Georgia surges into Playoff as team to be feared — and leaves Alabama sweating out selection Sunday
ATLANTA — It started with a blocked punt by a little-known receiver, at almost the exact spot Kirby Smart’s demons against Alabama began. But this time, the Cole Speer block, unlike Tyler Simmons’ nearly eight years ago, held up.And so it began. The exorcism of historical Georgia pain — and recent pain — against its nemesis. A fourth-down call that this time was done right. A lead that this time was not only held, but expanded.And No. 3 Georgia (12-1) not only won in a rout, not only won a second straight SEC championship with a 28-7 domination of No. 9 Alabama, but surged into the College Football Playoff, where it’s playing like it could make a deep run. The Bulldogs are in position for a first-round bye and top-three seed.“To win back-to-back SEC championships, it’s every kid in this footprint’s dream,” Smart said.Alabama (10-3), meanwhile, was so dominated that it left doubt whether it should be in the Playoff. And how far it can go even if it does make it.Alabama entered the weekend clinging to one of the last at-large spots in the 12-team field. The Crimson Tide and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will argue that they should not be penalized for playing an extra game. Proponents of the other at-large candidates, namely Miami and Notre Dame, will argue that Saturday only put in focus an Alabama team that isn’t playing well: In the previous month it eked out wins at Auburn and South Carolina, neither of which are going to a bowl, lost at home to Oklahoma, and got a 20-9 home win over LSU.And on Saturday, it was outclassed by the same Georgia team it beat on the Bulldogs’ home field in late September.That earlier win made Alabama 10-1 against Georgia since 2008, and 7-1 against Smart. The exception came in the 2022 national championship — the one time Smart and Georgia got a rematch in the same season.The second time did the trick again Saturday.The key sequence came in the first quarter, after the teams exchanged scoreless first possessions. Speer, a senior receiver with five career catches, got in free to Alabama punter Blake Doud and blocked his attempted kick. The play happened at nearly the same spot as the infamous Simmons play in the 2018 national championship: Simmons blocked an Alabama punt but was ruled offside, which replays showed was incorrect. That play was on fourth-and-8 from the Alabama 24. This one was fourth-and-9 from the Alabama 21.This time, rather than another great what-if of Georgia football history, it was the ignition to a rout. A few plays later, Roderick Robinson II, a tailback whose career has been derailed by injuries, caught a 1-yard touchdown pass on a play-action rollout, and teammates mobbed him in the end zone.During the timeout, to keep the good vibes going, a Georgia fan made a successful marriage proposal to another, broadcast on the big screen to much applause.Then Georgia’s offense exorcised some more recent demons. On fourth-and-1 in Alabama territory, rather than rush a quick play out of shotgun — a move that ended in disaster in the September game — Georgia took its time, subbed in personnel, and quarterback Gunner Stockton snuck it across. A few plays later, Stockton hit Dillon Bell in the end zone to put Georgia up 14-0.This was not the first time Georgia had a solid lead against Alabama. The Bulldogs have led the Crimson Tide seven times since 2017. Only once did they hold on to win.So when Alabama finally scored to make it 21-7 with 12:33 left, the nervousness was palpable from the Georgia side of the stadium. Georgia looked secure after going up three touchdowns in the third quarter, but there was still plenty of time left.Again, this game was not like the others.Alabama punt returner Cole Adams nearly muffed a punt inside the 5, barely recovering but in bad field position. Four plays later, in desperation mode, Alabama went for it from deep in its own territory, and a Ty Simpson pass was errant. Zachariah Branch scored two plays later to put Georgia up by 21 again.Simpson, so good most of the season, including the September win over Georgia, was off on Saturday. Alabama’s running game — the team finished with minus-3 yards on the ground — was even worse, and Alabama didn’t reach the 100-yard mark until the final play of the third quarter.Georgia’s defense, meanwhile, continued its late-season surge. Smart’s vaunted defense struggled early in the season, especially against the pass, and it was Georgia’s offense and Stockton that guided the team to shootout wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss.But it was the defense back leading the way — along with that punt block — as Georgia launched into the Playoff.
