Living up to the hype: Bama sprints past Georgia in second half
Dawgs put up a fight, but Georgia defense can’t stop Mac “Daddy” Jones and the boys in Crimson.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Photo: Gary Cosby Jr, The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Sports
Well, that one lived up to the hype.
Following the script of the previous two meetings, Alabama fell behind to the Bulldogs of Georgia only to rally in the second half and claim, once again, a hard-fought victory. In a classic heavyweight battle between two college football superpowers, the Tide rallied from a 24-20 halftime deficit to defeat the Bulldogs 41-24. The much maligned Alabama defense made critical stop after stop in the second half, shutting out the feel good story so far of 2020, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. Bama quarterback Mac “Daddy” Jones continued to dazzle, throwing for 417 yards and 4 touchdowns. With the help of a dominant offensive line, a running back who is hitting his stride, and the wideout dynamic threesome of Smith, Waddle, and Metchie, the Crimson Tide scored 21 straight points in the final 19 minutes to pull away for a convincing victory over the Bulldogs, pushing Nick Saban’s overall record against former assistant coaches to a perfect 22-0.
Speaking of Sir Nick, the game of the year (so far) was overshadowed midweek with the Tide coach’s shocking diagnoses of Covid-19, which sent shockwaves around the college football world. Forget about the President of the United States getting COVID, this is Nick Saban! The undisputed king of college football! As the week went on and Saban stayed very much involved with the day to day operations through a miracle called Zoom, the coach’s health and availability became the story in college football. However, the college football gods actually looked away from Auburn for an afternoon and blessed Alabama beyond belief as the original diagnoses turned out to be a false positive, and the king was back on the sidelines as the game began. Upon seeing Saban walk through the door at the team’s hotel on Saturday afternoon, Tide linebacker Dylan Moses stated “our confidence went through the roof.” The leader had returned.
The game itself was, as expected, tremendously played and entertaining. One minute into the game, two deflected passes produced interceptions on both sides before Jones hit John ”Oh, Canada” Metchie in stride as Bama jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. But Bennett and company would respond eleven minutes later with a 6-play, 57-yard drive punctuated with Zamir White’s 10 yard touchdown run right through the gut of the Bama defense. Bennett started strong, looking calm and cool in the pocket and would lead the Dawgs on three more scoring drives before halftime. UGA’s defense held their own, making Jones look, for the first time this season, uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing several uncharacteristically hurried throws from the junior gunslinger.
Bulldog fans had to be thinking that this night might be theirs instead of once again being the enthusiastic understudy. The thought had to be punctuated late in the second quarter. With the score knotted at 17, Bennett led the Dawgs on a brilliant 12-play, 66-yard drive that led to a 5 yard TD pass to Jermaine Burton in the back of the end zone with 23 seconds left in the half. The drive had several positive indicators that made it look like it could be the Dawgs’ night. Bennett completed his best pass of the night when he rolled to his right and threaded a perfect 19-yard strike to George Pickens between two Bama defenders, turning a 3rd and 7 into a huge first down. Later in the drive, facing a 4th and 1 from the Tide 10, a hard count caused Bama sophomore defensive lineman Christian Barmore to jump (twice) offsides, giving the Dawgs a first and goal. Three plays later, Bennett found Burton for six and it appeared like the stars were aligned for the Bulldogs. Even as Bama countered with an impressive 5 play, 41 yard drive in the remaining 23 seconds and hit a 51 yard field goal (Bama...51 yard field goal...good...wow) to cut the halftime deficit to 24-20, the Dawgs had to feel good. I have several former students and players from Georgia that were attending the game that spent the contest sending pictures and texts to my phone, and they rightfully at halftime, felt pretty good. Stated one former student via text “Dawgs are making the plays when needed!!”
Photo: Macon Telegraph/Georgia Athletics
Oh, wonderful Bulldogs fans (and they really are a terrific fan base), you have waited years for this and have starved for this win...if only the night could have ended here, with the Dawgs on top of their nemesis, and the “curse of Sir Nick” broken for good.
