CFP title game wrap-up: Takeaways from Georgia's blowout win

Georgia didn't wait long to secure its second consecutive national title, racing out to a 38-7 halftime lead over TCU before finishing things off with a 65-7 blowout win Monday.

With the victory, Kirby Smart became the first coach to secure back-to-back national titles since his former boss, Nick Saban, did so in 2011-12. Smart also improved his record to an outrageous 81-15 in 96 games with the Bulldogs.

Here are four takeaways from Georgia's incredible showing in Los Angeles.

Stetson owns the CFP

Stetson Bennett's performance once again made him look like a man among boys on the field - an accurate description considering the 25-year-old is older than AFC playoff quarterbacks Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, and Trevor Lawrence. Bennett's story from walk-on to College Football Playoff champion quarterback has been well told, but he saved his best performance for his final collegiate game.

Bennett entered play having won the offensive MVP award in all three CFP games he played in. He wasted no time in ensuring that would be a perfect four-for-four. Bennett torched the Horned Frogs over the opening 30 minutes of play, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns while adding 39 yards and two scores on the ground. His two rushing touchdowns marked the first time a quarterback achieved that feat in the title game since Vince Young in 2006.

The Georgia native finished the game with 304 yards passing, 39 rushing, and six total touchdowns. That output matched Joe Burrow's record for most touchdowns accounted for in the history of the CFP title game.

Whether Bennett catches on with an NFL team remains to be seen, but there's no question his name will forever live in the college football history books for his final two seasons with Georgia.

TCU defense was lost

Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan entered the CFP with top-15 offensive and defensive units in the country. While TCU's offense was undoubtedly among the nation's best, the Horned Frogs' 57th-ranked defense was the biggest question mark facing any of the four teams in the semifinals. TCU allowed 45 points to Michigan but was bailed out with two pick-6s and a key fumble recovery on the goal line to help secure the win. It wouldn't be so lucky against Georgia.

The Bulldogs moved the ball at will against TCU, piling up an absurd 354 yards in the opening half en route to the 38-7 lead. Two plays really highlighted just how lost the Horned Frogs' defense looked, starting with a major coverage bust on Ladd McConkey's 37-yard touchdown.

It was just as bad in the second quarter when Bennett completely fooled the defense for his second rushing score of the night.

The 38 points Georgia put up in the opening half meant TCU had allowed an outrageous 83 points in the six quarters of the Fiesta Bowl and title game combined on 8.53 yards per play.

Though the Cinderella Frogs overcame Michigan's defense, mighty Georgia wasn't interested in letting the feel-good story continue in Los Angeles.

Smart on all-time heater with Georgia

After spending nine seasons standing beside Saban at Alabama, Smart joined Georgia and essentially turned it into the Crimson Tide of the SEC East. The comparison of Smart's first seven seasons with the Bulldogs to Saban's in Tuscaloosa looks very familiar:

• Saban: 79-15 with 3 national titles
• Smart: 81-15 with 2 national titles

While the seven-season performance is incredibly impressive, Smart's run in securing back-to-back titles over the last two seasons has been otherworldly. Georgia posted a 29-1 overall record in that span with an absolutely insane combined scoreline of 1,159-367.

While Bennett, Jalen Carter, and a number of key contributors will depart before next season, Georgia will undoubtedly be the betting favorite to win a third straight title - something that's never been done in the poll era of college football.

Smart lost a record 15 players to the NFL draft last season but reloaded with another elite recruiting class and secured another title. Don't be shocked if he continues that run in 2023.

Duggan didn't have enough

The only way to beat - or at least scare - Georgia over the past two seasons has been with elite play at the quarterback position. Bryce Young showed that in Alabama's SEC title game win last year, and C.J. Stroud nearly pulled it off with arguably the best game of his storied career in Ohio State's close Peach Bowl loss. TCU needed that from Max Duggan on Monday, but the Heisman finalist was unable to deliver against a swarming Bulldogs defense.

Duggan's resurgence from opening-week backup to one of the best quarterbacks in the country was one of the stories of the college football season, but he struggled with throwing the ball over the entirety of the CFP. The senior's two interceptions against Georgia brought his total to four picks over the eight quarters of the CFP games. That matched the number he threw over the course of the entire season - on a whopping 368 attempts.

Duggan has plenty of company among other star quarterbacks to fall to Georgia, joining Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, Kentucky's Will Levis, and Oregon's Bo Nix. After Monday, there's no question that Smart's defense over the past two years belongs in the conversation for the best we've seen in the recent history of the sport.