Tag: UGAvsCINN

Georgia football kicker Jack Podlesny wins the Peach Bowl. Who is he?

Georgia football kicker Jack Podlesny hits game-winning field goal against Cincinnati to win the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Jack Podlesny hit a 53-yard field goal with two seconds left in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to give the Georgia Bulldogs a 22-21 lead over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Georgia would go on to sack the Bearcats in the end zone, making for a safety and final score of 24-21.

This was Podlesny’s career long field goal make and his first career game-winning field goal. Needless to say, Hot Pod has ice in his veins.

Prior to the Peach Bowl, Podlesny went 10 for 13 on field goals, 37 for 37 on PATs, and 12 of 21 kickoffs have resulted in touchback.

Podlesny, a redshirt sophomore from St. Simons Island (Glynn Academy) was semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top collegiate placekicker.

He made 90% of his field goals as a senior in high school and has a powerful leg that helped him record fifty-five touchbacks on kickoffs. He additionally played soccer in high school.

Podlesny walked on to the team in 2018 and redshirted.

Last season, he made a big 38 yard kick in the G-Day scrimmage to help the black team win with over a minute to play. Podlesny is yet to see regular season action. He’ll compete with Jared Zirkel, Brooks Buce and more to fill Rodrigo Blankenship’s role next season.

In a wild rollercoaster of a game, Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs get yet another major bowl game victory on New Years Day.  What a way to start the new year for the Dawgs.

Azeez Ojulari sacks Ridder, forces a Cincinnati punt

Azeez Ojulari makes another huge play, sacking Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder to force a punt.

Azeez Ojulari is coming up big for the Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.  Just a few series after a forced fumble that turned into a Zamir White  touchdown, Ojulari got yet another sack on Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.  This stop would force a punt from the Bearcats.

Georgia still trails Cincinnati 21-19 late in the fourth quarter.

Back to back highlight plays from Georgia receivers sets up field goal

Two Georgia football receivers go for highlight reel plays on back to back snaps, sets up Jack Podlesny field goal.

Two Georgia receivers give back to back highlight plays as Georgia drives in the fourth quarter of the Peach Bowl.

Kearis Jackson went for a 42-yard catch against the Cincinnati secondary to start off the drive.

The very next play George Pickens made a catch for 23 yards, hurdling and flipping over a defender for another first down.

These plays set up a Jack Podlesny 32-yard field goal with 6:43 rest in the contest.  Georgia trails Cincinnati 21-19.

 

Zamir White to the house for 6, 2-pt conversion no good

Georgia football RB Zamir White scores on a 9-yard TD run, 2-pt conversion attempt is no good. Dawgs trail 21-16.

Touchdown Zeus!

Zamir White capitalizes on the fumble caused by Azeez Ojulari and takes it down the sideline and to the house from nine yards out.  The Dawgs two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.

White has 39 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries so far today.  Georgia trails Cincinnati 21-16 in the fourth quarter of the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Cincinnati opens the 2nd half with a 79-yard TD run

Cincinnati opens the 2nd half with a big play, going for a 79-yard TD run. They lead Georgia football 21-10.

The Bearcats came out hot to start the second half of the Peach Bowl.  Just after scoring a touchdown to end the half, Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford goes for a 79-yard touchdown run, putting them up 21-10.

Cincy scored on just two plays on the drive, exposing the Dawgs missing pieces on defense.

Georgia now finds themselves in an 11 point hole early in the second half.

Cincinnati fires back, go up 14-10 before the half

Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder scrambles out of trouble and finds a man for an 11-yard passing touchdown. The Bearcats lead UGA 14-10 at half.

With just 21 seconds left in the half of the 2021 Peach Bowl, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder finds a man to get a first down inside the Bulldogs five yard line.  After the play, Cincinnati offensive lineman James Hudson got called for unnecessary roughness on Tyson Campbell that eventually got reviewed and changed to targeting.

Even with the penalty yards and time expiring, Ridder scrambled out of trouble and found his tight end Josh Whyle for the 11-yard touchdown.

Watch:

Cincinnati now leads the Dawgs 14-10 going into halftime.

Jack Podlesny’s 38-yard field goal kick puts Georgia up 10-7

Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny’s 38-yard field goal attempt is good, putting the Dawgs up 10-7 with 3:46 left in the first half.

