The 2022 College Football National Championship featured two Southeastern Conference foes, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs. With a thirty-three to eighteen victory over the reigning champions Alabama, the Georgia Bulldogs finally culminated in capturing their first national title since the 1980 season.

The game, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, was set to be the first cold-weather site to ever host the college football national championship. On Jan. 10, thousands of fans and students alike attended on behalf of both schools, cheering for their home teams in the cold.

Prior to this matchup, both teams had faced each other in riveting games. Dating back to 2012, Alabama has gone undefeated versus their rivals in Georgia in every game under head coach Nick Saban. The most notable of these encounters was the 2018 College Football National Championship in which Georgia fell to Alabama off a walk-off touchdown to seal the win. Despite their previous encounters, both football programs had focused their attention on winning a title, making that their New Year’s Resolution.

With an 8:00 p.m. kickoff, the national championship began as a defense-driven game. A total of six punts were attempted throughout the first half due to the defensive experience on both sides. Despite big completions from quarterbacks Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett, the end score was nine to six at halftime.

“I think the defense for both teams was outstanding in the first half. It really set the tone for the rest of the game, as both Georgia and Alabama began to score later in the game,” freshman Alejandro Nieves.

In the second half, the offense started to pick up. Georgia completed the first touchdown of the game with a 4-yard touchdown run to running back Zamir White. Alabama answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young to tight end Cameron Latu.

Georgia then began separating itself from the Tide. In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs outscored their opponent twenty to nine, taking initiative in the championship. Quarterback Stetson Bennett connected with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell on a 40-yard touchdown with 8 minutes and 9 seconds left. Later, Bennett completed a touchdown pass to tight end Brock Bowers for a 15-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs an eight-point lead against Alabama.

The deciding moment of the game lay on the Georgia defense. With 1 minute and 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, cornerback Kelee Ringo returned an interception off Alabama quarterback Bryce Young for a 59-yard touchdown.

“The national championship was exciting and thrilling. It was good to see a different team win it all. Personally, Georgia deserved the win because they hadn’t won a championship in such a long time,” freshman Sebastian Lopez said.

Georgia ended up snapping a 41-year drought. After eight long years, they were able to conquer Alabama on the biggest stage in college football. The 2021 Georgia Bulldogs will be considered “national champions” by many for years to come.

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