COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL NOTES: Thrilling game ends as 2023 arrives

ATLANTA — The clock literally struck midnight on Ohio State’s upset bid as Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal went wide left seconds into 2023 as the Buckeyes’ comeback bid came up just short against No. 1 Georgia, 42-41, in the second semifinal of the College Football Playoff.

Getting the ball back, down by one, with 54 seconds left in the game, the Buckeyes looked to pull off a stunner, especially after quarterback C.J. Stroud scrambled for 27 yards down to the Georgia 31. But four plays later, Ruggles stepped up for the biggest field goal of his career and missed it wide left ending the Buckeyes’ hopes for a national championship.

“It wasn’t just one play,” Stroud said. “There were more plays where I could’ve made a different decision or done something different.”

TIMEOUT GEORGIA

In what proved to be a pivotal part of the game with just under nine minutes to play, after Stroud was stopped short of the first-down marker, forcing a fourth-down play, Ohio State faked the punt, seemingly gaining a first down. However, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart alertly called a timeout before the snap, negating the first down.

“Everyone was lined up tight. My gut reaction was I didn’t think we were lined up right to stop it,” Smart said.

The timeout forced Ohio State to punt, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. On Georgia’s first play of the next drive, Bennett found Arian Smith wide-open down the left side for a 76-yard touchdown pass. Smith also had a 47-yard catch earlier in the game, showing his sprinter’s speed, which was clocked 10.18 seconds for the 100 meters at last year’s SEC Track and Field Championships.

BEST RECEIVER ROOM IN THE COUNTRY

Marvin Harrison Jr. showed why many consider him the best receiver in the country. Emeka Egbuka may not be too far behind. Quarterback C.J. Stroud looked to the first-team All-American Harrison early and often, connecting with him three times in the first quarter, including a 31-yard touchdown pass after Stroud evaded pressure. Harrison finished the quarter with 66 receiving yards and 106 yards for the game. The pair connected for another touchdown in the second quarter after Stroud scrambled from pressure again and found his receiver in the corner of the end zone.

With the Georgia defense keyed in on Harrison, Stroud turned to Egbuka, who finished the game with 8 receptions for 112 yards. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Harrison was forced to exit the game late in the third quarter due to being put in concussion protocol after a hit by Georgia’s Javon Bullard on a third-down desperation heave by Stroud.

“I was told it wasn’t targeting that he did not take a shot to the head,” said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. “I didn’t see it, so I don’t know.”

STAR TIGHT ENDS GO DOWN

Both Georgia and Ohio State saw their star tight ends go down. Georgia’s Darnell Washington went out with an ankle injury in the first half, while the Buckeyes’ Cade Stover sustained a lower-body injury after trying to hurdle a defender and was transported to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. Prior to the injuries, each tight end had one catch, with Washington’s going for nine yards and Stover’s going for seven.

“We lost Cade early in the game and that sent us into a tailspin,” Day said. “(But) guys stepped in and did a nice job.”

Colin Hubbard