Freshmen Phenoms Brought Home a Championship for the Dawgs
"Improvise. Adapt. Overcome." - Clint Eastwood’s Sgt. Thomas Highway
It's exactly what the Georgia Bulldogs did all season long and by doing so, the Dawgs won their first National Championship since 1980.
If you’ve tuned into any National Championship coverage this past week, the Crimson Tide have been mentioned considerably more than the Dawgs, who just so happen to be the victors of last Monday night’s game. There has been more talk about the absence of Jameson Williams than talk about the incredible catch by Adonai Mitchell.
The real story behind the outcome in Indianapolis? The outstanding performances by Georgia Freshmen.
Adonai Mitchell. Brock Bowers. Broderick Jones. Kelee Ringo. Ladd McConkey. Sedrick Van Pran. All freshmen and every one of these guys stepped up in a major way. In fact, the last three touchdowns in the Dawgs 33-18 victory over the Tide came by one of the guys listed above. Adonai Mitchell hauled in a catch over the Alabama defender that would land him on Randy Moss's "You Got Mossed" segment for the go-ahead score in fourth, followed by a 15-yard score by freshman sensation and Mackey Award Semifinalist Brock Bowers, and then, freshman defensive back Kelee Ringo sent the stadium into an uproar and Kirby Smart soaring with the 79-yard Pick-6 that put the nail in the coffin.
Even Georgia's first touchdown was only made possible by the blocking efforts of Sedrick Van Pran and Broderick Jones on an 80-yard drive, with Jones not even taking a snap until the second half when Matt Luke moved Jamaree Salyer to Right Guard and gave the big guy the job at Left Tackle. Jones made a big-time block on arguably the best defensive player in the nation, Will Anderson, which allowed James Cook to get loose for a 67-yard gain.
This team was beaten up all year long and yet somehow they were the ones handing out beatings. They became one of two teams in the sport's history to defeat thirteen opponents by at least 15 points in a single year which is astounding. How did they accomplish this? Depth and an incredible staff.
The loss of Jameson Williams and John Metchie proved detrimental for the Tide, but it's the nature of the beast that is college football. Georgia spent a majority of its season without their number one receiver, George Pickens, and went stretches of the year without impact players outside such as Jermaine Burton, Dominick Blaylock, Kearis Jackson, and Arian Smith.
It never seemed to matter though, as Bowers, McConkey, and Mitchell stepped up to the plate and put up big numbers. It's what separated the two teams this year. In the title game, it became apparent. Agiye Hall and Jahleel Billingsley were not ready when their names were called, which is most likely the result of very little action in the regular season. Williams and Metchie accounted for 53% of Bryce Young's passing yards while Bowers and Burton, Georgia's leading receivers, only combined for 36% of the Dawgs' total reception yards.
Some thought Kirby was a mad man with how often he rotated guys throughout the season, but it paid off in a major way.
