#1 Georgia 65, #3 TCU 7
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
January 9, 2023
SofFi Stadium
Inglewood, California
Attendance: 72,628
- Final stats: here
- Box Score: here
- Game highlights: here
- TCU
head coach Sonny Dykes discusses TCU's loss: here
- TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, TCU quarterback Max Duggan and TCU linebacker Dee Winters discuss TCU's loss: here
- TCU defensive end Dylan Horton discusses TCU's loss: here
- TCU running back Emari Demercado discusses TCU's loss: here
- TCU cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson discusses TCU's loss: here
- Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and defensive back Javon Bullard discuss Georgia's win: here
Horned Frogs Croak on National Championship Stage
A
hypnotoad, after all, is not mightier than a bulldog.
And not
all Hollywood movies have a happy ending.
There
are tear-jerkers.
There
are heart-breakers.
And
there are horrific endings that cause nightmares.
In TCU
football’s case, the glass slipper didn’t fit.
As a
result, the Sonny Dykes gang didn’t ride off into the sunset victorious.
And TCU
still is seeking its first football national championship since 1938.
 |
Tom C. "Midnite" Burke
|
In a
game that would make even the harshest Grimm fairytale seem like a bedtime story,
the top-ranked, defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs pummeled the third-ranked
Horned Frogs, 65-7, on January 9, before nearly 73,000 people in SoFi Stadium,
in Inglewood, California (Midnite had predicted a 48-45 TCU victory).This
was Georgia’s fifth victory in five games against TCU, with wins also in 2016, 1988,
1980 and 1942.
Georgia’s
65 points were the most scored by a team in a College Football Playoff (CFP)/
Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game.
The 65
points is tied for the most points scored against a team ranked in the
Associated Press top four.
Georgia’s 58-point win is the biggest
margin of victory in any national championship game dating back to the start of
the BCS era in 1998, eclipsing USC’s 55-19 win over Oklahoma in January of
2005.
The
58-point margin of victory by Georgia is the largest ever against a team ranked
in the Associated Press top four (10 more than Army 48, Notre Dame 0 in 1945).
The
Bulldogs’ 58-point win is the largest margin of victory in a postseason FBS game.
Not just a national championship game – the worst loss of every bowl and every other
postseason FBS game that has been played. Ever!
Ouch!
The
mauling by the Bulldogs was reminiscent of some of TCU’s most embarrassing
losses on the gridiron, including those during the dreadful football seasons through
the 70s and the 80s.
Remember
Alabama 45, TCU 0, in 1975?
How
about Texas 69, TCU 7, in 1969, or Texas 58, TCU 0, in 1970. And, of course,
Texas 81, TCU 16, in 1974, and Texas 51, TCU 26, in 1980.
And
Nebraska 64, TCU 10, in 1976, and the Cornhuskers 56, the Frogs 14, in 1975.
Ohio
State routed TCU, 62-0, in 1969.
Texas
Tech blasted the Frogs, 63-7, in 1985.
Texas
A&M drilled TCU, 59-10, in 1976, 52-23 in 1997, 53-6 in 1985, and 56-10 in
1990.
Oh, the
agony!
Despite
the dreadful ending to a magical, memorable season that captured the attention
of sports spans across the country, TCU fans weren’t left as unhappy as fans of
Ohio State and Michigan, which suffered College Football Playoff semifinal
losses and did not get to play on college football’s biggest stage, as the
Horned Frogs and Bulldogs did.
Michigan,
of course, lost to TCU, 52-45, in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, with the Frogs becoming
one of seven teams to win a College Football Playoff game (Georgia, Clemson,
LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon are the other teams).
Ohio
State lost to Georgia, 42-41, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Georgia
finished its season 15-0. The Bulldogs won their second consecutive national
championship and their fourth overall (1942, 1980, 2021, 2022).
Georgia
is the fourth team since 1990 to win two straight national titles, joining
Alabama (2011, 2012), USC (2003, 2004) and Nebraska (1994,1995).
The
Bulldogs, who are 37-3 over the past three seasons, have more national
championships (two) than losses (one) over the past two seasons.
