any pressures on the night.


Box Score

Passing
TCU Horned Frogs
Player Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int Rtg
Max Duggan 14 / 22 152 6.9 0 2 46
Chandler Morris 0 / 1 0 0 0 0 39.6
Georgia Bulldogs
Player Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int Rtg
Stetson Bennett 18 / 25 304 12 4 0 152
Carson Beck 2 / 3 31 10 0 0 101
Rushing
TCU Horned Frogs
Player Car Yds YPC TD
Derius Davis 1 2 2 0
Emari Demercado 14 59 4.2 0
Max Duggan 10 -38 -4 1
Emani Bailey 2 9 4.5 0
Chandler Morris 1 4 4 0
Georgia Bulldogs
Player Car Yds YPC TD
Stetson Bennett 3 39 13 2
Kenny McIntosh 8 50 6.2 0
Sevaughn Clark 5 35 7 0
Daijun Edwards 5 30 6 0
Ladd McConkey 1 14 14 0
Kendall Milton 10 33 3.3 1
Brock Bowers 2 15 7.5 0
Branson Robinson 7 42 6 2
Receiving
TCU Horned Frogs
Player Rec Yds YPR TD
Derius Davis 5 101 20 0
Emari Demercado 1 -2 -2 0
Taye Barber 1 8 8 0
Geor'Quarius Spivey 1 10 10 0
Jared Wiley 2 14 7 0
Blair Conwright 1 15 15 0
Corey Wren 1 1 1 0
Quentin Johnston 1 3 3 0
Emani Bailey 1 2 2 0
Georgia Bulldogs
Player Rec Yds YPR TD
Kearis Jackson 1 20 20 0
Kenny McIntosh 1 -1 -1 0
Daijun Edwards 2 12 6 0
Ladd McConkey 5 88 18 2
Arian Smith 1 3 3 0
Darnell Washington 1 28 28 0
Brock Bowers 7 152 22 1
Adonai Mitchell 1 22 22 1
Dillon Bell 1 11 11 0

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