It’s been a long road to get to this point for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 107 days ago, they lost in their home opener, now, the Irish are winners of 11 straight football games, 10 of them by double digits, including a first round playoff win at home over the No. 10 seed Indiana Hoosiers.
The Georgia Bulldogs have been sitting in waiting since they won the SEC Title on December 7, and now, they have their opponent. Notre Dame will travel down to SEC country and take them head on in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Years Day.
It’s been an up and down season for head coach Kirby Smart and the dogs, but all roads have led them back to the College Football Playoffs. Georgia is the No. 2 seed, and received the first round bye after defeated Texas 22-19 in the SEC Championship game in over time. It was a long road for the Bulldogs, with many ups and downs. Let’s take a look at how they got here.
Battling Adversity
It was a new year of college football, and with the new additions to conferences like the Big Ten and the SEC, the layout of conferences were completely different, which meant that Georgia would no longer be playing an SEC East specific schedule, they’d be playing the conference as a whole.
The Bulldogs had one of the toughest schedules in all of college football this season having played Clemson, Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ole Miss in Oxford, Tennessee at home, and Texas in Austin and the SEC championship game. Georgia went 11-2 against that schedule, won the SEC Title, and earned a first round bye in the first 12 team College Football Playoff, but it did not come easily. In week four of the season, they played Alabama at Bryant Denney Stadium, and found themselves in a 30-7 halftime deficit. They battled all the way back but unfortunately lost the game 41-34. Five games later, they played Ole Miss on the road and got soundly beaten 28-10.
The common thread in both losses was their response. After dropping a game to the Crimson Tide, they went on a four game winning streak including beating Texas in Austin 30-15. After the Ole Miss loss, they finished the season on a four game win streak including a 31-17 win over Tennessee at home and a 22-19 over time win against Texas in the SEC Championship. When you factor in all of the off field distractions for this program and injuries, you could make the argument Georgia is one of, if not the most, battle tested programs in all of college football this season.
Now, Coach Smart and the Bulldogs will have to battle adversity once again heading into the Sugar Bowl against a hot Notre Dame team without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who was injured on the final play of the first half in the SEC Title game.
Game 1: vs Clemson – Won 34-3
Georgia kicked off it’s regular season in emphatic fashion with a dominating 31 point victory over Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. Beck began his season going 23-33 for 278 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Dogs defense held Clemson to 188 total yards of offense and three total points. The Tigers ended the afternoon with 46 total rushing yards as a team and were kept out of the end zone. Georgia was rolling early.
Game 2: vs Tennessee Tech – Won 48-3
In back to back weeks, the Bulldogs kept their opponents out of the end zone. The Golden Eagles were held to 134 total yards of offense and just 18 passing yards. Georgia amassed 498 passing yards including 332 through the air. Beck finished the afternoon with 242 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. As a team, they averaged 6.9 yards per carry, and had 27 first downs to Tennessee Tech’s 9. The Golden Eagles were held scoreless through the first three quarters. It was a 45-0 ball game heading into the fourth.
Game 3: at Kentucky – Won 13-12
Georgia opened up SEC play against Kentucky and showed their first signs of struggle. The Wildcats entered this matchup 1-1 and looked to upset Smart and the Dogs. This was the definition of a defensive battle, with it being a field goal battle until Georgia scored the lone touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter. They lost time of possession by nearly ten minutes, and were held to 12 first downs all game. The Wildcats out gained them, but Georgia averaged more yards per play. Their late score kept their record untarnished.
Game 4: at Alabama – Lost 41-34
This game will go down as one of the most exciting games in the 2024 season. Alabama jumped out to an early 21-0 lead after the first quarter, and went into halftime with a 30-7 lead. Jalen Milroe was unstoppable in the first half and finished the game with 491 total yards of offense and four total touchdowns. Georgia rallied late, and scored 19 points in the fourth quarter. Beck finished the night with 439 yards passing and three passing touchdowns. The Crimson Tide held Georgia to just 80 rushing yards and 3-15 on third down. Their first half deficit was too much to overcome and the Bulldogs were handed their first loss of the season.
Game 5: vs Auburn – Won 31-13
It was bounce back week, and Georgia continued their trek through SEC play. Auburn entered this matchup 2-3 and were looking to pull off the upset against the reeling Bulldogs. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they never pulled within reach of an upset. Georgia dominated this game from start to finish and went into half time with a 14-3 lead. Auburn scored their lone touchdown of the game in the third quarter, but were otherwise held out of the end zone. Beck and Trevor Etienne combined for four touchdowns and 364 total yards of offense to down the Tigers and win by 18.
