ATLANTA — The Peach Bowl made for a New Year's countdown that will not soon be forgotten in Georgia.
In a remarkable confluence, Ohio State lined up to kick a field goal attempt for the win against the Dawgs at the exact same time the Peach began dropping in Atlanta - just a hop, skip and a jump away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Downtown Atlanta.
The missed kick preserved a 42-41 lead for Georgia that only required one more kneel down for the Dawgs to win the game and advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
It's hard to say it happened at the exact same moment, but some videos did appear to show that kick attempt sailing wide left just as the New Year's countdown hit zero.
Timothy Burke, a journalist and former Deadspin writer, compiled a video that appeared to show just that - the kick sailing past the uprights at the same moment the New Year's Eve countdown in New York reached zero.
Closer to home, Cameron Cox - a sports anchor with 11Alive's sister station in Phoenix, 12News - caught the kick and the countdown happening at the same time in an Atlanta hotel bar on separate TVs.
Whether it really struck exactly midnight at the precise same time the kick sailed left will largely be up to interpretation, but it was obviously close enough to create a "Happy New Year!" moment in Georgia that will stand up there as among the craziest the Peach State has ever seen.