We struggled to process it in all its glory in the moment, but Peyton Woodring's magnificent onside kick that was recovered by Cash Jones may end up being the springboard to propel the Georgia Bulldogs to national champions. It was one of those moments that shocked the entire college football world. From Dawg Nation, to even Johnny Manziel, this was Georgia's greatest play so far.
During the primetime telecast on ABC, you could hear Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit refer to something Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said to them in their production meeting. Sarkisian knew something like this was coming in special teams for this game. Too bad, Jeff Banks' unit was not ready for this kind of monkey business. The play itself has put Jones into Georgia lore.
Jones reflected on the signature play of his Georgia career up to this point by praising his coach.
"Obviously, I was a little nervous. The ball's not a circle, so you don't really know where it's going to bounce. But we have practiced that [kick] for I think about five years, ever since I first got here. But Peyton [Woodring] kicked a perfect ball. I don't know if it's ever been that perfect. But when the pressure was on us, it turned out our way."
This all comes back to this play being repped so many times in practice over the years. Jones said they have been running this play in practice with the special teams unit over the last half decade. Last Saturday night was the perfect time to run this trick play. It was a total momentum shifter, as Georgia would extend its lead from 21-10 to 28-10 in a matter minutes on Lawson Luckie's latest touchdown.
We can only wonder what else Smart has up his sleeve come playoff time for this Georgia program...
Cash Jones puts some respect on Kirby Smart's name for onside kick
It was a different play, but Jones' onside kick recovery taps the same vein of two other ones that occurred during Georgia's two most recent national title runs. That would be Dan Jackson's blocked punt vs. Arkansas in 2021 and Brock Bowers' game-altering touchdown grab vs. Florida in 2022. Those kind of plays just do not happen for any particular reason other than the team being special.
At 9-1 on the year and 7-1 in SEC play, Georgia is looking every bit the part of a prospective national championship contender. They may have the one loss on their resume, which is clearly something the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is holding against them. Outside of being undefeated, what has Texas A&M done to be ranked over Georgia? Who have Ohio State and Indiana even played?
Overall, Jones was part of history in Athens last Saturday night. While he may be a bit of an overused gadget guy with limited athleticism out of the backfield, having the hands to come up with the onside kick to stun Texas is what he will be remembered for, not coming up short in the play that could have maybe beaten Alabama earlier. This was Jones' shot at redemption, one where he took it all in stride.
Once again, Smart puts his trust and faith into his players and they reward him with plays like these.