The key stats, numbers that explain why Georgia football won back-to-back national championships

Sometimes numbers don’t tell the entire story. There isn’t one single statistic that explains why Georgia became the first team in the College Football Playoff era to win back-to-back championships.

But when you take a step back and look at what the entire team was able to do during the 2022 season, the numbers that his Georgia team put up are pretty overwhelming.

From new school records to leading the country in several stats, this team was just as impressive on the spreadsheets as it was on the field in 2022.

Related: Georgia football winners and losers from 2023 National Championship domination

4,127: The number of passing yards Stetson Bennett had this season. Bennett becomes the first Georgia quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season.

1,824: Tight end Brock Bowers has 1,824 receiving yards through his first two seasons, the most ever by any Georgia player. He led the Bulldogs in receiving once again, finishing with 63 receptions for 942 yards on the season.

152: Bowers finished with as many receiving yards as the entire TCU team in the 65-7 win.

81: Georgia scored on 81 of its 83 red zone possessions this season. The 97.6 conversion rate was the best in the country.

77.0: The Georgia defense gave up an average of 77 rushing yards per game. That was the best mark in the country and even better than the 78.9 rushing yards per game the Bulldogs gave up last season.

77: Georgia’s roster is made up of 77 percent blue-chip prospects, meaning former 4-star or 5-star prospects. In the history of modern recruiting rankings, no team has ever won a national championship with a roster made up of less than 50-percent blue-chip prospects.

65: The most ever points scored in a national championship game, passing the mark set by Nebraska in 1995. The Cornhuskers also capped off their second-straight national title as they put up 62 points on Steve Spurrier’s Florida team. The legendary coach probably should send Smart a thank you note as the Gators no longer have the record for most points given up in a championship game

44: Georgia led the country in rushing touchdowns this season with 44. Bennett had 10, Kenny McIntosh had 10, Kendall Milton finished with 8 and Daijun Edwards had 7.

41.1: Georgia averaged 41.1 points per game this season, setting a new high-water mark in Smart’s time as a head coach. In games against teams that finished the year ranked, Georgia averaged 46.5 points per game.

38.2: Georgia gave up 13 red zone touchdowns this season on 34 possessions that got into the red zone. The 38.2 percent conversion rate was second-best in college football.

36: Freshman punter Brett Thorson had 36 punts this season. That is the fewest punts in a season under Smart.

30.9: Georgia’s average margin of victory against teams that finished the season ranked in the AP Poll Top-25.

29: The number of wins Bennett finished with as the starting quarterback at Georgia. The Bulldogs also won 29 games the past two seasons, the most ever by an SEC team in a two-season span.

27: Jack Podlesny made 27 field goals for Georgia this season. The Bulldogs will be looking for a new placekicker as the senior is off to the NFL.