Column: Georgia Bulldogs made the most of their chances

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Ol’ Lady Luck just laughed out loud.

Georgia is playing for a national championship in football.

The Bulldogs should be at home, nursing wounds and attempting to hold out their chests and say we gave it the old college try.

Oklahoma was up 31-14 in the first half.

The Sooners led 45-38 with 6:52 to play.

Down three points, Oklahoma had third-and-two at Georgia’s 17 in overtime.

Oklahoma was on Georgia’s 10 yard line, about to boot a field goal in double overtime.

Yet it is the Bulldogs who will be in Atlanta.

This column opens with a quote from legendary announcer Larry Munson from the 2003 Georgia-Tennessee game.

Georgia was up 13-7, but Tennessee was driving. On third down, they had the ball at the Georgia 1, with seven seconds remaining in the first half. A Volunteers touchdown would potentially put them up 14-13 at intermission, at the worst tied at 13. It was about to be a very tight ballgame.

Instead Tennessee fumbled and Sean Jones scooped up the ball and ran untouched for a 92-yard touchdown. The halftime score was 20-7 in Georgia’s favor. The Vols didn’t score again and were routed 41-14.

There is another Munson quote that is applicable, one from the 1980 Georgia-Florida game.

“I gave up. You did, too. We were out of it and gone.”

Lindsay Scott had just scored, propelling Georgia to a national championship, eventually earned by defeating Notre Dame at the Sugar Bowl.

The Bulldogs are back in that position again.

And we were out of it and gone in the second quarter.

After the touchdown that put them up 31-14, Oklahoma squibbed a kickoff. Tae Crowder immediately fell on it. That led to a short pass to Terry Godwin and Rodrigo Blankenship ended the half on a 55-yard field goal. Amazingly, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed Tuesday morning, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was not in on the play.

Chaney was in an elevator, headed to the locker room. Georgia figured Oklahoma would kick deep.

They didn’t.

Three minutes into the third quarter, the Bulldogs were within a touchdown after a 50-yard Sony Michel run.

In the fourth quarter, Georgia took the lead, a Jake Fromm pass to Javon Wims.

Fromm was not supposed to be in the position. Jacob Eason had been named the starter to start the year. Eason was injured in the season opener against Appalachian State. Fromm did not just fill-in but has made the job his.

Michel fumbled in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma returning it for a go-ahead touchdown. Fromm simply took Georgia down the field, Nick Chubb sending to overtime on a short run with 55 seconds to go.

Georgia scored first in overtime, a Blankenship field goal. Oklahoma, who gashed the Bulldogs at times, had two yards to go for a first down. They didn’t get there and settled for a field goal.

The Sooners had a chip-shot field goal in double overtime.

But as we know with Ol’ Lady Luck, she can be cruel.

Lorenzo Carter got a hand high enough to block the kick. Michel mercifully put Oklahoma (and the rest of us) out of its misery by running 27 yards two plays into Georgia’s possession.

Georgia shouldn’t be here. Or maybe Georgia should. It’s hard to tell with Ol’ Lady Luck.

Some in the magical land of the internet have suggested that this makes up for the Atlanta Falcons’ Super Bowl mishap.

We’re not there yet.

Alabama could still steamroll us. In fact, I look at that as a distinct possibility. After all, the Crimson Tide have a claim on 16 national championships and lose nearly as often as Halley’s Comet appears.

But who knows. Georgia pessimism does not run quite as deep as that of the Falcons.

Ol’ Lady Luck might be wearing hobnail boots.