As Kirby Smart prepares for the start of his eighth season at Georgia’s helm, UGASports wants to determine the Bulldogs’ top plays thus far during the head coach’s successful tenure in Athens. For each matchup in a bracket-style tournament, UGASports staff argue for/against Georgia’s top plays since the start of the 2016 season. Subscribers vote for the top or the best of the two plays—and the play that gets the most votes moves onto the next round.
For the final matchup of our tournament—the championship—we counter Kelee Ringo’s pick-six which clinched Georgia’s victory over Alabama for the national championship; vs. Sony Michel’s touchdown run in overtime giving the Bulldogs the win over Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl. VOTE HERE.
#1 seed—Ringo’s Pick-6 Clinches Championship (2022 CFP National Championship Game vs. Alabama)
With Alabama trailing by eight points with just over a minute remaining and facing third down on Georgia’s 44-yard line, Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young heaved a pass down the left side intended for Traeshon Holden. Bulldog cornerback Kelee Ringo intercepted Young, clinching an elusive national championship for Georgia, and raced behind a convoy of blockers into the end zone for a 79-yard touchdown.
PAUL: Ringo’s pick-six is exactly where it should be: in the finals. Now, it is time for this play to win. The pick-six, as stated many times throughout this tournament, won the game for the Bulldogs and started the dynasty run. We ALL know how this game was likely going to end if Ringo didn't intercept the pass and take it back for a touchdown. We've seen Georgia crumble too many times to count and this was on the verge of becoming another heartbreak for Bulldog fans. Ringo saved that. He made it to where Georgia fans didn't have to hear chants of “1980” from their SEC foes. The drought ended in large part because of the interception. It is a play that will be replayed over and over again.
#1 seed—Michel’s Game-Winning Overtime TD (2018 Rose Bowl vs. Oklahoma)
With the score tied, 48-48, in the second overtime of the 2018 Rose Bowl, Georgia found itself facing second down from Oklahoma’s 27-yard line after the Sooners had failed to score in the period. Sony Michel took a direct snap from the line and started to dart toward his left. The Bulldog running back then followed a great block by quarterback Jake Fromm and suddenly had lots of running room. Racing towards the end zone, Michel was barely touched as he crossed the goal line with ease for a touchdown—and Georgia prevailed over Oklahoma, 54-48, in the Bulldogs’ first Rose Bowl appearance in 75 years.
PATRICK: It’s tough to argue against Kelee Ringo’s pick-six—a play that essentially clinched a national championship. However, I think it can be argued that Sony Michel’s overtime touchdown run is more significant/greater of a play since it was a game-winning play, or a play that directly resulted in a victory for Georgia. Let’s face it, with UGA leading by eight points and Alabama facing third and long at midfield, the Bulldogs were likely going to defeat the Crimson Tide whether Ringo’s pick-six resulted or not. Georgia’s fate was more in doubt leading up to Michel’s scoring play, which directly gave the Bulldogs one of their most significant wins in history.
Your vote helps decide the Bulldogs’ top play of the Kirby Smart era. VOTE HERE.
