Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett had an important decision to make last year. Ride off into the sunset and be the legendary quarterback who won a National championship or come back for one more season.
Bennett told head coach Kirbay Smart, “that’s not just who I am. Why should I do that when I have an opportunity to play again? Why don’t we go win it again?” Bennett came back and scored six total touchdowns in a dominating 65-7 win over TCU in the College Football National Championship on Monday at SoFi Stadium.
Georgia won back-to-back College Football Playoff titles and finished the season 15-0, joining Clemson (2018) and LSU (2019) as the only 15-win teams since the late 1800s. Bennett is the first player in the CFP championship game to earn Offensive Player of the Game honors twice.
“Stetson speaks for himself, the way he leads and prepares,” Smart said. “His mental makeup is such of a quarterback that believes he can make every throw and what he did tonight was truly amazing. Probably had his best game of his career, in my opinion, with some of the checks he made, some of the decisions he made, just really elite.”
The Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Bennett scrambled into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown on their opening drive.
On the ensuing drive, TCU wide receiver Derius Davis was stripped on the jet sweep and Georgia recovered the fumble. TCU held the Bulldogs to a 24-yard field goal and trailed 10-0.
TCU cut the Georgia lead 10-7 on quarterback Max Duggan’s 2-yard touchdown run. The score was set up by a 60- yard reception from Davis. Georgia came right back with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Ladd McConkey. The Bulldogs took a 17-7 lead with 2:43 left in the first quarter.
Bennett scored his second rushing touchdown of the first half, this time from six yards out and the Bulldogs extended their lead 24-7. After Duggan was intercepted by Jevon Bullard, running back Kendall Milton scored from a yard out to give Georgia a 31-7 lead with just over a minute left in the second quarter.
Duggan threw his second interception of the first half, which led to a 22-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Adonai Mitchell and a 38-7 halftime lead.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Bennett hit tight end Brock Bowers for a 22-yard touchdown and a 45-7 lead. Bowers finished with seven receptions for 152 and a touchdown.
Georgia took a commanding 52-7 lead on Bennett’s 14-yard touchdown pass to McConkey.
This was Bennett’s sixth total touchdown of the game.
Branson Robinson added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
The Bulldogs defense held TCU scoreless for the final three quarters and limited the Horn Frogs to 188 yards on 51 plays.
