Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese approaches the basket during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship against the University of Iowa on Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
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The Louisiana State University women’s basketball team beat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes 102 to 85, securing their first National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship title on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023. The LSU Tigers were ranked number three heading into the tournament. The Hawkeyes were ranked number 2 in the league. The two teams played in Dallas, Texas, in front of more than 19,000 fans. The game streamed to a record 9.9 million viewers. The stars of the game were LSU forward Angel Reese and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Many records were broken in the matchup.

The LSU Tigers, led by Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey, scored 59 points in the first half, setting a new record for the most points scored in a half in a women’s championship game. The Tigers headed into the locker room at halftime with a 17-point lead. Jasmine Carson scored 21 points in the first half, including five three-pointers.

Reese was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. The six foot three inch (190.5 centimeter) tall junior transferred from the University of Maryland earlier this year. Mulkey’s powerful team had a handful of transfers. Jasmine Carson, a transfer from West Virginia University, scored a team-high of 22 points.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles to the basket in the NCAA Women’s Regional Final against the University of Louisville on March 26, 2023.
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Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored 30 points in the game, setting the record for the most in a women’s tournament with 191 points. Clark was named the 2023 national player of the year. She broke the previous record of 177 points in a tournament held by Texas Tech University player Sheryl Swoopes since 1993. She also broke the men’s record of 183 points held by University of Michigan’s Glen Rice since 1989.

Clark has been recognized for her sharpshooting, particularly with three-pointers, crisp passes, and emotional reactions. She stands 6 feet (183 centimeters) tall. Clark scored 41 points against the University of Louisville and another 41 points against the University of South Carolina.

LSU’s 102-point game set a record for the most points scored by a team in a women’s championship game. The Tigers also became the third number 3 seeded team to win the title in league history. With many broken records and dynamic players, the championship game was a fun one to watch.

American basketball player Candace Parker
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March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

Candace Parker is an outstanding American women’s basketball player. Parker, a forward, is tall for a female player at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters). She became the first woman to dunk in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball game and then the first to dunk twice in a single NCAA game. Parker is known for her ability to control the game through offense, often leading in points and rebounds.

Candace Nicole Parker was born on April 19, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her family later moved to Naperville, Illinois. She was a star player at Naperville Central High School, leading her team to state championships in 2003 and 2004. Parker committed to play at the University of Tennessee in 2004. She played for Team USA on the U18 (under age 18) team that won the gold medal at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Championship. In 2006, Parker joined the Women’s Senior National Team. The next year, she led the team to win the FIBA Americas Championship, qualifying it for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Parker redshirted her first season at the University of Tennessee due to a knee injury. A so-called redshirt player limits their participation in a sport to avoid losing a year of eligibility. Parker helped lead the University of Tennessee to women’s NCAA basketball championships in 2007 and 2008. In both seasons, she led the team in points and rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament’s Final Four phase.

The Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) made Parker the first player selected in the 2008 WNBA draft. She became the first player to be named the WNBA’s MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year, for the 2008 season. Parker was named MVP again in 2013. The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Minnesota Lynx to claim the 2016 WNBA title. Parker scored 28 points and grabbed (caught) 12 rebounds in the final game. She was named the Finals MVP for the tournament. In 2021, Parker signed a two-year contract with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. That season, she led the team to win the WNBA title against the Phoenix Mercury. In 2023, Parker signed a contract to play for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Parker has also played in professional leagues in China and Russia, winning numerous league titles and individual awards. She played on United States teams that won gold medals in international competitions, including the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Mikaela Shiffrin is a champion American alpine skier. Shiffrin won the slalom gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, making her the youngest slalom champion in Olympic history. In 2018, she won the giant slalom gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She has also won the slalom world championship several times.
Credit: © Stefan Holm, Shutterstock

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

On Saturday, March 11, 2023, American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won her 87th World Cup race in Slovenia. Shiffrin broke Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark’s record for most career World Cup victories. Her record-breaking victory occurred 12 years after her first World Cup win at 15. She completed the course hundredths of a second faster than her opponents, securing her place as one of the greatest skiers of all time.

