Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh had the ball in his hand and a clear path to the end zone Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
With a huge assist from some excellent blocking, McIntosh had a wide-open field ahead of him after dodging/basically breaking the ankles of an Ohio State defender. He was zooming on his way to a 62-yard touchdown until… he got tripped up around the 15-yard line before ultimately landing on the 10.
It was still an incredibly impressive play with McIntosh — who entered the playoff game with 10 touchdowns on the season while averaging 5.2 yards per carry — showing off his wheels on what ended up being a 52-yard run. But he got into trouble à la New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and seemingly tripped over the turf. Or maybe his own two feet.
He had everyone convinced he’d make it to the end zone, including ESPN’s Chris Fowler, who was on the call for the game and blamed “the turf monster.”
The Chris Fowler call of the turf monster tackle is great. 🏈😂😂😂😂 #CFP #PeachBowl pic.twitter.com/TQRFNdNz1v
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 1, 2023
Fowler called the touchdown a touch too early, and the second he said it, McIntosh went down. But it made for a great call from the veteran broadcaster.
The Bulldogs still scored off the drive, but that’s a huge bummer for the senior running back. And the 52-yard run was still McIntosh’s longest on the season.
