The SEC Championship did not turn out well for the Georgia Bulldogs, but not all is lost. Georgia was selected to go to the college football playoff, and their opponent will be the Michigan Wolverines, led by coach Jim Harbaugh on December 31, 2021, in the Orange Bowl. If that game goes well for Georgia, the Dawgs could get a rematch against Alabama in the National Championship on January 10, 2022. This can still be the Georgia team that win the Dawgs their first National Championship since 1981. Georgia needs to win two more games to accomplish this.

Georgia has a lot to reflect on. The Dawgs must pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get back to work. Georgia did not play their best game. In Kirby Smart’s words, Georgia left too many openings in their secondary, “gifted Alabama touchdowns.” No team can give up turnovers, be slack defensively, and expect to beat Nick Saban. 

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The Bulldogs were unable to garner a single sack all game. This was surprising given Alabama’s difficulties in stopping sacks throughout the season. Even if Georgia’s defensive line did not dominate the line of scrimmage as many expected, you would expect, at the very least, one single sack. Bryce Young was never under any real pressure all game. He could extend plays and often found an open man down the field. He was able to scramble and pick up yards when he needed to. Georgia gave him too much time to operate. Bryce Young is a Heisman contender. He is the most talented quarterback Georgia faced all season. His not being pressured was detrimental to Georgia’s entire game plan. Pressuring Young should have been 90% of the overall strategy for winning this game. Georgia failed at this, and it cost them the game.

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Stetson Bennett threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for an Alabama touchdown. Stetson made two costly mistakes in a game where mistakes could not be made. He made other questionable decisions throughout the game, but he had to play from behind and force the ball down the field. He had to force plays to make up for Georgia’s defense not playing to their standard and that was a recipe for disaster. When an offense, especially a quarterback, is panicked and trying to cover a deficit of points, there is a high probability that mistakes will be made. When this happened, all Alabama’s defense had to do was remain calm. They were up by a considerable margin throughout the second half. All they had to do was stay focused and let the clock run out. They could pick their battles and wait for the inevitable forced throw to capitalize on. Georgia’s offense was swinging for the fences in the second half. The Dawgs took too many chances, but they were out of options. That is not how you win a football game.

421

Alabama, led by Bryce Young, accumulated 421 passing yards with three passing touchdowns. Georgia’s defense was unable to maintain coverage. Alabama averaged 9.6 yards per attempt. It was a one-dimensional game from Alabama’s offense. Alabama could never get a running game going, other than Bryce Young picking up 10-15 yards on his scrambles. It almost seemed like Georgia’s defense did not have all their players on the field. Holes in the middle, defensive backs getting beat deep, and I don’t think Georgia had a quarterback spy to keep Young from creating opportunities. Alabama receiver Jameson Williams averaged 26.3 yards on seven receptions, 184 total yards, and two touchdowns. Georgia was unable to find a solution for him. Alabama beat Georgia by throwing the ball deep down the field. The Young-Williams pairing was a significant issue for Georgia’s secondary.