The 2023 National Championship Game features the 13-1 TCU Horned Frogs against the 14-0 Georgia Bulldogs. Here is the 2023 National Championship Game preview.
TCU Horned Frogs (13-1)
TCU won 12 games to qualify for their first College Football Playoff. They defeated eight bowl-eligible teams this year: SMU, Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas and Baylor. Their lone loss of the season came in the Big 12 Championship to Kansas State.
In the first College Football Playoff Semifinal, TCU pulled off the upset over Michigan, 51-45. They rushed for 263 yards against a stout Michigan defense to win a shootout of a game. Max Duggan threw two interceptions, but was able to connect with Quentin Johnston, who had six catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Their offense scores 41.1 points per game, which ranks them fifth in the country. They average 204.5 rushing yards (ranked 19th) and 269.6 passing yards per game (ranked 29th).
Duggan was the starter for three seasons before starting this season on the bench. He since has played well enough to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Duggan has 3,546 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions on 63.7 percent completion. Six pass-catchers have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Their best receiver is Quentin Johnston, who is a matchup problem with his 6-foot-4 frame. He has 59 catches for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns.
Kendre Miller has been the top back for the Horned Frogs with 1,399 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the season. He left the Fiesta Bowl with a knee injury and the team relied on Emari Demarcado. Demarcado and Emani Bailey have both had good seasons behind Miller with 622 and 241 yards respectively. Duggan has also been a key contributor to the run game with 461 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Defensively, they allow 26.4 points per game, which ranks 65th in the FBS. The Horned Frogs concede 152.1 rushing yards (ranked 70th) and 243.2 passing yards per game (ranked 92nd). Johnny Hodges and Mark Perry lead the team with 81 and 78 tackles respectively. Dylan Horton has the team-high with 10 sacks and Dee Winters has also had a solid season with 7.5 sacks. Winters also had a great Fiesta Bowl with seven total tackles, three tackles for loss, one pass defended, one interception and one touchdown. Josh Newton has 12 passes defended and three interceptions in the secondary, while Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson has 14 passes defended and three interceptions.
Georgia Bulldogs (14-0)
Georgia went undefeated to make their second straight College Football Playoff. They defeated Oregon, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and LSU, who all made bowl games this season.
In their matchup with Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, they were also able to win a shootout, 42-41, as the Buckeyes missed a game-winning field goal with time expiring. Stetson Bennett played impressively with 398 passing yards and three touchdowns. He was able to connect on some big plays with Arian Smith, who had three catches for 129 yards and a touchdown.
The offense scores 39.4 points per game, which ranks them ninth in the FBS. They average 293 passing yards (ranked 15th) and 201.9 rushing yards per game (ranked 22nd).
The former walk-on Bennett is leading the Bulldogs for the second-straight season. He has passed for 3,823 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 68.1 percent completion. Six different players have at least 250 receiving yards this season. The leading receiver is tight end Brock Bowers with 56 receptions for 790 yards and six touchdowns. Ladd McConkey has been impressive at receiver for the Bulldogs with 53 catches for 674 yards and five touchdowns.
Four running backs have at least 250 rushing yards on the season. Kenny McIntosh, Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton have been a three-headed monster with 779, 739 and 559 rushing yards respectively. McIntosh leads the team with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bulldogs allow 14.8 points per game, ranking them fifth in the country. They concede 224.6 passing yards (ranked 66th) and 80 rushing yards per game (ranked 2nd). Smael Mondon Jr. leads the team with 71 total tackles. Jalen Dumas-Johnson has a team-high with four sacks, while Jalen Carter has been impressive with three sacks. Malaki Starks has seven passes defended and two interceptions, while Kelee Ringo has been their best cover corner with seven passes defended and two interceptions.
Prediction
Georgia has answered every time their perfect record has been in question. Their defense and running game will lead them to a narrow victory over the Horned Frogs.
Georgia Bulldogs 35 TCU Horned Frogs 25
Check out our college football page for more content like 2023 National Championship Game Preview!
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!