Shiffrin was born on March 13, 1995, in Vail, Colorado. She began skiing at the age of 3. Her family moved to New Hampshire when she was 8. Shiffrin graduated in 2013 from Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, a high school for young skiers. In 2011, she made her World Cup debut at the age of 15, winning the bronze medal at Lienz, Austria. Later that year, at the age of 16, she won the slalom title at the United States National Championships in Winter Park, Colorado. She thus became the youngest skier to win that event. Slalom skiing involves racing down a winding course with flags. In 2012, she won her first World Cup race and was named World Cup Rookie of the Year.

Shiffrin won the slalom gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, making her the youngest slalom champion in Olympic history. In 2018, she won the giant slalom gold medal and the combined silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She also won the slalom World Championship in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019; the super G World Championship in 2019; the combined World Championship in 2021; and the giant slalom World Championship in 2023. Shiffrin has won more world championship titles (7) than any other American skier.

The slalom, giant slalom, and super G are three of the skiing races that make up the Alpine World Cup. The cup is awarded annually to the men and women who have won the most points in a series of five races—the slalom, giant slalom, downhill, super G, and combined. Shiffrin initially concentrated on the slalom and giant slalom. She won the World Cup slalom title in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023. In 2019 and 2023, she also won the World Cup giant slalom title. In 2016, she began competing in the other three World Cup events. Shiffrin won the World Cup super G title in 2019. She won the overall World Cup title in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023 for earning the most combined points in all the events. In 2022, Shiffrin won her 47th World Cup slalom race, setting the record for most career World Cup victories in a single event.

Tom Brady was a star quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He gained national fame for leading the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to seven Super Bowl victories.
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On Wednesday, February 1st, 2023, the legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement for the second time. After 23 years in the National Football League, he explained this retirement was official and permanent. Brady had announced his retirement exactly one year before but reversed his decision after six weeks. He played the 2022 to 2023 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady exits the NFL as the most accomplished player in football history.

Brady played for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2020 and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2020 to 2023. Brady gained national fame for leading the Patriots and Buccaneers to seven Super Bowl victories. He led the Patriots to victory against the St. Louis Rams (now the Los Angeles Rams) in 2002, the Carolina Panthers in 2004, the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005, the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, and the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. In 2021, he led the Buccaneers to victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady is the only quarterback to win seven Super Bowls. He was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in 2002, 2004, 2015, 2017, and 2021. He was also named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the 2007, 2010, and 2017 seasons.

During his NFL career, Brady was known for his leadership qualities and his accurate passing. Brady completed more passes (7,753), threw for more yards (89,214), and threw more touchdown passes (649) than any other quarterback in NFL history. He also won more regular season games (251) and more playoff games (35) than any other quarterback. Brady is the only quarterback with more than 10,000 career playoff passing yards. In 2022, he became the first quarterback with a combined total of 100,000 career regular season and playoff passing yards. During the 2007 regular season, Brady threw 50 touchdown passes, an NFL record until Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos broke it by throwing 55 touchdown passes in 2013. During his career, Brady led the NFL in passing touchdowns five times (2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, and 2021) and passing yards four times (2005, 2007, 2017, and 2021).

Thomas Edward Brady, Jr., was born on Aug. 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California. He played college football at the University of Michigan. He graduated in December 1999. The Patriots selected Brady in the sixth round of the NFL draft in 2000. He was the 199th player picked. Brady appeared in only one game in his rookie season. He became the team’s starting quarterback early in the 2001 season after regular quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured.

In April 2015, the NFL accused Brady and the Patriots of involvement in illegally deflating footballs used in the American Conference championship game between New England and the Indianapolis Colts in January 2015. The league suspended Brady for four games, fined New England $1 million, and stripped the Patriots of two draft picks. In 2020, Brady left the Patriots to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

LeBron James is a dominant scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. James led the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers to NBA titles.
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The King! The GOAT (greatest of all time)! The best in NBA history! Lebron James claimed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most regular-season points scored in a player’s career on February 7, 2023. He secured the record playing for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Abdul-Jabbar recorded 38,387 points in his career. James has put up 38,388 points since he started in the NBA in 2003. That is more points than how many miles it is to travel around the world 1.5 times!

Lebron James is a star forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). James stands 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms). His unusual combination of speed and power makes James one of the most unique and gifted players in NBA history. James is an outstanding scorer, playmaker, and defensive player. He was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013 seasons.

LeBron Raymone James was born on Dec. 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He gained a national reputation while playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected James as the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2003-2004 season. In the 2006-2007 season, James led Cleveland to the team’s first conference championship in franchise history. James led the NBA in scoring for the 2007-2008 regular season with a 30-point average.

LeBron James scores a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Miami Heat’s victory in the fifth and final game of the 2012 NBA finals. James was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series.
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James signed with the Miami Heat after the 2009-2010 season. He helped Miami reach the NBA finals in 2010-2011 and 2013-2014. He led the team to the NBA championship in 2011-2012 and again in 2012-2013. He was a member of United States national teams that won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Summer Games. Following the 2013-2014 season, James rejoined Cleveland. He led the Cavaliers to the NBA finals four straight seasons, from 2014-2015 through 2017-2018, winning the NBA championship in 2015-2016. James joined the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2017-2018 season. He led the league in assists during the 2019-2020 season and led the Lakers to the NBA championship.

James and his high school teammates were the subjects of the documentary More Than a Game (2009). James wrote a memoir, Shooting Stars (2009), about his basketball career. He also wrote the inspirational children’s picture book I Promise (illustrated by Nina Mata, 2020). The book is related to the goals of the I Promise School, a public school for struggling students that the LeBron James Family Foundation opened in Akron. James has also worked as a producer, actor, and voice actor for a number of television and film projects. Such projects include the motion picture Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the game-winning drive in Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
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The Kansas City Chiefs rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit and defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led an aggressive Philadelphia offense, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for one more. But the Chiefs’ dynamic quarterback Patrick Mahomes, hobbled by a high ankle sprain, battled back in the second half to clinch the win. The first Super Bowl ever to feature two number-one-seeded teams, it was the second Super Bowl championship for the Chiefs in the last four years.  

The Eagles took the kickoff to open the game and drove downfield, capping the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak for the touchdown. The Chiefs answered immediately with a brisk three-minute drive capped by a touchdown catch by All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. On the first play of the second quarter, Eagles receiver A.J. Brown made a spectacular 45-yard touchdown catch to regain the lead 14-7. Hurts fumbled on the next drive. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton grabbed the ball and sprinted 36 yards for the score, tying the game 14-14. The Eagles converted two fourth-down plays in the next drive as Hurts scored his second rushing touchdown, taking a 21-14 lead. Following a three-and-out by the Chiefs, the Eagles added a 35-yard Jake Elliott field goal to make the score 24-14 at the half.  

Caribbean superstar Rihanna floated into the Super Bowl halftime show on a glowing red platform high above the turf suspended by wires. Wearing a glossy red outfit and surrounded by backup dancers clad in white, Rihanna took to the stage for her first live performance in four years. She later revealed that she was performing while pregnant with her second child.  

The Chiefs opened the second half with a touchdown drive to cut their deficit to 24-21. Soon after, the Eagles responded with a 33-yard field goal to extend their lead 27-21. Mahomes hit back with a 5-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their first lead in the game at 28-27. The Eagles followed with a three-and-out and a punt that Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney returned 65 yards to the 5-yard line. The Chiefs scored three plays later on a Mahomes touchdown pass to take a 35-27 lead. The Eagles quickly bounced back as wide receiver DeVonta Smith grabbed a pass and scrambled 45 yards up the sideline to the 2-yard line. Hurts followed with his third rushing touchdown on another quarterback sneak. The 2-point conversion was good to tie the score 35-35 with just over 5 minutes remaining. But the Chiefs marched downfield, aided by a couple of key penalties, to the 2-yard line. After a couple of plays to run down the clock, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made the 27-yard field goal to put the score 38-35. With only seconds left and no timeouts, a Hail Mary pass by Hurts fell short to end the game.  

Hurts finished the game with 27 completions in 38 pass attempts for 304 yards. He also rushed 15 times for 70 yards and three touchdowns. Mahomes completed 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed six times for 44 yards. Mahomes, who had just been named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2022 season, was also named Super Bowl MVP for the second time.  

Chelsea player Christian Pulisic during the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham, on January 1, 2023.
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With the nickname “Captain America,” you know Christian Pulisic is a soccer star! At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Pulisic scored the only goal against Iran, winning the game and securing the United States a spot in the knockout stage. Sadly, the team later lost to the Netherlands. Pulisic returned to England after the tournament to play for Chelsea FC in the Premier League. However, Pulisic started the new year with a new knee injury on Jan. 5th. Despite his injury, Chelsea coach Graham Potter knows Pulisic’s worth and has promised to keep Captain America playing for Chelsea.

Pulisic plays forward and right winger. He has played for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT); in the Bundesliga, the professional soccer league in Germany; and in the Premier League in England. The Premier League is England’s highest professional soccer league. Pulisic is known for his agility, quick assists, and game-winning goals.

Pulisic was born on Sept. 18, 1998, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His parents both played soccer at George Mason University. Pulisic’s family moved to England temporarily when he was seven. There, Pulisic played soccer with a youth team. The family then moved to Detroit, Michigan, where his father worked for the Detroit Ignition, an indoor soccer league.

The Pulisic family later returned to Hershey. At 16, Christian became eligible to play in Europe because his grandfather was Croatian. Pulisic secured dual citizenship with Croatia and a European passport. In 2015, he moved to Germany and began playing for the Borussia Dortmund team for players under 17. When Pulisic was still 16, Borussia Dortmund moved him to the under-19 league.

Pulisic began playing with the United States Men’s national team in 2016, becoming the youngest player to play in a qualifier, against Guatemala. In 2018, Pulisic became one of the youngest USMNT captains, in an international match against Italy. He won U.S. Soccer’s Male Player of the Year award in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

In 2016, coaches pulled Pulisic up to the senior team for Borussia Dortmund. Pulisic also played for Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League competition. In January 2019, Pulisic signed a contract with the prestigious Premier League club Chelsea FC. Chelsea loaned him back to Dortmund to complete the season. The transfer cost was U.S. $73 million, making Pulisic the most expensive American player and one of Dortmund’s most expensive sales in team history.

Pulisic debuted for Chelsea in August 2019. He scored three goals—a feat known as a hat trick— against Burnley in October. Pulisic became the second American to score a hat-trick in the Premier league.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin skates in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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GOAL! In December, professional hockey player Alex Ovechkin, who plays for the Washington Capitals, became the player with the second most goals in NHL history with 802 goals. He passed Gordie Howe’s record of 801 points. Hockey star Wayne Gretzky holds the number one record with 894 goals. However, Ovechkin isn’t retiring anytime soon!

He scored two goals in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, December 23rd, 2022. His first goal of the game tied him with Howe in the first quarter. With one minute left in the third quarter, he gracefully shot the puck into the goal to beat Howe’s record. The Capitals defeated the Jets 4 to 1.

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian-born hockey player. He is one of the stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ovechkin, a left wing for the Washington Capitals, led the NHL in scoring with 112 points (65 goals and 47 assists) in the 2007-2008 season. He has led the league in goals scored nine times (2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020).

Ovechkin won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2012-2013 seasons. He also won the Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Award) for the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010 seasons. The award is given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by the league’s players. In 2018, Ovechkin led Washington to its first Stanley Cup championship. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 2018 playoffs.

