Georgia Football: UGA Players of the Rose Bowl Victory
1. Sony Michel
Oh, Sony. I don’t know if there could be a player that more deserved a game like this than him. While he and Chubb will go down in history now as the most prolific running back duo in history, Michel has almost always been the second back. Chubb’s incredible freshman year meant that it wasn’t until his injury that we really saw what Michel could do.
In some ways, Michel has been in Chubb’s shadow on the national stage. Those of us in Athens have always looked at them as a pair, but it’s taken a long time for the rest of the country to catch up.
Well, Michel has ‘his’ moment at the Rose Bowl. He accounted for 4 touchdowns 222 yards of offense. Just let those stats sink in for a minute. Those are the stuff of legend.
But he was more than just his numbers in this game. Michel made big play after big play. Whether it was the 75 yard TD that kept UGA alive in the 2nd quarter. Or the 38-yard run that tied the score at 31 all. When Michel fumbled the ball in the 4th quarter, it looked that that moment would decide the game. Oklahoma’s touchdown there took the life out of Georgia and Michel was physically crying on the sideline.
But his night was not over. He made a huge play on the final UGA drive in regulation, getting a key 1st down and keeping the drive alive. Then, after the blocked field goal, UGA just needed any points to win. Michel made sure Georgia wouldn’t have to undergo a nervewracking field goal attempt. His TD run sealed the game and carved his name into Georgia Football lore. It honestly couldn’t have happened to a better guy.
Next: Relive the glorious victory!
This is a player who has been a true leader on this team. A player who came back for his senior year because he wanted to finish his time at Georgia in the right way. He, Chubb, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy will all go down in UGA history for this season. But when that confetti started to fall, that was all about Michel, one of the great players we have seen between the hedges. He finally had his moment, and it was glorious.