It’s easier to tell an athlete to have a short memory, to forget that godawful last play or that embarrassing last loss, than it is to actually do it. Especially when there’s a national championship on the line.
Unless you’re Stetson Bennett IV, that is.
Bennett shook off a fumble at the start of the fourth quarter that could have doomed Georgia’s chances for its first national title in 40-plus years, uncorking a 40-yard TD pass on the very next drive.
"There was going to be no way I was going to let a turnover like that stop us from winning a national championship," said Bennett, who was named the offensive player of the game. "I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t going to be the reason we lost."
Bennett threw for another touchdown for good measure on Georgia’s drive after that and, in a bit of poetic irony, Kelee Ringo had a pick-six to finish off the 33-18 victory over Alabama on Monday night.
It was Georgia's first national title since 1981, when Herschel Walker and the Bulldogs capped their undefeated season with a 17-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Georgia was in the national championship game four years ago, only to lose to Alabama in overtime.
"That one was with me for a long time," said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who had never before beaten mentor Nick Saban.
"This one will be with me for much longer."
And this game will be remembered for its frenzied and fabulous finish. Thankfully, because it was a dud for much of the first three quarters.
College football’s showcase has gotten stale, with the same few teams showing up and the games ending in blowouts the last few years. This was supposed to be better, a matchup of the two best teams from the best conference.
For Bennett and the Bulldogs, it also offered a chance for redemption.
They had been the country's top team for much of the regular season, edging Clemson in the season opener and then bulldozing their way to the top of the SEC East. But Alabama made them – and Bennett in particular – look less than one-dimensional in the SEC title game last month.
Bennett threw two interceptions in that game, one occurring in the red zone and the other resulting in a pick-six for the Crimson Tide.
"Life’s tough," said Bennett, who grew up dreaming of playing for Georgia. "Just got to fight through it."
But early in the fourth quarter, Bennett and the Bulldogs looked headed for another collapse.
With 11:35 left, Bennett was sacked and fumbled the ball. Alabama recovered it at the Georgia 16, and scored four plays later.
It was a colossal shift. Despite Alabama being severely short-handed – with receiver John Metchie already out with a knee injury, the Crimson Tide's other 1,000-yard receiver Jameson Williams left the game in the second quarter – it seemed as if another national title was a inevitable.
Rather than Bennett’s success during the regular season being the mirage, however, it was his unsettled performance in the SEC title game that was.
Showing that his confidence had not been broken, he opened Georgia's next drive with an 18-yard completion. Three plays later, he found a streaking Adonai Mitchell for the 40-yard score.
"I had to. Had to otherwise we were going to lose," Bennett said. "They capitalized on (the fumble) and I thought, 'I gotta fix this.' "
Now he and the Bulldogs have a memory to savor forever.
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