Georgia vs. TCU by the numbers: CFP championship game
No. 1 Georgia (14-0) vs. No. 3 TCU (13-1)
6:30 p.m. CST Monday (ESPN)
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
0 Players with at least 900 plays in SEC history have a better yards-per-play average than Georgia QB Stetson Bennett. Entering Monday’s game, Bennett has 8,124 passing yards and 491 rushing yards on 898 passes and 138 rushing attempts – an average of 8.32 yards on 1,036 plays. Entering the 2022 season, Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel held the SEC record for players with at least 900 plays at 8.27 yards on 1,208 plays.
1 Program has won consecutive national championships by capturing the BCS or CFP title game during the NCAA FBS playoff era, a feat that Georgia would duplicate by winning on Monday. Alabama defeated LSU 21-0 on Jan. 9, 2012, and Notre Dame 42-14 on Jan. 7, 2013, in BCS championship contests. Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18 in last season’s CFP title game.
1 Victory is needed by Georgia and TCU to set a school single-season record for wins. The current Bulldogs have equaled the 14 victories posted by last year’s Georgia team. The current Horned Frogs have equaled the 13 victories posted by the 2010 TCU team.
1 National championship during the poll era for TCU. The Horned Frogs finished atop the final Associated Press Poll for the 1938 season. TCU got 55 first-place votes to runner-up Tennessee’s 16 and No. 3 Duke’s 11. All three teams posted undefeated regular-season records, although Duke lost to Southern Cal 7-3 in the Rose Bowl after the final poll.
2 National championships during the poll era for Georgia. The Bulldogs were the No. 1 team for the 1980 season for The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation after completing an undefeated campaign capped by a 17-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. In 2021, Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18 in the CFP championship game.
2 Heisman Trophy finalists are in the CFP championship game – TCU QB Max Duggan and Georgia QB Stetson Bennett. Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams won the award. Duggan has completed 253-of-397 passes for 3,546 yards with 32 TDs and six interceptions and run for 461 yards and eight TDs on 127 carries. Bennett has completed 292-of-429 passes for 3,823 yards with 23 TDs and seven interceptions and run for 166 yards and eight TDs on 54 carries.
2 Previous appearances for Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship game. Georgia has reached the championship game in each of its three CFP appearances, losing to Alabama 26-23 in overtime in 2017 and beating Alabama 33-18 in 2021. TCU made its first appearance in the CFP this season and is the first Big 12 team to reach the championship game. Georgia gives the SEC at least one team in the CFP title game for the eighth consecutive year.
2 TD passes are needed by QB Max Duggan to set the TCU single-season record. Trevone Boykin set the Horned Frogs’ mark with 33 TD passes in 2014.
3 2022 Consensus All-Americans are in the CFP championship game – Georgia DT Jalen Carter and S Christopher Smith and TCU G Steve Avila.
4 Victories without a loss for Georgia in games against TCU. The Bulldogs beat the Horned Frogs 40-26 in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1942, 34-3 on Sept. 27, 1980, 38-10 on Sept. 10, 1988, and 31-23 in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 30, 2016.
6 Ranked opponents have been beaten this season by TCU, tied with Tennessee for the most in the nation. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 18 Oklahoma 55-24 on Oct. 1, No. 19 Kansas 38-31 on Oct. 8, No. 8 Oklahoma State 43-40 in two overtimes on Oct. 14, No. 17 Kansas State 38-28 on Oct. 22, No. 18 Texas 17-10 on Nov. 12 and No. 2 Michigan 51-45 on Dec. 31.
8 Victories and four losses for Georgia against opponents from the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences. The Bulldogs most recently played a Big 12 member on Jan. 1, 2020, when they defeated Baylor 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia has a 5-2 bowl record against opponents from the Big 12, the Big Eight and the Big Seven.
9 Years since the previous time the national championship team was not Alabama or a team that beat the Crimson Tide on the way to the title. Since Florida State went 14-0 without Alabama on its schedule to win the final BCS championship in 2013, the Tide won the CFP crowns in 2015, 2017 and 2020. Clemson defeated Alabama in the title games for the 2016 and 2018 seasons, and Georgia topped the Tide in the 2021 finale. Ohio State defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on the way to the 2014 title, and LSU had a regular-season win over the Tide in its 2019 championship campaign. Neither Georgia nor TCU played Alabama this season.
