Semifinal: No. 1 Georgia rallies to defeat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41

Kirby Smart will encourage his Georgia players to perform better next week, but he can’t expect them to be more resilient.

Georgia stays unbeaten after recovering from two-touchdown deficits in each half to beat Ohio State 42-41 early Sunday.

Stetson Bennett capped No. 1 Georgia’s final comeback with a last-minute touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell. The Bulldogs have a shot at a second straight national title.

Smart: “Our players are tough.” “… I knew our team will fight.”

Georgia (14-0) will play No. 3 TCU for the national championship on Jan. 9. TCU overcame No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. The Bulldogs will play for the first back-to-back titles in school history.

First-half score: 21-7; fourth-quarter score: 38-24.

“If we want to win the national title, we must play better football than we did tonight,” Smart remarked.

Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left went wide left, sparking a Georgia sideline celebration.

WIDE LEFT 😱

Georgia beats Ohio State and will advance to its 2nd straight national championship game 🏈pic.twitter.com/O7AXoNizGP

— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 1, 2023

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud threw 4 TDs. “That’s a bummer.”

Ohio State (11-2) lost a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day: “We can’t give up huge, explosive plays”

Bennett’s 76-yard pass to Arian Smith and 2-point pass to Ladd McConkey trimmed it to 38-35.

Ruggles’ 48-yard field goal gave Ohio State a 41-35 lead with 2:36 left.

Bennett claimed the meeting before the drive was filled with determined, hard glances. “I gained confidence”

Stroud ran 27 yards to the Georgia 31 after Bennett’s late touchdown toss to Mitchell. Bennett cried as the missed field goal sparked Georgia’s celebration.

Bennett: “Good game.” “These figures are quite even.” “That was special.”

The Buckeyes scored 10 points and shut out Georgia in the third quarter.

Bennett finished strong, completing 23 of 34 passes for 398 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His 3-yard run scored.

The Buckeyes led 21-7 after Stroud’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Harrison. Stroud avoided pressure and passed to a diving Harrison.

Georgia scored 17 straight to lead 24-21. Kendall Milton and Bennett scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs.