ATLANTA – The Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) entered today’s SEC Championship Game in an unfamiliar position: as the underdog. The last time they weren’t favored entering a game? In 2015, against Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) rolled into Atlanta undefeated and seemingly poised to clinch their first conference championship since 2017.
The Bulldogs scored the game’s first 10 points via a 38-yard Jack Podlesny field goal and a Darnell Washington touchdown catch within the first 15:04 of play time.
The Tide would turn back towards Alabama in the second frame. Jameson Williams received a 67-yard touchdown pass from presumed Heisman frontrunner Bryce Young. Young would follow that up five minutes later finding John Metchie for the 13-yard grab for the score.
Alabama would tack on a 33-yard Will Reichard field goal with a little over 3 minutes left in the half. The Bulldogs quickly answered with a touchdown of their own. Stetson Bennett found Ladd McConkey for a score to tie the game at 17-all.
Alabama countered with one final drive of the half. Young ran the ball into the endzone himself to give the Tide a 24-17 lead at the break.
From then on, it was all Alabama.
Young connected with Jameson Williams for a 55-yard strike in the third quarter, which were the only points scored in the third frame. Jordan Battle intercepted Bennett and returned it for a touchdown to all but clinch the game in the fourth quarter. Georgia standout tight end Brock Bowers caught a touchdown with just less than ten minutes to go, but that was the final score the Bulldogs could muster.
Reichard drilled a 41-yard field goal with just shy of two minutes remaining in the contest, which brought the score to its final tally: Alabama 41 to Georgia’s 24.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban stated following the game, “I’m extremely proud of our coaching staff, our players, the entire organization. We’ve probably had to overcome more adversity than this team has had to endure and have more resiliency from a competitive standpoint than probably most of the teams we’ve ever had. I’m really proud of them for that.”
Saban continued, “Also, the competitive character that they have. Last week at Auburn to come back and win the game, to come into this game that nobody thought we had a chance to win and really go out there and perform well in the game against a really good team…Georgia should be congratulated on the great season that they had. To go undefeated is really something of
significance.”
What’s next for Alabama and Georgia? The College Football Playoff certainly awaits. The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl semifinal matchups will be announced Sunday at noon.
Written by Greg Atkins
