What a game.
The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs defeated the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime Monday to win the 2018 Rose Bowl and advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The game was an instant classic.
The Sooners took a 17-point lead with six seconds to go in the first half when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Baker Mayfield on a trick play.
Georgia cut the lead to 14 at halftime thanks to a last-second field goal, then reeled off 17 straight points in the second half to take a 38-31 lead in the fourth quarter.
First, it was running back Nick Chubb with a 50-yard touchdown run.
Then senior running back Sony Michel tied the game with a 38-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuring Oklahoma possession, Dominick Sanders picked off Mayfield and returned it 39 yards to the Sooners’ 4-yard line. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm then hit Javon Wims to give Georgia a 38-31 lead.
But Oklahoma came right back, as Mayfield drove the Sooners 88 yards in six plays, finding Dimitri Flowers for an 11-yard touchdown pass to tie the game with 8:47 to play.
Then disaster struck for Georgia, as Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly stripped Michel on a run play. The ball bounced right into Steven Parker’s hands and the senior safety returned it for a touchdown to give the Sooners the lead.
After the teams traded punts, the Bulldogs got the ball at their own 41-yard line with 3:22 to play. Georgia methodically drove down the field and tied the game with 55 seconds to play on a 2-yard run from Chubb.
The game went into overtime tied at 45.
Georgia and Oklahoma traded field goals in the first overtime and the Sooners got the ball to begin the second extra period. After the Bulldogs made a stop on third-and-5, Oklahoma lined up for a 27-yard field goal to take the lead, but it was blocked by linebacker Lorenzo Carter.
This gave Georgia an opportunity it wouldn’t waste. On second-and-12, Michel took the direct snap and sprinted 27 yards for the game-winning score. It was his fourth touchdown of the game.
Alabama handily defeated Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl later Monday night, setting up an all-SEC matchup between Georgia and Alabama in the 2018 College Football National Championship Game on Jan. 8.
