University of Georgia

Just win: What the Georgia Bulldogs had to do to get to the Championship Game

By WSBTV.com News Staff
By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — Former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis coined the term “Just win, baby.” Those three words may best describe the Georgia Bulldogs’ march to the College Football Playoff Championship game.

Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein leads a team of reporters and photographers in Los Angeles to cover the championship game in Los Angeles. Watch Channel 2 Action News all weekend for the latest updates.

It’s no easy task to finish a season undefeated, and it’s almost unheard of for a College Football team to be 28-1 over the past two seasons.

But here we are.

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The Bulldogs kicked off the 2022 season with a loud bang.

Playing in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium for the first of three times this season, Georgia trounced Oregon in the season opener 49-3 in a game that was not very close.

A week later, they hosted Samford and dominated the similarly named Bulldogs 33-0, quickly climbing to #1 in the early season rankings.

From there, it was on to the University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium, where the Dawgs have struggled in years past.

However, that wasn’t the case on Sept. 17 as Georgia jumped out to a 48-0 lead in the 4th quarter before letting the Gamecocks score late in a 48-7 win.

At this point, Georgia had outscored its first four opponents 133-10, and writers around the country felt the Bulldogs had reached “Dynasty Mode.”

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That feeling lasted about one week when Georgia hosted Kent State and struggled to beat the Golden Flashes 39-22. Despite dominating the game statistically, a Stetson Bennett interception and two fumbles by Ladd McConkey made the game much closer than most thought it would be.

Kirby Smart’s team hit the road to Missouri on Oct. 1, and it was there that the season nearly came to a screeching halt.

Down 19-9 late in the 3rd quarter, Georgia would rally and beat the Tigers 26-22 in a game that probably should not have been so close.

One week later, it was back to Athens for a rivalry game with Auburn. Six rushing touchdowns later. The Bulldogs would send the Tigers packing after an easy 42-10 win, making them 6-0 at the halfway mark.

Oct. 15 brought the Vanderbilt Commodores to Sanford Stadium, and Georgia made quick work of them, rolling to a 55-0 win, and it was on to the bye week.

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The homestretch in 2022 began with the Florida game in Jacksonville.

Georgia jumped out to a 28-3 lead at the half, but the Gators clawed back, scoring 17 straight points in the 3rd quarter before a Daijun Edwards touchdown run. The Bulldogs would add a 4th quarter score, taking home a 42-20 win.

November’s first game brought the high-flying Tennessee Volunteers to Athens in a game hyped as the season’s biggest at that time. In front of a raucous Sanford Stadium crowd, the Vols would score first, taking an early 3-0 lead. That’s when Bennett took over the game, throwing for a pair of TDs and running for another as Georgia easily beat Tennessee 27-13.

Freezing temperatures and strong winds in Lexington, KY, would slow down the Bulldogs in their next game, but they were able to grind out a 16-6 win over Kentucky.

The win clinched the SEC East title for Georgia. They would celebrate by knocking off Georgia Tech 37-14 the following week in their “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” rivalry game.

The SEC championship marked game two at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the Bulldogs took care of business on the back of four Bennett touchdown passes to a 50-30 win over LSU.

Twenty-eight days later, the Dawgs returned to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl and a College Football Playoff semifinal game vs. Ohio State.

The back-and-forth battle became an instant classic after Adonai Mitchell caught a 10-yard pass from Mitchell with less than a minute to give Georgia their first lead. After that, however, the Bulldogs--and their fans had to hold their breath as the Buckeyes got the ball back and nearly won the game.

Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles pulled hooked a 50-yard field goal attempt at the buzzer, and Georgia moved on to the National Championship game for the second straight season after a 42-41 win, sending them on the road to L.A.

RAW VIDEO: Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart talks after arriving in LA for National Championship Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart talks after arriving in LA for National Championship

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