In the
final Associated Press and Coaches rankings of the 2022 season, released after
the championship game, Georgia was a unanimous number one. TCU, at 13-2,
finished second, followed by Michigan (13-1), Ohio State (11-2) and Alabama
(11-2). Kansas State finished 14th, with Texas ranked 25th.
Georgia
began the season as the nation’s third-ranked team. TCU began the 2022 season
unranked.
Quite
an honor for Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama to be ranked up there with
Georgia and TCU.
And
what an experience it was for TCU’s players, staff and fans to be a part of the
magnificent national championship game atmosphere, especially within a stone’s
throw of Los Angeles and Hollywood, not to mention Santa Monica and its famous Pier.
As
painful as the meltdown in Inglewood was, it only slightly diminished the
Horned Frogs’ journey this season to the national championship game.
TCU's 13 wins tied a program record set by the 2010 team, which
also finished the season ranked second in the country, after its 21-19 Rose
Bowl win over Wisconsin.
TCU
football wrapped up a 12-0 2022 regular season with a 62-14 victory over Iowa
State on Saturday, November 26, in Amon G. Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth.
The Frogs claimed the regular-season Big 12
conference championship by two games over Kansas State.
The
Frogs, who were 12-0 for the third time in program history, were one of three
FBS teams to finish the 2022 regular season undefeated. Georgia and Michigan
were the other two teams.
TCU
became the first Big 12 team to be 12-0 since Texas in 2009.
The
Horned Frogs were the first Big 12 member to go 9-0 in conference play since
Oklahoma in 2016.
TCU
head coach Sonny Dykes, who was hired on November 29, 2021, is the first head
football coach in TCU and Big 12 history to go 12-0 in his first season. He's
the fourth head coach nationally since 1996 to accomplish the feat.
TCU
is the first football program from Texas to qualify for the National
Championship Playoff.
TCU
is the first Big 12 team to appear in a College Football Playoff National
Championship game. The University of Texas won a BCS national championship in
January 2006, with a 41-38 victory over USC in the Rose Bowl. Texas lost to
Alabama, 37-21, in the 2010 BCS National Championship game, which was played in
the Rose Bowl.
TCU
became the only team not named Oklahoma to represent the Big 12 Conference in
the National Championship Playoff. The Sooners were in the Playoff in 2015,
2017, 2018 and 2019. OU lost in the semifinals all four years.
TCU
is the second team with an undergraduate enrollment of less than 15,000 to make
the Playoff. The other team is Notre Dame, in 2018 and 2020.
The
Horned Frogs are the second team to make the playoffs after not being ranked to
begin the season. TCU was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12.
Of the 14 schools to qualify for the College
Football Playoff since its inception, 13 have more wins historically and a
larger enrollment than TCU.
The
Frogs’ improbable journey to the national championship game captured the hearts
and minds of long-time TCU fans and sports fans across the country.
The
Dallas Stars, Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks were supporting the Frogs. In
fact, the Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd, and star player, Luka Doncic, were
at SoFi Stadium rooting for the Horned Frogs.
Also in
attendance at the game were Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie
Parker, Fort Worth City Council member Michal Crain and Fort Worth Police Chief
Neil Noakes.
Legendary
TCU head football coach Gary Patterson, who led the Horned Frogs from 2000 to
2021, was at the game as a guest in a TCU booster’s suite.
After
TCU improved to 10-0 with a 17-10 win over 18th-ranked Texas in Austin on
November 12, Patterson, who during the season was a defensive analyst for the
Longhorns, told Duggan that if the quarterback, whom Patterson had recruited to
TCU, led the Frogs to the championship game, he would be in attendance.
Legendary
TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, who led TCU to its victory over Wisconsin in the Rose
Bowl and a 13-0 record, attended the game. Dalton is a quarterback for the National
Football League’s New Orleans Saints.
Legendary
TCU running back, Hall of Famer and TCU Board of Trustee member LaDainian
Tomlinson was an honorary TCU captain and participated in the game’s coin toss
(Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, a former Georgia quarterback,
was the Bulldogs’ honorary captian).
