NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
The ball dropped in the Big Apple, the kick hooked in Atlanta, the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, and Kirby Smart claimed a victory that cemented our perception that Georgia’s coach stands as a resolute winner.
When Ohio State’s field-goal attempt in the final seconds of the 2022 Peach Bowl sailed left while the calendar rolled into a new year, it affected perception of Ryan Day, too. Day persistently falls short in his biggest games.
But, what if the Buckeyes had made that 50-yard attempt? Then, we’d view Smart and Day a lot more similarly.
Georgia’s dramatic 42-41 comeback victory against the Buckeyes 21 months ago came in a College Football Playoff semifinal, but it served as the de facto national championship. Georgia crushed overmatched TCU nine days later.
Ohio State would have done the same to TCU if it had made the field goal to beat Georgia. TCU’s defense was not equipped to handle the Buckeyes’ firepower that pushed Georgia to the brink.
In that alternate universe, Smart and Day would have one national championship apiece.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, right?
As the saying goes, if ‘if’ was a fifth, we’d all be drunk. And Day would have as many titles as Smart.
Day doesn’t, so we view each differently. That’s appropriate, because national championships form the ultimate metric of coaching success. But, when I reconsider that New Year’s Eve night, one field goal separates Smart from being Day, and from Day being Smart.
The Buckeyes whipped Georgia for three quarters. Then, Ohio State’s star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. exited with a concussion, and the Buckeyes failed to protect a 14-point lead. Day didn’t have his best coaching moments in the fourth quarter, and that damaged his reputation, especially on the heels of his loss to Michigan one month previously.
I started thinking about…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/opinion-one-missed-peach-bowl-144037506.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-01 14:40:37
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
