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CFP semifinal wrap-up: Takeaways from Saturday's doubleheader

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After eight years of largely underwhelming semifinals, the College Football Playoff delivered Saturday with two incredible matchups deciding the finalists for the national title game.

No. 3 TCU got things started with an incredible 51-45 upset of No. 2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl. No. 1 Georgia capped the night with a stirring 42-41 comeback victory over No. 4 Ohio State.

Here are five takeaways from an outstanding night of college football action.

Stetson's legend grows

The Stetson Bennett story continues to grow more unbelievable by the day. The 25-year-old's journey from former walk-on to national champion was already worthy of a Disney movie, but the senior standout padded the script even more Saturday.

With the Bulldogs down by 14 points heading into the fourth quarter, Bennett rose to the occasion, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdown passes - including the eventual winner with 54 seconds left.

Georgia's victory marks the first time in CFP history that a team erased at least a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Bennett finished the contest with a whopping 398 yards passing and now looks to become the first quarterback since A.J. McCarron to win back-to-back national titles.

Stroud shines in defeat

While C.J. Stroud is undoubtedly one of college football's top quarterbacks and a likely top-five pick in the upcoming NFL draft, a few questions surrounded the star following Ohio State's November loss to Michigan. Stroud threw for 349 yards but had two interceptions and the lowest quarterback rating of the season outside of a windstorm game at Northwestern.

Consider those questions answered after Saturday's loss over Georgia, as Stroud delivered an incredible performance against arguably the top defense in college football. The third-year standout finished with 348 yards passing, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions - the only starting QB in either game Saturday to not throw a pick.

After Bryce Young torched Kansas State for five touchdown passes in the Sugar Bowl earlier in the day, Stroud joined the Alabama star in serving notice that any mention of a quarterback being drafted ahead of the dynamic duo is utter nonsense.

Give Dykes all the coaching awards

Sonny Dykes entered his first season as TCU coach with just one 10-win campaign in his 12-year run as the headman of an FBS program. With the victory over Michigan, the 53-year-old is now 13-1 on the year with a chance at TCU's first national championship since 1938. Dykes has fielded a top-25 offense in nine of his 13 seasons, making that side of the ball his calling card.

But his work with Max Duggan might be his finest yet. The veteran quarterback progressed from opening-week backup to Heisman finalist to playing in the national title game. Duggan again performed strong Saturday, piling up 225 yards and two scores through the air along with 57 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. After posting a 135.1 quarterback rating in the three seasons before Dykes arrived at TCU, Duggan's 165.5 rating this year is a huge reason the Horned Frogs are on the cusp of history.

One of Dykes' best moves was hiring Joe Gillespie as defensive coordinator from Tulsa. Gillespie's defense might not have the gaudy stats that Michigan has, but they're as opportunistic as anybody in the country. The Horned Frogs scored two pick-6s Saturday to give them four on the season - tied for most in the nation.

Regardless of the national title game's outcome in nine days, it's safe to say TCU is more than happy with its hiring of Dykes a mere 396 days ago.

Kirby's 'Smart' timeout

Somebody in Georgia's coaches' box is getting a raise after the Peach Bowl.

With Ohio State holding an 11-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes faced a crucial fourth-and-1 in their own half. Ryan Day opted for a fake punt, and the Big Ten program ran it to perfection for a clutch first down ... or at least it would have been. Kirby Smart was alerted to a potential fake in his headset by someone in the coaches' box and raced down the sideline to secure a timeout milliseconds before the snap.

That proved very important as the Buckeyes punted after the timeout and gave the ball back to the Bulldogs. On the very first play of the next drive, Bennett found Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three.

With Georgia eventually securing the one-point win, it isn't a stretch to say Smart's timeout might have been the biggest moment of the contest.

Offense wins championships

The year 2022 will forever be remembered as the death of the "Defense wins championships" axiom, as both Georgia and Michigan were scored upon like never before this season.

The nation's No. 2 and No. 3 defensive units allow 12 and 13 points per game, respectively, but struggled mightily against the firepower of Ohio State and TCU. The 51 points Michigan allowed are the most for them since 2019, while the Bulldogs haven't allowed 41 points since last year's SEC title game.

The record for most combined points in a set of semifinals was smashed Saturday following two of the four highest-scoring quarters in CFP history. The 44-point third quarter between Michigan and TCU set a new mark for most ever in the format's nine-year history, while the 38-point second quarter in Ohio State-Georgia ranks third.

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