ATLANTA — Georgia football rang in the New Year’s like never before, prevailing in historic come-from-behind fashion as the clock struck midnight in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs carried their No. 1 ranking from 2022 into 2023 when Ohio State’s last-gasp 50-yard field goal attempt sailed wide as the calendar year flipped in the Eastern Time Zone.
Coach Kirby Smart’s defense came up with one big stop after another in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs’ pulse-pounding 42-41 win over Ohio State.
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Georgia advances to play TCU -- a 51-45 winner over Michigan -- in the CFP Championship Game at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
The Buckeyes scored 38 points through the first three quarters, leading by 14 points as the CFP Peach Bowl Semifinal moved into the final stanza at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Ohio State, however, could manage no more than a field on its final three drives.
The Buckeyes ran 21 plays in the fourth quarter that netted 97 yards but fell short of Noah Ruggles’ field goal range, much to the dismay of Ohio State fan LeBron James.
AME STORY: Georgia scores historic 42-41 comeback win over Buckeyes
James had scored 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night on his 38th birthday, ending his press conference by saying “Go Bucks,” and was in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium luxury suites watching the Peach Bowl, per the Los Angeles Times.
“Do I find myself envisioning that it was me? Yeah. Absolutely. All the time,” James told The Times on Friday about playing college football or basketball after the Lakers 130-121 victory.
“Every time I go to an Ohio State game, a football game or a basketball game or any of those games where it’s just super-jam packed, super excitement. You’ve got the student sections. For sure. No question about it.”
James was obviously not happy with the result.
