On paper, the 2023 Orange Bowl featured the undefeated ACC champs taking on the second-place team from the SEC. But on the field, it was a totally different story as number six Georgia jumped out to a 42-3 halftime lead and blew out fifth ranked Florida State 63-3 Saturday evening at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
After being left out of the College Football Playoff and stewing about if for the past four weeks, the Seminoles were dealing with numerous opt outs by key players and were no match for the Bulldogs who finished the season at 13-1. Georgia has now won seven straight bowl/CFP games dating back to the 2020 Sugar Bowl against Baylor.
The Seminoles weren’t the only team that felt slighted by the CFP committee.
“I know this, we have a really good football team in a system that doesn’t allow everyone an opportunity to play for it,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “This group out here competed their tail off. These guys have won seven bowl games in a row, so it’s incredible what they’ve done.”
Smart’s overall record as the Georgia coach improves to 94-16. This year’s senior class also set a school record with its 50th win. The Bulldogs went 50-4 over the last four seasons including a perfect 22-0 at home.
Following a close first quarter where Georgia led just 7-0, the Bulldogs put the game away outscoring the Seminoles 35-3 in the game’s second 15 minutes.
Kendall Milton scored Georgia’s first touchdown midway thru the first and then added the Bulldogs’ second TD on the first play of the second quarter to give Georgia a 14-0 advantage. The Seminoles kicked a field goal on the next possession, but it was all Georgia the rest of the half as the Bulldogs scored 28 unanswered points to blow the game open.
Daijun Edwards scored his first touchdown of the game on a 15-yard run and Ladd McConkey scored on a 27-yard run 20 seconds later following a Florida State fumble on the kickoff return. The Bulldogs then scored the final two TDs of the half on quarterback Carson Beck touchdown passes. The first, an 11 yarder to Arian Smith, was followed by a two-yard score to Dominic Lovett to give the Bulldogs the big 39-point lead headed to the locker room.
Beck, one of the nation’s leading candidates for next year’s Heisman Trophy, only played in the first half as he finished up 13-18 for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs outgained the Seminoles by a whopping 673-209. Georgia’s number two quarterback Gunnar Stockton played most of the second half throwing for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Milton led the Bulldogs’ ground attack with 104 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Roderick Robinson added 70 yards while Edwards ran for 62 yards and two scores. Georgia outrushed the Seminoles 372 to 63.
The Georgia defense forced four Florida State turnovers. Daylen Everette and Malaki Starks each picked off a pass while Mykel Williams and Cole Speer each recovered a fumble. The Bulldogs doubled their season fumble recovery total after recording just one during the first 13 games of the year.
The 60-point margin of victory is the largest in bowl history, topping the previous record of 58 set by the Bulldogs in last season’s National Championship victory over TCU.
The Bulldogs are now 46-2 in their last 48 games and will enter the 2024 season on a school record streak of 39 consecutive regular season victories that dates to November 21, 2020.
The season opener in 2024 will be against the Clemson Tigers on August 31 in Atlanta.
The Seminoles close out the year at 13-1. They’ll open up next season August 24 in Dublin, Ireland taking on Georgia Tech.
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