Ovechkin was born on September 17th, 1985, in Moscow, U.S.S.R. (now Russia). He began playing hockey with Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Super League in 2001 at the age of 16 and spent four seasons with the team. Ovechkin was chosen by Washington as the first player selected in the 2004 NHL draft. However, he did not play with the Capitals until 2005, because the 2004-2005 NHL season was canceled due to a labor dispute between the players and owners. Ovechkin won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2006 as the NHL Rookie of the Year. His 65 goals in 2007-2008 set an NHL record for left wingers.

Ovechkin helped the Russian national team win the men’s world championship in 2008. He played for Russia in the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić protects the basketball in a game against the Washington Wizards.
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On Tuesday, December 27th, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić did not disappoint. He scored the highest stats in a triple-double in NBA history, scoring 60 points, grabbing 21 rebounds, and setting up 10 assists against the New York Knicks. Those are high numbers! This combination of double digits in points, rebounds, and assists is called a triple-double in basketball. Dončić joins Philadelphia 76ers player James Harden as the only player who has reached a 60-point triple-double in NBA history. Dončić stands 6 feet 7 inches (201 centimeters) in height. Born in the southern European nation of Slovenia, Dončić has gained attention for his advanced playmaking skills since he was a boy.

Dončić was born on Feb. 28, 1999, in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. His father, Saša (Sasha), played professional basketball for 18 seasons and later became a coach. At Ljubljana’s Olimpija Basketball School, young Luka regularly dominated games playing against boys a few years older.

In 2012, at the age of 13, he joined the basketball academy for the Real Madrid professional team in Spain. He started playing for Real Madrid’s top-level team in 2015. In 2017, Dončić helped lead the Slovenian national team to its first victory in the European Basketball Championship, a competition also known as EuroBasket. In both 2017 and 2018, he won the Rising Star award in Spain’s ACB professional league. In 2018, Dončić helped lead Real Madrid to the Euroleague championship. He was named the Most Valuable Player of both the league and its championship tournament.

In 2018, the Atlanta Hawks selected Dončić with the third pick in the NBA Draft. Under a prearranged agreement, the Hawks immediately traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the fifth pick—guard Trae Young—and a future draft pick. During the 2018-2019 NBA season, Dončić averaged about 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Dončić increased his scoring, rebounding, and assist averages in his second season and was named a starter in the 2020 All-Star game.

University of Georgia tight end Brock Bowers against Texas Christian University in the second quarter of the NCAA College Football National Championship in California, on January 9, 2023.
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On Monday, January 9th, 2023, the University of Georgia Bulldogs showed up to play against the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Georgia, the number one seed, only allowed the number three seed, TCU, one touchdown during the entire game. Georgia won the NCAA National Championship last year and now holds the title for two years in a row. Georgia not only won with a final score of 65 to 7, but with the 58-point lead, Georgia also secured the largest defeat in a bowl game in the history of college football.

Throughout the game, surrounded by thousands of fans, Georgia overwhelmed TCU. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, nicknamed “the mailman,” made four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns to tie with former Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow’s most touchdowns scored in a game. Bennett became the first player to score at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a national title game in recent history.

The game began with Georgia quickly shutting down TCU’s opening drive and answering with a rushing touchdown by Bennett. Quickly the Bulldogs regained the ball and scored a field goal to raise the score to double digits. Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan marched 75 yards to score TCU’s first and only touchdown of the game. It was still in the first quarter. Georgia secured three more touchdowns, unanswered, before halftime. The teams retreated to their huddles with the scoreboard displaying 38 to 7. Georgia had scored on all six of its possessions in the first half.

Soon after halftime, it became apparent that the Bulldogs had the title in the bag with a 52 to 7 lead. With such a lead, Bennett stepped out of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, allowing backup Branson Robinson to score two touchdowns. The Bulldogs celebrated their monumental win and senior quarterback Bennett as he moves his sights to the NFL draft.