Four-time
NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, who is a panelist on “Inside the NBA,” an Emmy Award-winning studio
show that airs following each NBA telecast on TNT, made a bet with fellow
Inside the NBA panelist Ernie Johnson that TCU would beat Georgia in the
championship game. The wager? That O’Neal would “eat some frogs” if he lost.
During
TNT’s coverage of NBA games on the Thursday following TCU’s loss to Georgia, Johnson,
donning a Georgia helmet, presented O’Neal with a dish of frog legs.
Houston,Texas-based
furniture store owner Jim McIngvale, affectionately known as Mattress Mack, had
much more on the line in his support of the Horned Frogs.
McIngvale
bet more than $3.1 million on TCU to win the national championship game.
In a
social media post, McIngvale said he supported TCU with a $1.5-million bet with
Draft Kings Sportsbook, a $1.5-million bet with Caesars Sportsbook and a
$131,000-bet with Wynn Sportsbook.
McIngvale
could afford the wagers and the losses. In November, he won $75 million on his
wagers that the Houston Astros would win the 2022 World Series.
McIngvale has been
familiar with TCU for years.
McIngvale owns and
operates the Gallery Furniture retail chain, based in Houston. He and the store
sponsored the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl in 2000 and 2001. TCU lost, 28-9, to
Texas A&M in the 2001 game. After that game, the bowl game became known as
the EV1.net Houston Bowl. It now is the TaxAct Texas Bowl.
From
the outset of the national championship game, Georgia, which was a 13.5-point favorite, appeared a worthy participant.
TCU,
which was the biggest underdog in recent championship game history, unfortunately, did not.
On
the first possession of the game, the Frogs began with a five-yard false-start
penalty, then punted, after gaining only three yards on three plays
On
its first possession, Georgia also started with a five-yard false-start
penalty. But six plays and 43 yards later, the Bulldogs scored the game’s first
touchdown on a 21-yard run by quarterback Stetson Bennett.
On
TCU’s second possession of the game, a Derius Davis fumble was recovered by
Georgia at TCU’s 33-yard line.
For
the first of only two times in the game that TCU’s defense did not allow the
Bulldogs to score a touchdown, the Frogs held Georgia to a 24-yard field goal
by Jack Podlesny.
Georgia
led 10-0, and the rout was on, to be interrupted only briefly by TCU’s lone
offensive highlight and touchdown of the game, a two-yard run by quarterback
Max Duggan that capped a five-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter.
On
the Bulldogs’ remaining nine possessions in the game, Georgia scored eight
touchdowns and punted once against the Frogs’ overmatched 3-3-5 defense.
TCU
fans could muster no response to the constant, obnoxious barking of the Dawgs’
fans, some of whom sounded rabid. That’s because on the Horned Frogs’ remaining
eight possessions in the game, Georgia’s defense smothered TCU’s offense. The
Frogs punted four times and turned the football over twice on interceptions and
twice on downs.
Georgia
led 17-7 at the end of the first quarter, 38-7 at the half, and 52-7 at the end
of the third quarter.
Georgia’s
17 first-quarter points and 38 first-half points were both the most ever in a College
Football Playoff title game.
At the
half, TCU’s fans held onto a glimmer of hope
Remember
the Alamo Bowl!
In the 2016
Alamo Bowl game, TCU trailed Oregon, 31-0, at the half. The Frogs won, 47-41,
in three overtimes.
But
this was LA (well, actually Inglewood), not San Antonio.
There would
be no dramatic comeback by TCU.
There
would be no fairytale ending for the Frogs.
Running
up and down the football field with little resistance from the Horned Frogs’
defense, Georgia’s offense amassed 589 total yards and nine touchdowns; 335
passing yards and four passing touchdowns, and 254 rushing yards and five rushing
touchdowns.
Running
largely through arm tackles by TCU defenders, the Bulldogs averaged 5.8 yards
per rush, 16.8 yards per reception and 8.2 yards per play overall.
In
the first half, Georgia on its drives incredibly gained 354 total yards of a
possible 360 total yards.
TCU’s
defense did not record a sack. Senior defensive lineman Dylan Horton and junior
linebacker Johnny Hodges each recorded one tackle for loss. Safety Millard
Bradford and linebackers Jamoi Hodge and Dee Winters tied for the team lead
with seven tackles each.
Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken bested TCU defensive coordinator Joe
Gillespie.
Bennett,
a senior who finished fourth in this season’s Heisman Trophy voting, played
like a Heisman Trophy winner.
Bennett
completed 18-of-25 passes and threw four touchdown receptions. On three
carries, he gained 39 yards and scored two touchdowns. In just the first half,
Bennett was 13-of-17, with over 200 yards and four total touchdowns.
Named
the game’s Most Valuable Offensive Player, Bennett is the third quarterback to
rush for multiple touchdowns in a CFP/BCS championship game, joining Texas’
Vince Young and Ohio State’s Craig Krenzel.
A former walk-on, Bennett is the third
starting quarterback to win consecutive national titles. A.J. McCarron was the
starter for both of Alabama’s titles a decade ago and Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier
was the team’s starter for the Cornhuskers’ 1994 and 1995 national title games.
With
minutes left in the game, Bennett ceremoniously left the field, replaced by
backup quarterback Carson Beck.
Senior running back Kenny McIntosh, who
was one of eight Bulldogs to carry the football against the Horned Frogs, led Georgia’s
ground assault with 50 yards on eight carries.
Freshman running back Branson Robinson
scored two rushing touchdowns against TCU. Junior running back Kendall Milton
had one rushing touchdown.
Late in
the fourth quarter, with the Dawgs up 58-7, a video was posted on social media
of Georgia Milton wandering over to a field-level suite, fetching a plate of
wings from a fan, and marching through cheerleaders, photographers and members
of the press before sharing the chicken with members of Georgia’s offensive
line.
There
were no reports of food being served on the TCU sideline.
Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers was
one of nine Bulldogs to catch passes against the Frogs. Bowers torched TCU’s
porous secondary for 152 yards on seven receptions. He had one touchdown catch.
Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Ladd McConkey
caught five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore wide receiver Adonai
Mitchell’s lone catch in the game was a 22-yard touchdown reception.
Georgia’s defense held TCU’s sleep-walking
offense to 188 total yards; 152 passing yards and 36 rushing yards. The Horned
Frogs averaged only 1.3 yards per rush and 3.7 yards per play overall. TCU had
nine first downs – for the entire game.
The Bulldogs recorded five sacks and
nine tackles for loss, resulting in 49 lost yards for TCU’s offense.
Georgia co-defensive coordinators Will
Muschamp and Glenn Schumann bested TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
Georgia sophomore defensive back Javon
Bullard was named the game’s Most Valuable Defensive Player. He had two
interceptions and a fumble recovery.
TCU senior quarterback Max Duggan, who
finished second in this season’s Heisman Trophy voting and who has declared for
the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft, had his worst game of the season.
He completed 14-of-22 passes for 152 yards. He threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.
He was sacked five times and lost 47 yards on the ground.
Duggan had one touchdown run, of two
yards. It was
the 28th touchdown run of his career, tying him with Jim Swink (1954-56) for
sixth all-time at TCU.
TCU redshirt freshman quarterback
Chandler Morris, who was the team’s starting quarterback this season until he
was injured in the first half of the season-opener at Colorado, replaced Duggan
with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter. He did not complete his only pass
attempt. He ran one time for four yards.
TCU’s leading receiver was senior
Derius Davis, who declared for the 2023 NFL Draft several days after the title
game. Davis had five receptions for 101 yards, including a long reception of 60
yards. He also lost a fumble. This was Davis’ first 100-yard receiving game of
the season and third of his career.
Junior wide receiver Quentin Johnston,
who some believe will be a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, barely
was visible in the championship game. He had one reception for three yards,
after he had six receptions for 163 yards in TCU’s semifinal win over
Michigan.
Senior tight end Jared Wiley, who is
returning to TCU football for the 2023 season, caught two passes for 14 yards.
No other receiver caught more than one pass.
TCU senior Emari Demercado, who was
playing in his hometown of Inglewood, rushed for 59 yards on 14 carries. He
started at the running back position in place of the injured Kendre Miller, who
did not play.
