The No. 3-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide knocked off the Georgia Bulldogs again at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday in the SEC Championship game. With the 41-24 loss – the exact score by which they lost last to Alabama in Tuscaloosa last year – the Bulldogs fall to 12-1 on the season. Alabama (12-1), which came in ranked No. 3 with an early-season road loss to Texas A&M, claimed its 29th SEC football championship. Georgia is second in the league with 13.
Here’s how it unfolded:
Key play
Wide receiver Jameson Williams already had proved to be nemesis for Georgia’s defense with a 67-yard touchdown catch and run in second quarter and touchdown lead at the half.
But the Bulldogs, great on halftime adjustments all season, still had the second half to go. It started off well enough, with Alabama needing to convert on third-and-1 on its opening possession. But on second-and-5 near midfield, Williams got behind freshman cornerback Kelee Ringo and safety Lewis Cine this time.
As he did all game, quarterback Bryce Young hit Williams in perfect stride and the 55-yard touchdown – which Williams celebrated by hugging the goal posts — put the Crimson Tide up 35-17 less than two minutes into the third quarter.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Key stat
Georgia came in as the national leader in scoring defense (6.9 ppg), only to see the Crimson Tide tally 24 points in the second quarter alone. The Bulldogs had allowed only seven points in the second quarter all season. The 17 points Tennessee scored on Nov. 13 in Knoxville had been the previous high allowed in a game.
Key developments
Georgia left tackle Jamaree Salyer started for the Bulldogs after missing the past four games with a sprained right foot. The senior entered the game having not allowed a sack this season. However, senior safety Christopher Smith (knee) did not return to his starting position. However, he did play. Sophomore walk-on Dan Jackson started in Smith’s place for the third consecutive week. Also, Georgia’s George Pickens played extensively in the game.
The junior, who had an ACL reconstruction in early April, finished with two catches for 41 yards, including a 37-yarder in the second quarter. … Alabama running back Brian Robinson started for the Crimson Tide a week after leaving the Auburn game with a pulled leg muscle. He was the Tide’s leading rusher with 55 yards on 16 carries.
Game balls
For Georgia: Georgia tight end Brock Bowers finished as the Bulldogs’ leading receiver for the eighth time in 12 games this season.
The 6-4, 230-pound freshman from Napa, Calif., established an SEC Championship game record with 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. Bowers enters the postseason with 47 catches for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns, 11 of them on pass receptions.
For Alabama: With 421 yards passing and three touchdown passes, quarterback Bryce Young now has 4,322 yards, 43 touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
What we learned
The Bulldogs’ defense might not be the world-beaters everybody thought them to be coming in, Williams is very, very fast, and Young will be very deserving of the Heisman Trophy, if he wins it. With Alabama’s 536 yards offense, Georgia’s defense allowed more than twice its average for the season (230.8 ypg)
They said it
“The rat poison that you usually give us is usually fatal. But the rat poison that you put out there this week was yummy.” – Alabama coach Nick Saban on media favoring Georgia.
“We called the same calls we called the other games. We didn’t get home or finish on the quarterback. He was elite at getting the ball to the playmakers. He knew where to go with the ball.” – Georgia coach Kirby Smart on Young exploiting Georgia’s secondary
What’s next
Alabama and Georgia each will find out Sunday where they’re headed in the postseason when the College Football Playoff rankings committee announces its final selections at noon on ESPN. The Crimson Tide is expected to move to No. 1, where they started the season, and the Bulldogs likely will fall to No. 3 or 4, if Michigan wins the Big Ten championship, which was being played Saturday night.
