College football: Georgia beats Cincinnati in Peach Bowl
Jack Podlesny kicked a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, and No. 9 Georgia handed No. 8 Cincinnati its only loss of the season with a dramatic 24-21 victory in the Peach Bowl on Friday in Atlanta.
Georgia trailed 21-10 in the fourth quarter, but its defense clamped down on Desmond Ridder and Cincinnati while JT Daniels helped rally the Bulldogs with his arm. Daniels finished with 392 yards passing.
Podlesny’s third field goal was his longest of the season and gave Georgia a 22-21 lead. Azeez Ojulari sacked Ridder for a safety on the final play. It was Ojulari’s third sack. Georgia tied a school record with eight sacks.
Ridder completed 24 of 37 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Ford added a career-long 79-yard touchdown run early in the second half but it wasn’t enough for the Bearcats.
Cincinnati (9-1) was motivated to use the Peach Bowl to gain national respect. Coach Luke Fickell wanted the Bearcats to be included in this season’s playoff and he said it was an opportunity to be judged evenly with Power 5 teams in the future.
Georgia (8-2) won despite rushing for only 45 yards.
The Armed Forces Bowl ended in a massive brawl after Mississippi State drew a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on an onside kick by Tulsa.
Ridder threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce in the first quarter and added an 11-yard scoring pass to Josh Wyle late in the first half.
Daniels, who energized the Bulldogs’ offense when he took over at quarterback for the final three regular-season games, overcame an interception and a lost fumble to lead the comeback.
Georgia’s defense helped fuel the rally. Ridder fumbled on a sack by Ojulari, and Adam Anderson recovered at the Bearcats 25. Zamir White’s nine-yard TD run trimmed Cincinnati’s lead to 21-16, but Daniels’ pass on the two-point attempt was incomplete.
Northwestern wins Citrus Bowl
Peyton Ramsey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 14 Northwestern’s defense made it stand up in a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Ramsey, a graduate transfer, totaled 291 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Northwestern (7-2), which won its fourth straight bowl game. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Brown, John Raine and Riley Lees had touchdown catches for the Wildcats, who bounced back from an ugly loss to Ohio State on Dec. 19 in the Big 10 championship game.
Bo Nix threw for 292 yards for Auburn (6-5) but was often frustrated by Northwestern’s defense, which came in allowing 15.5 points her game, ranked fifth in the nation. Auburn was led by interim coach Kevin Steele following the Dec. 13 firing of Gus Malzahn and was missing several key players.
The Tigers got within 14-13 when Nix hit Elijah Canion for a 57-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. But Ramsey responded with a 30-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Linebacker Paddy Fisher, the nation’s active leader in tackles coming into the game, drilled Nix for no gain on fourth-and-1 on the second play of the fourth quarter. Cam Porter had seven carries on the ensuing drive, including a 1-yard plunge into the end zone that put Northwestern comfortably ahead 28-13. The Wildcats offense finished with 457 yards and 25 first downs.
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