James Cook caught the ball, raced over the goal line, and extended his arms toward the crowd.

Scoring in the Georgia end zone of Hard Rock Stadium, Cook peeled off to his right and celebrated in front of the Georgia fans. The senior running back's 39-yard touchdown reception put the exclamation point on Georgia's 34-11 Orange Bowl win over Michigan, and he celebrated with his adopted family.

But this game meant just a little bit extra for Cook. He returned to his hometown and had the latest excellent performance in a strong senior season, helping the Bulldogs to a berth in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

"Just playing in Miami where I grew up, it just felt different, really, like just playing in front of my fans," Cook said. "I just really wanted to give my team that edge and get that monkey off our back that we had, that last taste in our mouth."

Cook grew up less than 10 miles from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. He never played there, although he watched his older brother Dalvin Cook compete in an Orange Bowl for Florida State in 2016.

"He kind of talked to me, just kind of saying this is the last ride and go lay it on the line for my brothers, and that's what I did today in front of friends and family," Cook said.

On Friday night, Cook got his own chance to shine. He had numerous family and friends in attendance, including his mother, his stepfather, his sisters, and his eldest brother. The family even had a pregame tailgate party for him.

Cook registered six carries for 32 yards. His real damage came as a receiver. He hauled in three receptions for 99 yards and the one touchdown.

"He creates matchups that a lot of people can’t do," senior quarterback Stetson Bennett said. "Are you going to play a DB on him? Are you going to put a linebacker on him? That’s a tough decision for a defensive coordinator to make. And then he can run the heck out of the ball, too. What are you going to do?"

In addition to the touchdown, Cook had a 53-yard reception in the second quarter. He beat his defender on a go route and hauled in a perfect pass from Bennett to set up a Georgia field goal.

In the fourth quarter, Cook once again ran a beautiful route to get open out of the backfield. He snagged Bennett's pass and scampered into the end zone for Georgia's final score of the game.

As he did, thoughts of family flooded his mind. He felt joy making a play for his team and his adopted brothers. Cook celebrated with the Georgia fans in that end zone.

But most of all, he felt the pride of a hometown kid coming home and making good.