Stetson Bennett guides winning drive in Georgia’s College Football Playoff semifinal thriller over Ohio State

ATLANTA — With 2:43 left on the clock, Stetson Bennett couldn’t have written a better script to close out the College Football Playoff semifinal against Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

“I told the guys in the huddle, you score a touchdown, you win the game,” Bennett said.

Starting on the 30-yard line, down 41-35, Bennett (23 of 34, 398 yards, 3 TDs) went to work in the same manner he did all season. A 15-yard completion to Brock Bowers (4 catches, 64 yards) and defensive offsides moved the ball to the 50. A 35-yard completion to Kearis Jackson moved the ball to the 15 and two plays later Bennett found A.D. Mitchell (3 catches, 43 yards) in the left corner of the end zone to complete the comeback as No. 1 Georgia defeated No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in an instant classic.

“It’s amazing any time you win,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. “This was an emotional roller coaster. You had two really good teams fighting. They played well enough to win, but so did we.”

The Buckeyes had their chance, in the end, thanks to a C.J. Stroud 27-yard scramble to the 31. But a Noah Ruggles 50-yard field goal went wide left with seconds left, securing the win for the Bulldogs.

“I thought our team came out and swung and played hard in this game, we just came up short,” said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. “It came down to one play, but it wasn’t just the last play. There are plays you wish you had back and that’s what happens in games like this. We lost the game and that hurts to the core.”

The scoring came early and often as the teams combined for 52 points in the first half.

Stroud (23 of 34, 348 yards, 4 TDs) and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (5 catches, 106 yards, 2 TDs) connected early and often for the Buckeyes as the pair connected three times on the first two drives for 66 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass after Stroud scrambled from pressure and found Harrison wide-open, giving the Buckeyes an early 7-0 lead.

The Bulldogs responded on their next drive, going 75 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 25-yard TD pass from Bennett to Kenny McIntosh (126 total yards) to knot the game up at 7-7.

The second quarter saw 38 total points scored as both teams went on mini-runs.

Ohio State started it with a touchdown run of two yards by Miyan Williams. That was followed up on the next play with Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers intercepting Bennett to put the Buckeyes back in business. Three plays later, Stroud again found Harrison wide open after he scrambled away from pressure, this time for a 16-yard score giving the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead.

“We didn’t play our best game,” Smart said. “We tried man, we tried zone, we tried everything. We didn’t have self-inflicted wounds. Both teams just played well.”

Georgia followed it up with the next 17 points. The first was set up on a 47-yard completion to Arian Smith. On the next play, Kendall Milton ran to the right for an 11-yard score.

After forcing an Ohio State punt, Georgia’s offense got back to work as McIntosh ran straight up the middle for 52 yards before getting tripped up by his own feet on the 10. Two plays later, Bennett ran to the left for a score from the 3, tying the game at 21-21.

Georgia added a 32-yard field goal by Jack Podlesny to briefly take the lead before Ohio State’s offense struck again when Stroud found Xavier Johnson (3 catches, 43 yards) over the middle for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give the Buckeyes a 28-24 lead heading into halftime.

“It was amazing to be out there in that atmosphere,” Stroud said. “I tried my hardest. I think I left my heart out there on the field.”

Emeka Egbuka (8 catches, 112 yards) continued the Ohio State scoring on its first drive of the second half, catching a 10-yard pass from Stroud, his fourth TD pass of the game. A Ruggles 25-yard field goal near the end of the third pushed the Buckeyes’ lead to 38-24 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw Georgia score the first 10 points on a 31-yard field goal by Poslesny and a 78-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Smith, setting up an exciting end to the game.

Ohio State 7 21 10 3 — 41

Georgia 7 17 0 18 — 42

FIRST QUARTER

Ohio State: Marvin Harrison Jr. 31 pass from CJ Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick) 8:16

Georgia: Kenny McIntosh 25 pass from Stetson Bennett (Jack Podlesny kick) 3:15

SECOND QUARTER

Ohio State: Miyan Williams 2 run (Ruggles kick) 12:30

Ohio State: Harrison Jr. 16 pass from Stroud (Ruggles kick) 10:56

Georgia: Kendall Milton 11 rush (Podlesny kick) 9:16

Georgia: Bennett 3 run (Podlesny kick) 6:07

Georgia: Podlesny 32 FG 1:44

Ohio State: Xavier Johnson 37 pass from Stroud (Ruggles kick) :49

THIRD QUARTER

Ohio State: Emeka Egbuka 10 pass from Stroud (Ruggles kick) 10:37

Ohio State: Ruggles 25 FG :31

FOURTH QUARTER

Georgia: Podlesny 31 FG 10:14

Georgia: Arian Smith 76 pass from Bennett (McConkey 2-pt. conv.) 8:41

Ohio State: Ruggles 48 FG 2:43

Georgia: A.D. Mitchell 10 pass from Bennett (Podlesny kick) :54

Colin HubbardColin Hubbard