However, the Crimson Tide got control of the game in the second half, found their legs, and the Tide turned for good when Quarterback Mac found Jalen Waddle behind single coverage and hit him in stride for a 90 yard touchdown pass at the 4:00 mark of the third quarter, giving Alabama a 27-24 lead, and the rest was history. Jones became the quarterback that was calm and cool in the pocket, the offensive line opened holes large enough for Najee Harris to squeeze through, and the Tide simply wore down the nation’s best defense to score two more touchdowns to end any hope of a Georgia victory. Mac ended the day with another incredible effort, going 24 for 32 for 417 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Harris lugged the ball for 152 yards against a Dawg defense that had yielded a mere 38-yards rushing per game. DeVonta Smith continued to dazzle, ending the evening as the leading receiver with 6 catches for 161 yards, which included a staple of Smith’s play this season...you know, the usual “incredible touchdown catch off a perfect throw in the back of the end zone while being blanketed with perfect coverage” type of play. Just another day in the office for Smith and company on offense.
Meanwhile, the Bama defense made the necessary adjustments and showed marked improvement over a shaky first half to shut down Bennett and the Dawgs. Bennett finished 18/40 for 269 yards, 2 touchdowns, but was hampered by throwing three interceptions (2 in the second half that led to 14 points for the boys in Crimson). Georgia finished the day with 414 yards and 20 first downs. Yet Bama brought the Bulldogs defense down to earth, gaining 564 yards and kept the chains and clock moving with 33 first downs. Prior to Saturday night, the Georgia D had yielded a mere 236 yards per game. They are a talented, physical bunch that will have better nights, and will no doubt lead the Dawgs to many wins this season. Yet Alabama’s balance and Mac Jones’ clutch completions to the best receiving corps in the country wore down this group. That fact, along with Sir Nick’s presence on the sidelines, was the difference.
Photo: Gary Cosby Jr, The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Sports
Caesar returns to Rome and the palace of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
You would think that eventually, Georgia will break through against Alabama. Kirby Smart has built a terrific program in Athens, and in so many ways, it is designed for a single purpose...beat Alabama and bring a national title to one of the greatest college towns in the country. Even as a Bama man, I love the Bulldog fanbase and it is among the classiest, most passionate groups you will find...they love their Dawgs, and they are dying for their beloved squad to eventually conquer the Crimson Tide and topple the king. After the game, I asked a recent UGA grad and former student (I served in the classroom and the administrative teams of two wonderful schools in the Atlanta area for seven years, and both schools sent plenty of graduates to UGA) what his reaction to the game was. He stated “I have no clue...thought we could do it (beat Bama) every time, and I just want it to happen.” Added another former student and Auburn graduate, “It’s a weird time where Bama owns the Dawgs like UGA owns Auburn...and Auburn owns no one.”
Bless their hearts, those Auburn fans. Yet, both recent grads bring up great points. Dawg fans are ravenous to beat the Tide. They love their Dawgs and believe in them, but won’t be satisfied until they can stem the Tide...and in terms of Auburn, they are seeking an identity beyond an isolated big win here or there. Beating Georgia or Alabama once every three or four years is no longer enough for the Tiger fanbase.
Hats off to Kirby Smart and the Bulldog nation, as their team has proven itself year after year to be in the elite category of college football, and the only things missing from the Smart era are a national championship and a victory over the Crimson Tide. Yet, just like the game on Saturday night, it’s not enough, and won’t be enough, until they deal Nick and the Bama nation a loss. For about 40 minutes on Saturday, it looked like it would happen. However, as stated in an earlier game recap, this game (and all sports) is about making more plays than your opponent, and once again, the script proved to be consistent and Alabama was the team that did just that.
Could Georgia rebound and force a possible rematch in December in Atlanta with the Tide for the SEC championship? Absolutely, and the odds of that happening are actually very good. Could that be the day Dawgs nation has been waiting for, at long last?
Time will tell indeed.