Georgia survives 42-41 Peach Bowl classic vs. Ohio State, advances to CFP title game

We witnessed one semifinal classic early on New Year’s Eve and wrapped up another one as the clock struck midnight to usher in 2023.

No. 1 Georgia orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback in its College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, surviving the Peach Bowl showdown 42-41. The Bulldogs have now advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, on January 9, where they will face No. 3 TCU for a chance to win back-to-back titles.

This was the definition of a classic as the Dawgs had to dig deep against a CJ Stroud-led Buckeye team that had them on the ropes. It all came down to a field goal in the final moments of the contest, where a Noah Ruggles shank allowed the defending champs to survive.

You can sift through all of the madness of the game from our live blog below:

Final: Georgia 42, Ohio State 41

The kick is no good. Right as the clock hit midnight to usher in 2023, Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles missed wide on his 50-yard field goal attempt and the Dawgs will now get a chance to defend their national championship against TCU in the title game.

0:08- Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles will come out for a 50-yard field goal attempt with everything on the line. Good luck kid.

0:17- CJ Stroud coming up heroic with a 20-yard run to get the Buckeyes into field goal range. Hang on to your seats folks.

Georgia 42, Ohio State 41

0:54- THE MAILMAN DOES IT AGAIN. With just under a minute left, Stetson Bennett finds Adonai Mitchell for the touchdown. The ensuing PAT put the Dawgs on top. It took five plays for UGA to grab the late lead. Unreal. Ball is now in your court CJ Stroud.

1:45- Stetson Bennett hits Kearis Jackson for a 35-yard gain. Bulldogs knocking on the door.

Ohio State 41, Georgia 35

2:43 - CJ Stroud was able to use his legs a few times to get Ohio State into Georgia territory but the Bulldogs were able to get a few stops to force OSU to settle for a field goal. With just under three minutes left, we’ll see if Stetson Bennett can drive the Dawgs down the field for a go-ahead touchdown.

Ohio State 38, Georgia 35

8:41 - Don’t change the channel to the New Year’s Eve shows just yet. Stetson Bennett delivered a 76-yard bomb to Arian Smith to give new life to the Bulldogs. A successful two-point conversion pass to Ladd McConkey pulled the Dawgs back to within a field goal. Buckle in for these last eight minutes.

Ohio State 38, Georgia 27

10:17- The Dawgs are trying to crawl their way back into this one and just tacked on a field goal to pull to within 11.

Fourth Quarter

Ohio State 38, Georgia 24

0:31 - Ohio State has taken control of this contest and has Georgia on the ropes. The Buckeyes were able to tack on a field goal towards the end of the third quarter to extend their lead to two touchdown. A cause for concern though is Marvin Harrison Jr. taking a gnarly hit in the end zone. We’ll see if he returns on the next drive.

Ohio State 35, Georgia 24

10:37 - Ohio State has once again established some cushion. Their first drive of the second half was capped with CJ Stroud rolling right off play action and hitting Emeka Egbuka for a 10-yard touchdown to give them a double-digit lead. The Dawgs need an answer fast.

Third Quarter

Halftime odds from DraftKings Sportsbook: Georgia -6.5, Total 33.5

Halftime score: Ohio State 28, Georgia 24

0:49 - Not so fast my friend! The Buckeyes immediately fire back before the half with CJ Stroud hitting Xavier Johnson for a 37-touchdown to retake the lead.

Georgia 24, Ohio State 21

1:44 - The Dawgs were able to get a field goal late in the second quarter and have taken their first lead of the ballgame just before the half.

Ohio State 21, Georgia 21

6:07 - There goes Kenny McIntosh again for a touch- OH NO, THE TURF MONSTER!

Brutal. But fortunately for UGA, Stetson Bennett picked up the slack with a touchdown run on the very next play. Tie game again.

Ohio State 21, Georgia 14

9:16 - It took less than two minutes for UGA to fire back. A 47-yard Stetson Bennett to Arian Smith pass set up an 11-yard Kendall Milton touchdown run and that brings the defending champ back to within a score. This is setting up to be a good game.

Ohio State 21, Georgia 7

10:56 - CJ Stroud immediately makes UGA pay for that mistake. The Heisman Trophy finalist avoided what looked like a sure second and managed to find Marvin Harrison Jr. for his second touchdown of the night. OSU rolling so far.

12:20 - On the first play of UGA’s next drive, Stetson Bennett went play action and got picked off by Ohio State’s Steele Chambers. Some early trouble for the Bulldogs here.

Ohio State 14, Georgia 7

12:30 - A methodical 11-play, 75-yard drive is capped by a Miyan Williams touchdown and the Buckeyes are back on top.

Second Quarter

Ohio State 7, Georgia 7

3:15 - Just like that, the Bulldogs strike back. Driving into Ohio State territory, Stetson Bennett hit Kenny McIntosh on a screen and he took it to the house for a 25-yard touchdown. Tie ballgame.

Ohio State 7, Georgia 0

8:16 - The Buckeyes draw first blood. CJ Stroud was able to get enough time in the pocket to eventually roll right and find Marvin Harrison Jr. in the corner of the end zone for a 31-yard strike.

10:31 - After forcing a stop on Ohio State’s first drive, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny pulled his field goal to the left. Still scoreless in Atlanta.

First Quarter

Georgia wins the toss and will defer to the second half. Ohio State will receive to start. Game on.

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