Game 6: vs Mississippi State – Won 41-31
Sloppy played reared it’s ugly head again as Georgia took on the struggling 1-4 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Georgia started off hot, and took a 27-10 lead into half time, but two interceptions by Beck opened the door for a comeback for Mississippi State. They were able to outscore Georgia 21-14 in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback and ended up losing by ten. Coach Smart and the Dogs were now 5-1 heading into their matchup with Texas.
Game 7: at Texas – Won 30-15
There were several questions surrounding Georgia’s ability to win big games heading into this matchup. They had lost to Alabama and already had two ugly wins against Kentucky and Mississippi State, two of the worst teams in the SEC. The Bulldogs answered those questions in resounding fashion. Georgia’s defense showed why they should be considered one of the best in the country. The held the Longhorns scoreless in every quarter except the third and forced a total of four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception). Texas was held to 29 rushing yards as a team and 3.4 yards per play. Despite Beck’s three interception performance, the Dogs were rolling once again after beating the SEC newcomers by 15.
Game 8: vs Florida – Won 34-20
This was a much closer game than what the final score may have indicated. Florida went into halftime with a 13-6 lead with Beck being plagued once again by turnovers. The Bulldogs outscored the Gators 28-7 in the second half and went on to win by 14. The injury to dual threat Florida quarterback DJ Lagway shifted the momentum in favor of Georgia. Despite another three interception performance from Beck, the Bulldogs moved onto 7-1 on the season.
Game 9: at Ole Miss – Lost 28-10
Georgia entered this matchup ranked No. 3 in the first playoff rankings and were headed to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. This was by far the worst game Georgia had played all season. After scoring in the first quarter, they were held out of the end zone the rest of the game. The Rebels took a 16-7 lead into halftime and outscored Smart’s Bulldogs 12-3 in the second half. Beck was sacked five times but the Ole Miss defense. Georgia was held to 245 total yards of offense, 59 yards on the ground, and 3.8 yards per play. They also turned the ball over three times (two fumbled and an interception).
Game 10: vs Tennessee – Won 31-17
The Bulldogs dropped nine spots after their blowout loss to Ole Miss down to No. 12 in the country. They were taking on the No. 7 ranked and 8-1 Tennessee Volunteers in a game that would make or break their playoff hopes. Georgia responded in a big way, and Beck had one of his best games of the season. He finished the day going 25-40 for 347 yards and two touchdowns. It was becoming quite clear, when Georgia doesn’t turn the ball over, they’re extremely hard to beat. They held the Vols scoreless the entire second half, and outgained them 453 yards to 319 yards. Coach Smart and the Bulldogs were back in the playoff hunt.
Game 11: vs UMASS – Won 59-21
Georgia moved up to No. 10 in the playoff rankings after their lopsided win over Tennessee. They were hosting UMASS (2-8) in their first non-conference matchup since week two of the season. It was another great offensive performance from Georgia as they tallied 550 total yards of offense, 342 through the air and 208 on the ground. Beck had another clean game and finished the night 20-31 for 297 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Georgia’s defense struggled stopping the run, allowing the Minutemen to amass 226 yards on the ground.
Game 12: vs Georgia Tech – Won 44-42 (8 OT’s)
Clean, old-fashioned hate. That’s how all Georgia residents describe this long time, in-state rivalry, and this year it did not disappoint. The Bulldogs had climbed back up to No. 7 in the playoff rankings and were taking on the 7-4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead over the Dogs in Athens and took a 17-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
Georgia rallied behind a 21 point fourth quarter to force over time. Throughout the game, the Dogs had no answer for Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King. King finished the night with 303 passing yards, 110 rushing yards, and five total touchdowns. Beck stepped up and lead Georgia to their biggest comeback win of the season and finished the night 28-43 for 297 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Georgia won in eight overtimes in a shootout of two point conversions. Coach Smart was 10-2 and looking to play in the SEC Championship for the fourth year in a row.
Georgia moved up to No. 5 in the country before taking on Texas (No. 2) in a rematch for the SEC Title. Texas jumped out to an early 6-3 lead heading into halftime, but the biggest story line was the injury to Beck. Gunner Stockton took over at quarterback in the second half and rallied the dogs back to force overtime. Georgia held the Longhorns to a field goal, and Trevor Etienne punched in the game winning touchdown. The Bulldogs running game took over in the second half and Texas had no answers. Despite being outgained, winning the turnover battle, time of possession, and ground game was enough to beat Texas, win the SEC, and earn a first round bye in the playoffs.
