Fourth-year linebacker Steele Chambers intercepts the Bulldogs’ third drive of the Peach Bowl Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ohio State lost 42-41. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
With under a minute left in the third quarter of the 2022 Peach Bowl, No. 4 Ohio State led No. 1 Georgia 35-24 and threatened to find the end zone for the sixth time.
Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud dropped back and looked to throw a pass toward the back of the end zone, and it was second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. who nearly caught Stroud’s attempted incompletion.
Harrison was hit in his head and neck area by Georgia sophomore defensive back Javon Bullard with the play originally ruled targeting. However, as Harrison walked off the field, the call was reversed, forcing Ohio State to settle for a field goal.
The Philadelphia native suffered a concussion on the play, and from there the momentum shifted towards Georgia en route to an 18-3 fourth-quarter scoring margin, and a 42-41 victory in the Bulldogs’ favor.
“A football game is never going to be perfect,” second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said. “You’re always going to look at plays and say you could have done that better. We just went out there, and we tried to play for each other, and we tried to play football just the way we know it. And that’s not going to look like a perfect game.”
The Buckeyes played with edge and threw everything they could at the Bulldogs. However, the questions amplified by missing out on another national championship after playing arguably its best football of the season.
“We’re here to win, and it didn’t happen. A lot left to figure out how to get it fixed in the offseason so that we’re here again,” head coach Ryan Day said. “I don’t think there’s one guy in that locker room who doesn’t feel like we should’ve won the game. And that’s a part of this that’s going to sit in our stomachs for a long time.”
Despite entering the game as underdogs, the Buckeyes took the Football Bowl Subdivision’s reigning national champions down to the wire. After mustering just 23 points against then-No. 3 Michigan Nov. 26, Ohio State scored 28 points by halftime on a defense that averaged 14.79 points per game given up during the regular season.
But Georgia responded emphatically by attacking where many teams attacked Ohio State throughout the season: the secondary. Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett attacked it often, throwing eight passes for at least 20 yards — including a 76-yard touchdown strike to redshirt sophomore wideout Arian Smith in the fourth quarter to bring the game within a score.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles — who was brought in during the offseason to address last season’s defensive issues — said regardless of how teams prepare, it comes down to making the in-game plays.
“I thought we had a really good preparation,” Knowles said. “Bottom line is it comes down to execution, and we didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter defensively. It’s up to me now to spend a lot of dark nights trying to figure out why. It’s not the players, it’s up to me to put them in the right positions.”
Even when momentum swung Georgia’s way, Day emptied his playbook in order to hold onto the win. On fourth down in Ohio State territory, Day called for a fake punt directly snapped to graduate tight end Mitch Rossi, who converted a first down.
However, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart called a timeout right before the snap, negating the play and forcing the Buckeyes to punt. One play later, Bennett connected with Smith for six points, putting the pressure further on Ohio State.
“I thought our team came out and swung and played hard in this game,” Day said. “There’s a lot of plays in the game you wish you had back as coaches and players. That’s what happens in a game like this.”
Georgia took its first lead of the second half with under a minute remaining after Bennett found sophomore wideout Adonai Mitchell in the end zone. But through the momentum swings and shifts, Stroud had one more opportunity with 54 seconds left to lead his team to a win and a spot in the national championship.
Instead of relying on his arm, Stroud scrambled for gains of five and 27 yards, setting up Ohio State in field goal range for graduate kicker Noah Ruggles. However, Ruggles sailed his 50-yard attempt wide left, and the Bulldogs left Atlanta one step closer to back-to-back College Football Playoff championships.
“I just tried to leave it all on the line. That last drive, I see how much time we have and no timeouts, I knew that we could do it,” Stroud said. “And I tried my hardest to get us down there. I could’ve split somebody else, made another move, try to get a little more. But I tried my hardest, I think I left my heart out on that field.”
Stroud said the game “doesn’t come down to one play,” and that may be what hurts the most for the Buckeyes. After ending the season on two-straight losses, the Buckeyes now head into an offseason full of questions on how they can achieve their three goals stated at the beginning of the season: beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and capture the national championship.
Starting now, their focus is again on goal No. 1.
