Todd Gurley after Georgia's thrilling Rose Bowl win: 'I almost had a heart attack'
Since Todd Gurley plays professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Georgia’s semifinal game against Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl was an easy trip to make.
Unlike the thousands of Georgia fans who made the trip from the East Coast, Gurley didn’t need to fork over a ton of cash on travel costs. But just like the Georgia fans who trekked from the other side of the country, Gurley’s nerves were a wreck in what turned into an instant classic in Pasadena, California.
The Bulldogs rallied from a 17-point deficit — the largest in Rose Bowl history — to defeat the Sooners 54-48 in double overtime. Gurley, who played at Georgia from 2012-14, was on hand for the game and was able to celebrate with the players in the postgame locker room.
Gurley said he was anxious all game while watching his college team punch a ticket to the college football national championship game.
“My heart was beating fast. I almost had a heart attack, man,” Gurley said. “It was a good game.”
As a running back, Gurley was pleased to see the ground game operate as well as it did. Georgia running back Sony Michel, the game’s offensive MVP, tallied 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries. Nick Chubb ran the ball 14 times for 145 yards and two scores.
Gurley called Chubb and Michel, whom he played with when they were freshmen in 2014, the “truth,” along with freshman backfield mate D’Andre Swift
As the game got tense, Gurley’s voice grew louder as a fan. He continued to ride the emotional wave even after the Rose Bowl concluded.
“I lost my voice screaming the whole game,” Gurley said. “I’m excited. I’m pumped for them. I’m too hyped right now.”
Although tickets for the championship game are going for a steep price, the former first-round draft pick could easily afford to be in Atlanta to see his college team take on Alabama — a team he battled in a 32-28 loss during the 2012 SEC Championship.
But Gurley would probably rather watch the game on television in Los Angeles instead. That would mean his Rams defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL wild-card round Saturday, which would keep him in town to prepare for the divisional-round opponent.
Gurley, an NFL MVP candidate with 1,305 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, is well aware that while he’s a Bulldog through and through, plenty of his fans from his college days won’t be rooting for him this weekend.
“I have to go play another Georgia team,” Gurley said. “(Falcons) fans are going to be upset at me after Saturday, hopefully.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Todd Gurley after Georgia's thrilling Rose Bowl win: 'I almost had a heart attack'."