Junior running back Emani Baily rushed
two times for nine yards
Tragically, the thrill of winning
another national championship was short-lived by the Georgia football team, its
fans and the university.
Twenty-year-old
Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock, who played in the national
championship game, and 24-year-old football recruiting staff member Chandler
LeCroy were killed in an automobile crash during the early morning hours of
Sunday January 15. The accident happened hours after the Bulldogs officially had
celebrated on Saturday night their national championship win in Athens,
Georgia, which is home to the University of Georgia.
Paling
in comparison to the devastating news that rocked the University of Georgia
community, TCU football also is dealing with challenges after the championship
game.
Offensive
coordinator Garrett Riley has left TCU to become the offensive coordinator of
Clemson University’s football team, under head coach Dabo Swinney in the
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Riley
had been with the Horned Frogs only for the 2022 season. He came to Fort Worth
with head coach Sonny Dykes from SMU. He had been with Dykes since 2020.
Reportedly,
Dykes and TCU are vetting Kendall Briles as a replacement for Riley. Briles,
who is the son of former Baylor University head football coach Art Briles and
was on his father’s staff at Baylor, is the Arkansas Razorbacks’ offensive
coordinator.
Since leaving Baylor after his father and the school's “sex and Title IX
scandal” in 2016, Briles has bounced around college football. He spent one
season each at FAU, Houston and Florida State. He joined the Arkansas staff in
2020.
TCU
also is losing a slew of players.
Declaring
for the 2023 NFL Draft are: Duggan; offensive linemen Steve Avila and Alan
Alai; cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson; linebacker Dee Winters;
receiver/returner Derius Davis; running back Kendre Miller; and wide receiver
Quentin Johnston.
Entering
the transfer portal are: redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Jackson, who
immediately committed to Cal; cornerback Marvin Covington; receiver Caleb
Medford; defensive end Colt Ellison; cornerback Kee’yon Stewart.
Offsetting
the disappointing news is more good news for Duggan and Dykes.
Duggan has been named the recipient of the 2022 Earl Campbell
Tyler Rose Award.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award is presented to a player who was either born
in Texas, graduated from a state high school or plays at a Texas-based
University. Duggan is the second Horned Frog to receive the award, joining
2014 recipient Trevone Boykin.
Also the recipient of the Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm
Award, in addition to being the runner-up for the Heisman
Trophy, Duggan was named to multiple All-America teams. He was the
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous First-Team All-Big 12
selection.
Duggan's 32 touchdown passes and 41 touchdowns
responsible for (32 passing, 9 rushing) both rank second for a season
at TCU, behind only Boykin (33, 2014; 42,
2014). Duggan’s 73 career
touchdown passes place
second on TCU's career list, trailing Boykin (86), while his 28
rushing touchdowns tie for sixth.
Dykes has been named the recipient of the 2022 Steve Spurrier
First-Year Coach of the Year Award, presented by the Football Writers Association
of America and Chris Doering Mortgage.
The Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award is given to the top coach
in his first season at a school.
The
American Heart Association has named Dykes as the 2022 Paul
"Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year.
Plus, the American Football Coaches Association has named Dykes as
its 2022 National Coach of the Year.
Dykes has received at least 10 National Coach of the Year
awards this season, including being unanimously named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
The Frogs’
run at a national championship was fun while it lasted, coming close to
matching the excitement of winning a Rose Bowl championship.
No, TCU
didn’t win its third national championship.
And,
no, the Frogs this season didn’t even win the Big 12 Championship Game against
Kansas State.
But with
an amazing performance in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, the Horned
Frogs did win that College Football Playoff semifinal game over second-ranked Michigan.
With
TCU losing two of its final three games of the 2022 season, optimistic TCU fans
are quick to recall that after an exciting 2009 season, the undefeated and
fourth-ranked Frogs lost, 17-10, to undefeated and sixth-ranked Boise State in the
2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. It was TCU’s first appearance in a bowl game that
was part of the Bowl Championship Series.
TCU
came back in 2010 and went 12-0 during the regular season, then defeated
Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2011.
Thus,
Horned Frogs fans eagerly await the sequel to this unforgettable 2022 season.
It will
premier in Amon G. Carter Stadium on September 2.
