The Rose Bowl game did not disappoint as the Georgia Bulldogs earned their first College Football Playoff victory, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners.
More: Complete 2017-2018 bowl schedule
Oklahoma survived a midseason stumble against Iowa State, running the table and winning the Big 12. Big wins over Ohio State, Oklahoma State and TCU (twice) were enough to earn the Sooners the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. In their second playoff appearance Oklahoma drew No. 3 seed Georgia at the Rose Bowl.
Georgia won the SEC, despite suffering a stunning blowout loss on the Plains to Auburn. The Bulldogs got their revenge not long afterward, routing the Tigers in the SEC Championship Game to advance to their first College Football Playoff appearance in school history.
Oklahoma came out firing, marching up and down the field in the first half. They capped off their offensive fireworks with a goal line touchdown reception to Baker Mayfield from wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb. Georgia would salvage three points on a 55-yard field goal, but OU led 31-17 at half time.
Georgia roared back with two more long touchdown runs to tie the game 31 points apiece entering the fourth quarter. After falling behind once again, Jake Fromm led the game tying touchdown drive before the Georgia defense stifled Mayfield one last time in regulation. That produced the first overtime game in College Football Playoff history.
The Bulldogs blocked an Oklahoma field goal in double overtime before Sony Michel raced into the endzone to win it for the Bulldogs in dramatic fashion. Here are three takeaways from Georgia’s win over Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl.
1. Baker Mayfield might be even better than advertised
Baker Mayfield was the runaway winner of the 2017 Heisman Trophy. He received 86 percent of all possible points making his victory the third most dominant of all time. There was no denying that Mayfield was a great player but his lack of competition was concerning. Was Mayfield truly elite?
Yes.
Baker Mayfield is not only one of the most dominant Heisman Trophy winners in the history of the award but he is one of the best college quarterbacks to ever play the position. He dominated the Big 12 before helping his team hang 41 points (plus a defensive score) on the nations’ third best scoring defense at the Rose Bowl.
Georgia allowed more than two touchdowns twice this season. Two teams, Missouri and Auburn, scored four touchdowns apiece. Mayfield led the Sooner offense to four touchdowns in the first half, finishing with five offensive trips to the endzone before the game was through. The Georgia defense had suffocated plenty of good offenses, but Mayfield and company cut through the Bulldogs with relative ease.
Mayfield finished the game 23 for 35 passing for 287 yards with two touchdowns pass, one touchdown reception and one interception. On the biggest stage against the best defense he’s faced all year, Mayfield was fantastic.
2. We might never see a backfield as good as Georgia’s ever again
Herschel Walker holds the all-time rushing record at Georgia. He amassing 5,259 rushing yards during his time in Athens. Entering the game Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who shared the Georgia backfield four the past four seasons ranked second and third all-time, with 4,599 yards and 3,334 yards respectively. That tandem had a field day against an Oklahoma entered the Rose Bowl allowing 4.0 yards per carry, 49th best in the nation.
Sony Michel had two first half carries. One of them was a 75 yard touchdown scamper the other was a 20 yard run. His counterpart in the backfield took a handoff at the Georgia 1-yard line 45 yards, saving the Bulldogs from a potentially dangerous situation in the first half. That duo touched the ball 11 times in the first half producing 118 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Smart took notice and committed to run the ball with more vigor in the second half. The results spoke for themselves. Nick Chubb took his first carry 50 yards for a touchdown as the Bulldogs proceeded to run all over Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs’ rushing duo tallied five touchdowns and recorded a season high 326 yards as the duo etched their names in the record books. During the game Chubb and Michel passed SMU’s Eric Dickerson and Craig James for the most combined rushing yards by teammates in FBS history.
3. Watch out for Georgia in the title game
Alabama and Clemson square off in the New Year’s Day nightcap. Whomever wins the so-called rubber match between Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney is going to have their hands full against Georgia. It’s no accident that the Tigers and the Crimson Tide have squared off in each of the last two College Football Playoff National Championship games, but Georgia’s thrilling overtime win proves they’re not going to be a stepping stone on someone else’s path to a national title.
Georgia got off to a slow start but their halftime adjustments were impeccable. Preparing for an offense as proficient as Oklahoma is no small task. The Bulldogs survived the early flurry of offense from the Sooners before locking down in the second half. Oklahoma scored 31 points and racked up 360 yards in the first half. The Sooners were held to 17 points and 171 yards in the second half and overtime.
Neither Clemson or Alabama have a player as dynamic as Mayfield. If the Bulldogs were able to hold him in check through the air and on the ground they are going to produce similar results against their next opponent.
Next: Latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft entering bowl season
For what feels like ages the SEC has been ruled by Nick Saban and the Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won four of the past eight national championships. Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers proved they were mortal, but Georgia can prove they have competition within their own conference. The Bulldogs aren’t a flash in the pan, they’re the real deal. And one way or another Alabama is going to learn they’re not alone in the SEC anymore.