The Georgia Bulldogs built a huge lead early, then held off a strong fourth-quarter comeback from the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the TaxSlayer Bowl 24-17.
Most of the first half was a sloppy defensive struggle between the two sides, but the Bulldogs managed to close the half with two touchdowns on their last three drives to take a 17-3 advantage into the break. UGA seemed to have the game in hand as Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg left with in an injury in the second quarter, and Georgia extended that lead to 24-3 thanks to a 21-yard Sony Michel touchdown run.
However, backup quarterback Trace McSorley threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to bring PSU back into it, but it wasn't enough. He finished the game with 120 passing yards to go along with those TD passes.
Georgia controlled this game from start to finish on the ground, headlined by Michel's 85 yards on 20 carries and Keith Marshall's 62 yards on 14 carries. Senior wideout Malcolm Mitchell accounted for almost all of the Bulldogs' passing attack in this one, catching five passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia, who was playing under interim head coach Bryan McClendon since they fired Mark Richt after their regular season finale, now finishes the season with a 10-3 record for the second straight year. Penn State finished with a 7-6 mark for the second straight season as well.
New Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart will take over the Georgia program following the National Championship Game on Jan. 11. He is still serving as Alabama's defensive coordinator.
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