Roquan Smith believes 2018 Rose Bowl was the best game played at Georgia

The College Football Playoff has delivered with some classic matchups since its first edition in 2014, including Georgia vs. Alabama in the 2017 National Championship, Georgia vs. Ohio State in the 2022 Peach Bowl and Texas vs. Arizona State in last season’s Peach Bowl. The best game of them all however could possibly be the 2018 Rose Bowl matchup between Georgia and Oklahoma.

With powerhouse collegiate quarterbacks in Oklahoma‘s Baker Mayfield and Georgia‘s Jake Fromm behind center, the Bulldogs used a walk-off touchdown from Sony Michel in 2OT to down the Sooners 54-48 to earn a spot in the National Championship. Georgia would go on to lose to Alabama in the national title game, but the Rose Bowl win has still gone down in infamy.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith joined “Pardon My Take” this week, where he discussed that hard-fought win. Smith recorded 11 tackles and one TFL in the game.

“Yeah, that atmosphere was like sick,” Smith said. “The way the game went and how we came back and we were playing against a darn good team. Oklahoma was a star-studded team. The way we fought through adversity that game it was pretty sick.”

Roquan Smith enjoyed heralded career at Georgia

The Marshalville, GA native cemented his legacy as one of the great Georgia defensive players of all time with the performance. In three seasons in Athens, Smith recorded 252 tackles with 21 TFL, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was tabbed as a unanimous All-American in 2017 before being selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

“It is an amazing feeling,” Smith said following that victory in 2018. “Just knowing what we have been through, our teammates, us as a family, university, our amazing fan base. It is an awesome feeling.”

Smith was traded from the Bears to the Baltimore Ravens in Oct. 2022, where his career has reached another level. He has been named a Pro Bowler and a First Team All-Pro in all three of his seasons with the franchise.

The former First Team All-SEC selection and his Ravens open the 2025 NFL season on Sept. 7 against the Buffalo Bills. His collegiate team, the Georgia Bulldogs, open their college football season on at home against Marshall on Aug. 30. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM on ESPN.