INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Stetson Bennett might solely consider one factor.
One purpose. One message.
I can’t be answerable for costing Georgia its first national championship in 41 years.
What a depressing factor to suppose, proper? There he was, Georgia’s walk-on quarterback-turned-starter, standing on the sideline with such an terrible mantra working by means of his thoughts. How he bought to that time entails one of many wildest performs you’ll see in a soccer sport.
Within the second half of a decent sport with the national championship on the road, Bennett raced away from strain and, whereas being hit, heaved a move into the air for what gave the impression to be an incompletion. Solely, it wasn’t. Alabama, to the shock of many, recovered the fumble contained in the UGA pink zone and the Crimson Tide scored what was then the go-ahead landing with about 10 minutes left within the sport.
FORDE: How Kirby, Georgia Lastly Broke Via to Win It All
Bennett is hit whereas making an attempt to move and evade a sack. The play was dominated a fumble.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Pictures
Again on the sideline, there was Bennett, that one thought racing by means of his head.
“I wasn’t going to be the explanation we misplaced this sport,” he mentioned. “I gotta repair that.”
And oh did he. After that catastrophe of a play, Bennett carved by means of Alabama to acquire that purpose of his: He didn’t value Georgia the national title. The truth is, he received it for the Bulldogs—a 33–18 victory over the top-seeded Tide.
Following the turnover, Bennett accomplished his ultimate 4 passes of the sport for 83 yards, together with a pair of landing throws that ensured UGA’s four-decade national title drought ended. As seconds ticked off the sport clock, the senior grew emotional on the sideline, falling into the arms of workers members and teammates, tears streaming down his face—an outburst indicative of a Georgia-bred child main his house state faculty to the height of the game.
His meandering and fairly unbelievable route right here started as a scout-teamer in Athens after which went by means of a Mississippi junior faculty earlier than a return to Georgia.
“5 years in the past, he was delivering passes like Baker Mayfield towards the scout group. We had been impressed,” UGA coach Kirby Good mentioned. “To suppose it might come this far, what a narrative.”
In opposition to the percentages, Stetson took over as starter in 2020 after which, surprisingly for some, fended off hotshot switch JT Daniels this 12 months. Regardless of the chirping critics and fan bashings, he saved delivering huge wins, taking part in regular if not typically spectacular ball.
Through the national title sport, the doubters re-emerged. In its first eight drives of Monday’s sport, Georgia had six factors, 5 punts and 4 three-and-outs. Followers had been stressed—each within the stadium and on the web.
The truth is, the Bulldogs gained a mixed one yard on their first two drives of the sport, sufficient of a pattern dimension for some followers to name for a quarterback change. Just some minutes into the sport, Daniels’s identify was trending on Twitter.
After which, later, got here the bizarre play.
With Georgia main 13–12, Bennett rolled proper and launched a move that bounded towards the sideline. Alabama linebacker Brian Department scooped up the bouncing ball, barely staying in bounds as he corralled it.
The group murmured and Georgia offensive gamers started to arrange for the following play earlier than officers gathered and the announcement was made: The play was a fumble and Alabama recovered.
The essential play’s evaluate included checking to verify Department was in bounds when he recovered the fumble.
Dylan Buell/Getty Pictures
They reviewed the play to (1) make certain Department possessed the ball earlier than his toe stepped out of bounds—he was lower than an inch in bounds—and (2) that what gave the impression to be a move was indeed a fumble. The decision on the sector stood, the Tide bought possession on the Georgia 16-yard line after which scored the go-ahead landing with 10 minutes, 14 seconds left.
“What we dominated is that the quarterback misplaced possession of the ball previous to his hand coming ahead, so we dominated fumble,” head referee Duane Heydt mentioned in an announcement by means of a pool report.
NCAA coordinator of officers Steve Shaw says the ACC officiating crew bought the decision proper.
“The quarterback didn’t have agency management of the ball because the hand went ahead, so replay let that a part of the play stand,” he tells Sports activities Illustrated in a textual content. “There was clearly no indeniable video proof to overturn the decision.”
On the sideline, UGA working again James Cook dinner gathered the offense as officers reviewed the play. “It was within the refs’ arms,” Cook dinner mentioned. “We bought all the fellows collectively and saved chopping. We had been nonetheless within the sport. We saved chopping.”
On the opposite sideline, linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and Alabama bought a momentum-swinging reward. “It was shift of vitality,” the linebacker mentioned. “It was one thing we would have liked.”
Bennett, in the meantime, stewed. He was distraught, upset and pissed off. How can this lengthy journey finish in such a bitter means?
“We weren’t going to let a turnover like that forestall us from having a national championship,” Bennett mentioned. “I wasn’t going to let that occur.”
And so there he went, carving by means of Bama’s secondary. Down 18–13, Bennett hit Jermaine Burton for 18 yards after which Kenny McIntosh for 10. He was sacked earlier than launching a wonderfully positioned move to Adonai Mitchell within the nook of the top zone—a rollicking, lead-taking 40-yard landing. A collection later, whereas nursing a 19–18 lead, the Bulldogs bought a defensive cease after which marched down the sector for a back-breaking drive. Bennett handed off 5 straight instances, Georgia backs gained 32 yards after which the QB capped it with a 15-yard display screen move to tight finish Brock Bowers for an eight-point lead.
Bennett kisses the national championship trophy.
Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire/AP
“Our offensive line, we mashed them on that drive,” Bennett mentioned. “We performed Georgia soccer on that drive. We weren’t going to be stopped. It felt nice handing the ball off and watching these dudes.”
Afterward, Bennett pointed to everybody however him. The O-line, the working backs and, most of all, a protection that largely suffocated Alabama the whole evening—a unit that sealed the win late by returning an interception for a landing.
However who’s bought a greater story than Bennett? He’s from Blackshear, Ga., about 200 miles south of Athens, and was raised as a Bulldog by UGA alum mother and father. He was a two-star prospect who wanted to take the junior faculty route and beat out some highly-touted guys on Georgia’s roster to say the beginning gig.
Afterward, he was in considerably of a haze, shocked by all of it.
“I’m speechless,” he mentioned.
“Good Lord. Wow!” he later added.
He had a message for walk-ons across the nation, these counted out and on the bench.
“Maintain preventing and maintain your mouth shut,” he mentioned. “Life is hard.”
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