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10 Victories, 25 losses and one tie for TCU against SEC opponents, including a 2-5 mark in bowls. The Horned Frogs most recently played an SEC member on Sept. 9, 2017, when they defeated Arkansas 28-7. TCU lost 15 in a row against SEC opponents between a 28-0 victory over Alabama on Oct. 12, 1957, and a 16-3 victory over Vanderbilt on Sept. 23, 1995.
13 National championships during the poll era for the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences. Conference members who have finished atop a final poll or captured the playoff finale have been Colorado in 1990, Oklahoma in 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985 and 2000 and Nebraska in 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995 and 1997.
16 Consecutive victories for Georgia, one short of the school record. The Bulldogs’ most recent loss was a 41-24 setback against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4, 2021. The school-record 17-game winning streak started with a 34-7 victory over Chattanooga on Nov. 4, 1945, a week after the Bulldogs lost to Alabama 28-14. Georgia’s winning streak extended through a 13-7 victory over Furman to start the 1974 season before the Bulldogs fell to North Carolina 14-7 on Sept. 27, 1947.
21 TCU plays from scrimmage have gained at least 50 yards, two more than any other team in the nation has this season. The Georgia defense has yielded six plays that gained at least 50 yards this season.
26 Consecutive seasons with a bowl for Georgia, the longest active streak in the nation and the longest streak in SEC history. The Bulldogs’ most recent season without a bowl came in 1996, when Georgia posted a 5-6 record. Georgia surpassed Alabama’s SEC record of 25 consecutive seasons with a bowl established from 1959 through 1983. Georgia has a 35-21-3 bowl record.
27 National championships during the poll era for the SEC. Conference members who have finished atop a final poll or captured the playoff finale have been Alabama in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020, Auburn in 1957 and 2010, Florida in 1996, 2006 and 2008, Georgia in 1980 and 2021, LSU in 1958, 2003, 2007 and 2019, Ole Miss in 1960 and Tennessee in 1951 and 1998.
57 Years since a team with a losing record the previous season won the national championship. TCU had a 5-7 record in 2021. In 1965, Michigan State finished atop the final coaches poll, was the No. 1 choice of the National Football Foundation and shared the Football Writers Association of America’s title with Alabama, which topped the final AP poll. The Spartans won all 10 of their regular-season games after going 4-5 in 1964. Michigan State ended its 1965 season with a 14-12 loss to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
79.9 Rushing yards per game have been allowed by Georgia in 2022, the lowest average in the nation. The Bulldogs’ opponents have averaged 3.0 yards per carry, with 1,119 yards and six TDs on 373 rushing attempts. The TCU offense has averaged 204.5 rushing yards per game while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
97.4 Percent of Georgia’s red-zone possessions have resulted in points for the Bulldogs in 2022, the best rate in the nation. Georgia has scored 75 times – 48 TDs and 21 field goals – on 77 possessions inside its opponent’s 20-yard line. Georgia also has the nation’s best red-zone defense. The Bulldogs’ opponents have scored on 66.7 percent of their possessions inside the Georgia 20-yard line with 12 TDs and 10 field goals in 33 possessions.
358 Games have been played by Georgia since it was most recently shut out, the second-longest scoring streak in SEC history and the sixth-longest in major-college football history. The Bulldogs haven’t been blanked since losing to Alabama 31-0 on Sept. 30, 1995.
381 Games have been played by TCU since it was most recently shut out, the second-longest scoring streak in major-college football history. The Horned Frogs haven’t been blanked since losing to Texas 32-0 on Nov. 16, 1991. The only longer scoring streak than TCU’s is Florida’s current 436-game streak.
1,066 Receiving yards for TCU WR Quentin Johnston this season, the second-most in Horned Frogs’ history. Josh Doctson set the TCU single-season record with 1,326 yards on 78 receptions in 2015. In 2022, Johnston has 59 receptions, with six going for TDs.
1,399 Rushing yards for TCU RB Kendre Miller this season, the most for a Horned Frogs ball-carrier since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 rushing yards in 2000. Miller has 224 rushing attempts and has run for 17 TDs.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.