After a turnover on its first possession, Georgia rallied to score touchdowns on its next nine drives. Florida State had just one field goal early in the second quarter.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck posted 203 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Kendall Milton added 104 yards and two scores on the ground, while Dominique Lovett, Anthony Evans III, Arian Smith and Lawson Lackey all had TDs.
FSU QB Brock Glenn, in his bid to turn this one starting cameo into a regular gig in 2024, completed 9 of 26 passes for 139. yards and two interceptions. He lost 9 yards on the ground.
As a team, Georgia racked up 673 total yards, the most ever accumulated in an Orange Bowl game.
In the third quarter, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart pulled the peck and diverted it to his second stringers. This was a luxury that Florida State did not have.
The Seminoles were spread thin, with nine players not choosing to prepare for the NFL draft, two unavailable due to injury and more than a dozen entering the transfer portal. Among the departures were star WR Keon Coleman, WR Johnny Wilson, RB Trey Benson, DE Jaheim Bell, defensive tackles Jared Wers and Fabian Lovett, and defensive tackles Renardo Green, Jarian Jones and Akeem Dent.
Star QB Jordan Travis, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting, suffered a season-ending leg injury on Nov. 18 against North Alabama. Tate Roedmaker, who took over under center after Travis' injury, entered the transfer portal before the Orange Bowl.
However, Georgia has no healthy players left. Tight end Brock Bowers, right tackle Amarius Mims and inside linebacker Smail Monton were out with injuries.
Georgia's dominance is a reflection of its culture
It's about Florida State's deviations, it's about Georgia's culture. The team had no injury-free departures and took this game seriously. That preceded Georgia's only bowl loss under Smart to Texas in the Sugar Bowl to end the 2018 season. Smart had players on the portal stick around the team, including Justin Fields, and it was generally clear that the team was underinvested a year after making the national championship game. The Bulldogs are 3-0 in their non-playoff bowl games since then.
Of course it's not just because of Smarts' attitude, but because of the leadership of the individual players. Cedric von Braun-Granger, moving Milton and others will change tactics. But the established culture appears to be very strong. — Seth Emerson, Georgia Senior Writer
Go deeper
Georgia's Mike Bobo has something to prove after the pressure and SEC championship
Take a bow, Milton
It's a happy ending for players like Milton, who have battled injuries for the past four years. It was an optimistic look at players who will be in bigger roles next year, such as receiver Dillon Bell (five catches for 86 yards).
Georgia also got a big game from Michael Williams (a sack and a forced fumble), who played in his new role at outside linebacker.
Gunner Stockton, now the No. 2 quarterback, played the entire second half and threw two touchdown passes. Other younger players saw plenty of snaps, including cornerback Daniel Harris, linebacker Raylon Wilson and offensive tackle Monroe Freeling. — Emerson
The Seminoles need to find QB help
Freshman quarterback Glenn was a player the coaching staff was very excited about before Travis and Rodemaker got hurt. But it's hard to imagine coaches believing Glenn is the answer at quarterback going forward.
He had a full arsenal of weapons around him in the ACC Championship Game, and he was completely unprepared in his first collegiate start, completing just 8 of 21 attempts for 55 yards. FSU was missing two starting receivers, a tight end and its leading rusher when it played at Georgia on Saturday — and Glenn didn't play well. He was 8-of-25 for 127 yards, two interceptions and a fumble loss in the fourth quarter, and had only one good throw in the first half when the game was still within reach. It was a 55-yard strike to receiver Kendron Poyter.
Glenn may have more success moving forward in his career, but there's no way the Seminoles are going into 2024 without finding a starter on the transfer portal. Cam Ward and DJ Uyakaleli both visited Tallahassee this month as transfers, and the Seminoles would need to land one of them to take over for Travis in 2024. — Manny Navarro, Florida College Sports Staff Writer
Who really assigned it to FSU?
