Culture Wins: Bowl Games Matter at Georgia

As Georgia fought from behind to win 24-21 in the Chic-fil-A Peach Bowl, the program's culture showed: Bowl games matter for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Postseason play is what defines every team, and what a definition this Georgia team earned. No, it wasn’t perfect, but these Bulldogs just laid a championship foundation to build on next season, all due to the culture that head coach Kirby Smart and his staff have created around he program.

After falling behind 21-10 to the Cincinnati Bearcats, it seemed as if all hope was lost. Players were sitting on benches when the opposite unit took the field and didn’t seem invested in the game. Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell seemed to have the answer for everything the Bulldogs threw at him and was ready to send the Bearcats to 10-0.

However, there was a clear "Never quit" attitude on the Georgia team Friday. The defense brought the Bulldogs back, and the three main players that led them to that point were linebacker Azeez Ojulari, defensive tackle Jordan Davis and cornerback Tyson Campbell. What is the common thread between these players? They all have the option to enter the NFL Draft and have relatively high grades. And recent history shows, those players typically declare. 

Each of these players worked hard down the stretch, however, and fought to bring home a Peach Bowl win. Smart deserves an enormous amount of credit. Sure, Smart made some questionable decisions Friday, including burning a timeout on a punt with just over two minutes left in the game. However, he has future top-60 picks playing hard until the final whistle in what could be their last collegiate game, and as a result, brought home a Peach Bowl Trophy.

The Bulldogs built on each other's energy in the second half, stringing together positive plays and coming together to steal away the momentum. Cincinnati had opportunity after opportunity, but together the Bulldogs stymied the Bearcats time and time again.

From Day 1 of fall camp, the goal is a national championship, and the expectation should be no less. The victory Friday cemented a foundation that the Bulldogs coaching staff can call upon next season to put together a season worthy of a college football playoff berth.

Next year, quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields will become professionals. Alabama loses a plethora of talent, and Florida will likely come back down to Earth after a season charged by upperclassmen, and future NFL draft picks. One school will have to rise above the pack to win a title in a relatively fresh college football landscape. Friday, Georgia took one step closer to being that team, and it was the most important step: establishing a culture.