Jack Podlesny’s 38-yard field goal attempt is good, putting the Dawgs up 10-7 over Cincinnati with 3:46 left in the first half of the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.  The kick snuck in the right upright by just inches.

Podlesny is now 11/14 on field goals in 2020.

A look at Cincinnati’s 2020 season

Here’s a full look at the No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats’ season leading up to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs.

The Cincinnati Bearcats had their best football season in school history this past year, going 9-0 and finishing No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings.  On Friday they take on the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs, who will be missing their fair share of star players due to opt outs and injuries.

The Dawgs are a seven point favorite right now (odds are courtesy BetMGM) but the Bearcats are hungry to prove the committee wrong and gain some national attention and respect with a big win.

Cincinnati won three games against teams in the FBS top-25 this season and zero against top-15 teams.  Although they didn’t have the toughest schedule, they won seven out of their nine games by two or more touchdowns.  They beat UCF by three points, as well as Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.

Bearcats junior quarterback Desmond Ridder is having a great year, throwing for 2,090 yards, 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.  He has also rushed for another 609 yards and 12 touchdowns to go on top of that.  His rating in his third season has vastly improved, providing much more efficient play through just nine games.

Cincy’s leading rusher is senior running back Gerrid Doaks.  Doaks is having a career season, rushing for 673 yards and 7 touchdowns on 144 carries.  He also has 202 yards receiving and 2 receiving touchdowns, providing the Bearcats with another dual-threat weapon on offense.

Cincinnati’s defense is playing exceptionally well in 2020, ranking 7th in scoring defense and allowing opposing offenses just 16 points per game.  They are 18th defending the run and 20th defending the passing game.  That puts them at 8th in total defense, letting up 310.8 yards per game.

One of their biggest weaknesses is themselves.  Cincinnati is averaging 8.6 penalties per game, taking a 76.4 yard per game hit.  They rank 119th nationally in that category, one of the FBS’s worst.

Here’s how the Bearcats did against their opponents in 2020:

  • vs Austin Peay – W, 55 – 20
  • vs No. 22 Army – W, 24 – 10
  • vs USF – W, 28 – 7
  • @ Tulsa – Postponed
  • @ No. 16 SMU – W, 42 – 13
  • vs Memphis – W, 49 – 10
  • vs Houston – W, 38 – 10
  • vs East Carolina – W, 55 – 17
  • @ UCF – W, 36 – 33
  • @Temple – Canceled
  • @ No. 24 Tulsa – Canceled
  • vs No. 23 Tulsa – W, 27 – 24

The 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl kicks off Friday, New Years Day, at 12:00 P.M. ET.  National coverage will be provided by ESPN.

 

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Georgia vs Cincinnati: Expert picks and predictions

The UGA Wire staff presents our expert score, stat and game predictions ahead of Georgia football vs Cincinnati for the 2021 Peach Bowl.

The No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) take on the No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) this Friday for the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Georgia will be missing a number of its star players in the matchup. Monty Rice, Eric Stokes, Tre’ McKitty, Ben Cleveland and Jermaine Johnson have all opted out of the game in preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Dawgs comes into the game as a seven point favorite over the Bearcats.

The Peach Bowl kicks off in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, New Years Day, at 12:00 P.M. ET.  The game will be aired nationally on ESPN.

With that said, the UGA Wire staff has put together a number of score, stat and game predictions ahead of Friday’s matchup.

All odds are courtesy BetMGM.

Here are the picks:

Statistical breakdown: How Georgia and Cincinnati stack up

A statistical breakdown of how Georgia football and Cincinnati match up heading into the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) take on the No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) this New Years Day in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The Bulldogs will be without a number of its star players who have their sights set on the 2021 NFL Draft.  Monty Rice, Eric Stokes, Tre’ McKitty, Ben Cleveland and Jermaine Johnson will all be opting of the bowl game, leaving a lot of holes to fill for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.  James Cook is also expected to miss the Peach Bowl, following the tragic news of his father passing away this past Tuesday.

Georgia is currently favored to win by seven points over the Bearcats.

The Peach Bowl is set to kickoff New Years Day at 12:00 P.M. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.  The game will be aired nationally on ESPN.

Here’s a look at the statistical breakdown between the two teams for almost every major category.

Stats provided by CFBStats.com.