When the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, Ohio State was having a much different night than the rest of the East Coast.
The Buckeyes dominated the defending national champions for most of the Peach Bowl on Saturday night, entering the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead but Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett closed the gap to 41-35 with a minute left before taking the lead with a 76-yard drive and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell.
Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts after a field goal during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Ohio State had a chance to win the game back with a 50-yard field-goal try but as the East Coast welcomed in the New Year, the Buckeyes said goodbye to the College Football Playoff title game.
A video of the devastating moment synced up with the ball drop in Times Square showed the unfortunate timing of Noah Ruggles’ failed attempt.
“I just try to leave it all on the line. I honestly — games like this leave me at a loss for words — it comes down to one play, but obviously it doesn’t come down to one play,” Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud said, refusing to place the blame on Ruggles.
Noah Ruggles #95 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after missing a field goal in the final seconds of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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“So many things line up to those plays. That last drive, I saw how much time we had left and how many timeouts and I knew that we could do it and I tried my hardest to get us down there.”
Georgia will look to claim back-to-back tiles on Jan.9 when they take on No. 3 TCU at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett celebrates after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game between Georgia and Ohio State, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Atlanta.
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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“If we want any chance of winning a national championship, we have to play a lot better football than we played tonight, but we have to keep the resiliency and composure along with us,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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