After 41 long years of waiting, Kirby Smart and Georgia football finally brought the national championship trophy back to Athens.
It has been a long time since the Georgia football program won a national championship. There has been much heartbreak over the years and a lot of talented teams that never got it done. The Bulldogs were embarrassed in the first matchup against Alabama this season.
All of that was put to rest when Kelee Ringo got the game-sealing interception that clinched it for the Bulldogs. This will be one that every Georgia fan will remember for years to come.
Georgia had to earn every bit of the win on Monday night. It was a low-scoring first half and the Georgia offense did not look like it was going to be able to do much against the Alabama defense.
The second half was a different story.
Stetson Bennett was able to make the necessary plays that Georgia needed to win the championship. The running game took over and Georgia’s historically great defense was able to limit Alabama to less than five yards per play.
The difference in the game might have been the Bulldogs’ red zone defense. Georgia was able to keep the Crimson Tide out of the endzone and those saved Georgia early on. Injuries did also play a factor in the game, with Jameson Williams getting injured in the first half. John Metchie also did not play and neither did cornerback Josh Jobe.
However, injuries are a part of the game and it was unfortunate that those guys could not finish the season for Alabama. This was the year to be able to beat Alabama and the Bulldogs finally did.
Here are the three takeaways from Georgia’s first national championship win in over 40 years.
3. Georgia’s defense will go down as one of the best ever
For the entire season, Georgia had the best defense in the country and it was not close. The Bulldogs have NFL talent up and down the roster and held every opponent to under 20 points outside of one game.
Bryce Young was able to pick apart the Bulldogs defense in the first matchup, which had some doubting the legitimacy of how great the defense was. Georgia showed up in a bad mood to Miami to take on Michigan and reminded everyone why they were historically great.
For Georgia to cement their status as an all-time great defense, they were going to have to have a big bounce-back performance against the Crimson Tide.
The Bulldogs did just that and although they gave up over 350 yards passing to Young, it did not matter. Georgia was able to get consistent pressure on Young and rattle him. This is one of the best defenses of the era and proved that on Monday night.
2. Stetson Bennett proved the doubters wrong
One reason why many could not come to pick Georgia to actually beat Alabama was the fact that Stetson Bennett was the starting quarterback.
As a former walk-on, Bennett has his limitations and they have shown up at various times in big games. Against Alabama and Florida last season and against Alabama this year in the SEC Championship, Bennett has had his struggles.
During the first half of this game, it looked like Bennett was rattled and was not going to be up to the task. He was pressured consistently and made some questionable decisions. In the second half, he made the throws he needed to and was able to deliver the final punch against Alabama.
For all of the hate he has taken around the country and on social media, it has to feel gratifying for Bennett to win this game. He has been doubted for two seasons, but he will be a Georgia legend forever.
1. Georgia finally did it
Since 1980, it has been hard for Georgia to make it back to the top of the mountain. The program floundered for years before hiring Mark Richt in 2001 and then the Bulldogs found success. Georgia came painstakingly close to getting to the national championship in 2002 and 2012, but close losses prevented that.
When Kirby Smart was hired back to his alma mater in 2016, it seemed like the perfect storm. However, Georiga lost to Alabama in the 2017 national championship, the 2018 SEC title game, and this year’s SEC Championship. It seemed like the Bulldogs were going to be destined to live in Nick Saban and Alabama’s shadow.
Monday night was the culmination of all of that heartbreak for the last 40 years. It can’t be any better than Kirby Smart taking over his alma mater and finally getting over the hump.
Georgia is going to enjoy this for a while, but they have a chance to build on this game. Smart recruits at a high level and they have a favorable schedule next season. This is a chance to turn the Bulldogs into the premier program in the sport. This could be looked at as the next potential dynasty in college football.
But for now, Georgia finally did it and it will be something their players and fans will never forget.