Ladd McConkey returns for UGA in Peach Bowl

McConkey, a sophomore slot receiver, sustained a knee injury in the first half of the SEC Championship game Dec. 3. He has 51 receptions for 675 yards and five touchdowns. McConkey entered the game on the Bulldogs’ first series. He was tackled for a 7-yard loss on the Bulldogs’ second series on his first time touching the ball.

McClendon also sustained a knee injury in the SEC title game. A 13-game starter and All-SEC pick, he helped the Bulldogs average 39.2 points per game.

McClendon was replaced at right tackle by sophomore Amarius Mims, who made his first start since signing with the Bulldogs as a five-star prospect from Bleckley County High School. Mims appeared in 10 games as a reserve this season. Mims entered the transfer portal during the spring and visited Florida State before deciding to return to Athens.

Georgia tight end Darnell Washington left the game in the first half with a left ankle injury. He had one catch for 9 yards. Linebacker Chaz Chambliss, who played at Carrollton High, also left the game in the first half with an apparent knee injury. It happened during an Ohio State punt. He did some light jogging on the sideline before the end of the half.

Ohio State injuries: Buckeyes running back MiyanWilliams returned from an illness that affected him during the week to participate in pregame warmups, but he didn’t start. He led Ohio State with a team-high 817 yards and 13 touchdowns on 125 carries during the regular season. Dallan Hayden started in his place. His first play came on Ohio State’s third drive. He carried for 2 yards on second down and picked up the first down with a 4-yard run on third down. He scored a 1-yard touchdown to end the drive that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead with 12:30 remaining in the second quarter.

The Buckeyes averaged 198.5 rushing yards per game during the regular season.

Senior Matt Jones, an offensive lineman, also returned and started at right guard He suffered a sprained foot against Michigan.

Big plays on offense: Georgia posted four plays in the first half of at least 25 yards, led by a 52-yard run by Kenny McIntosh in the second quarter and a 47-yard pass from Stetson Bennett to Arian Smith earlier in the period, and three more of at least 20 yards in the first half.

Ohio State posted two big plays of at least 25 yards in the first half, led by C.J. Stroud’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Johnson that gave the Buckeyes a 28-24 lead with 49 seconds remaining in the first half. Marvin Harrison had a 31-yard touchdown reception and two more catches of 24 yards each. He also had a 16-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

LSU’s seven were the most plays of at least 25 yards Georgia allowed in game this season. Those happened in the SEC Championship game. Georgia allowed 38 plays of at least 25 yards this season before the Peach Bowl.

Big plays on defense: Georgia twice sacked Stroud. Both came on third downs to force Ohio State’s first two punts. The first was by Smael Mondon in the first quarter on the Buckeyes’ first drive and the second by Mykel Williams in the second quarter. Mondon also made a key tackle for no gain on third-and-1 deep into the second quarter.

Ohio State’s Steele Chambers, who played in high school at Blessed Trinity, had a sack and an interception in the first half.

Betting line: The point spread for Saturday’s Peach Bowl dropped to five points before kickoff, according to Caesars Sportsbook, from the 6.5 spread that held for most of the week.

The Peach Bowl favorite has covered in the past two semifinal matchups.

Officiating crew: The officiating crew for the game came from the Pac-12 Conference. The referee was Chris Coyte, with umpire Greg Adams, head linesman Darryl Johnson, line judge Dale Keller, field judge Steve Currie, side judge Jeff Dahle, back judge Joe Johnston, center judge John Love, replay Jerry Meyerhoff, alternate Steve Strimling, communicator Terry Leyden and supervisor David Coleman.

Firsts and records: The Peach Bowl is the first New Year’s Six bowl to host the No. 1 team three times in the playoff era. It hosted No. 1 Alabama in 2016 and No. 1 LSU in 2019. ... Georgia made its 26th consecutive appearance in a bowl, which is the longest active streak in FBS.

Honorary captains: Former Georgia defensive back Champ Bailey and Ohio State strong safety Mike Doss were the game’s honorary captains. Both were recently inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Applause: Former Georgia coach Mark Richt received a standing ovation from the Bulldogs supporters when introduced as one of the inductees into the Peach Bowl Hall of Fame before the game. Richt led the Bulldogs to a 31-24 victory over Virginia Tech in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Former Falcons player Devin Hester, a standout at Miami, also was one of the inductees honored.

Another sellout: Saturday’s sellout was the 23rd of the past 26 Peach Bowls. The largest Peach Bowl announced attendance was 75,996. It happened in 2016 when No. 1 Alabama played No. 4 Washington in the first semifinal hosted by the bowl.

The other game: Thousands of fans who arrived early were transfixed by the Fiesta Bowl, featuring No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Michigan, which was shown on the halo board. The red-and-black crowd roared each time TCU scored – and grumbled when the Wolverines crossed the goal line. Clearly, Georgia fans were optimistic that a title game against the Horned Frogs would be more favorable. The Horned Frogs defeated the Wolverines 51-45 to advance to the championship game in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles. Georgia is 4-0 against TCU. The most recent game happened in 2016 in Memphis, Tenn.

Among the dignitaries on the sidelines: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, fresh off his first international trip as the city’s leader, was among the famous people on the sidelines. A Georgia Tech graduate, Dickens has quickly learned to embrace Georgia as well. He was wearing red-and-black sneakers and joked that he roots for the Bulldogs – except when they play his beloved Yellow Jackets.

– Staff writers Chip Towers and Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.