No. 6 Georgia made a resounding statement of excellence in the 2023 season with a 63-3 win over No. 5 Florida State in the Orange Bowl. The 60-point lead is now the largest in bowl game history. In fact, Georgia broke its own record in this one, surpassing its 58-point win over TCU in last year's College Football Playoff National Championship. Not only was it the largest victory in bowl history, but it also entered the Orange Bowl record books for that category.
In a game that was already predicted to be one-sided, with Florida State's double-digit starters missing the game due to withdrawals and injuries, Georgia's outstanding efficiency made them a true success, even as they handed the reins to the backup players .
The Bulldogs have recruited so many players over the past four years that even when the starting forwards left the game due to the disastrous nature of the competition, the backups continued to perform at the same level as the game's starters – many of whom Georgia had ranked No. 1 of the country before conference championship weekend.
Georgia turned the ball over on downs inside Florida State's 40-yard line on its first offensive possession of the game and then scored nine straight touchdowns on its next nine possessions. This included multiple touchdown passes from Carson Beck and Gunner Stockton, as well as multiple touchdown runs from Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards. Ten different players recorded receptions during the game and three different players caught touchdowns on a night that undoubtedly bolstered the argument that Georgia's 2023 squad was among the best in the country.
For the US State of Florida, the historic defeat following the cancellation of the College Football Playoff, which has had and will have a seismic impact on the future of the program, is even worse. Mike Norvell had the available players ready for action in the first half and even scored on the first few possessions to beat this talented Georgia team. But every step forward seemed to involve a step back. All too often, good drives not only ended in turnovers, but also with the Bulldogs turning those turnovers into disappointing touchdowns. At one point, Georgia had three touchdowns in seven offensive plays. This dynamic is difficult to reverse when a team is already facing a talent deficit.
A few other historical notes on Georgia's overwhelming victory:
- According to a CBS Sports study, this was Florida State's worst loss in program history. Florida State's previous mark for worst loss was 49 points, which occurred twice (1973 and 2018).
- Georgia had the game in hand early on. In fact, the Bulldogs' 39-point halftime lead was the largest by any team in a bowl game since Auburn's 49-point halftime lead over Purdue in the 2018 Music City Bowl.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the game, providing live updates, highlights and analysis from the 2023 Orange Bowl. Read insights from the game below.