In the last eleven months,
Alabama and Georgia have played each other twice with a championship on the
line. Both games have been in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. In both games, Georgia
compiled a double-digit lead well into the third quarter. In both games,
Alabama’s starting quarterback was arguably the best player at his position, certainly
in the SEC and some would say in all of college football. But, in both games the starter struggled. In
both games the backup QB rallied the team, led a comeback, securing a win and
yanking the beating heart out of the Bulldogs like a scene from The Last of the
Mohicans.
In case this story isn’t
dramatic enough, the celebrated backup of game one, became the marquee starter of
game two, and the backup hero of the second game was the starter of the first.
A columnist with the Atlanta Journal and Constitution said it this way:
“Like a bad truck-stop
burrito, Alabama keeps coming back on Georgia. It never seems to change for Bama.
Struggle early. Change quarterback. Celebrate in Atlanta.”
Georgia dominated the
2018 SEC Championship Game until the Dawg’s all-world place kicker, Roderigo
Blankenship missed a 30 yard chip-shot field goal attempt with 8:20 to play in
the third quarter. Holding a 14 point lead, dominating time of possession, and immediately
following a 51 yard drive for a touchdown, Georgia was in the process of
delivering what Kirby Smart intended to be the killer drive of the game. Instead,
the kicker who never misses, did.
Falling behind by three
scores might have been Alabama’s breaking point. Instead, this almost
providential development gave Alabama another chance, as an injured Tua Tagolailoa
trotted onto the field.
But let me first set the
stage.
The first half was rough
going for the Tide. Alabama appeared headed for a touchdown on its first
possession after an excellent punt return by The Other Jaylen gave Bama the
ball at the Georgia 29. Fiver plays later, however, Tua threw an interception
at the goal line.
The two teams exchanged
punts, then Georgia ground out a 60 yard drive in 7 plays for the game’s first
touchdown. Bama answered with a sustained drive of its own taking the ensuing
kickoff 75 yards on 8 plays scoring a touchdown on the first play of the second
period.
Then it was all Georgia.
The Dawgs brilliantly
mixed short passes and punishing runs over the course of 13 plays that ate 7:19
of the game clock and ended with a touchdown.
Bama’s offense gave the
defense no chance to gather its wits, punting the ball back to Georgia after
three plays lost a yard.
Georgia picked up where
it had left off, keeping the Tide defense off balance and gassed. This time it
only took 2:22 for the Dawgs to cover 51 yards in a six play touchdown drive
and Alabama found itself down 21-7 and in big trouble.
With 4:05 left in the
first half, and trailing by 14 points, Alabama’s offense started its next
possession 75 yards away from the endzone it desperately needed in order to get
back in the game. On first down, the games MVP, Josh Jacobs, who by the way was
suffering from a virus and had not eaten for 24 hours, ripped off a 59 yard run
through the middle of the Georgia defense for a Tide first down at the UGA 16.
Damien Harris got the ball inside the 1 yard line and Tua handed the ball again
to Jacobs running off right tackle. Jacobs was hit at the goal line and lost
the ball. The officials originally ruled the play a fumble recovered by Georgia
for a touchback, but replay confirmed Jacobs recovered the ball in the end zone
thus ending the play, prior to the Georgia defender snatching it from Jacobs’
hands.
Georgia was not able to
do any more damage after receiving Bama’s kickoff. The score remained 21-14 at
the half.
The first half stat sheet
was a catalogue of problems. Alabama had possessed the ball for only 9:08
compared to UGA’s 20:52. The offense had not converted a single third down, and
had gained only half the yardage Georgia accumulated. Everyone in the stadium
knew the Tide absolutely had to get the score back to all square on the opening
possession of the second half.
Trailing only by 7 points,
Alabama received the second half kickoff and was forced to punt without a first
down. Georgia struck immediately with a 51 yard drive in 3 plays capped by a 23
yard completion to Riley Ridley (the younger brother of Bama’s Calvin). In the stands, the hope Alabama would answer
the second half bell with improved execution, was smothered by a fog of creeping
dread that things were about to go from bad to worse. Sure enough, things did. The
offense could gain only 4 yards in three plays after the UGA kickoff, and
punted the ball back to Georgia.
Sensing the game was in
their grasp, the Dawgs ran and passed their way 62 yards on 6 plays from their
own 25 to the Tide 13. But the Bama defense stiffened, and Blankenship sauntered
onto the field for a 30 yard attempt to make the Georgia advantage 17 points.
He missed.
Tide fans have seen lots
of missed kicks this season. None were greeted with anything like the reaction
to Blakenship’s Blunder. Perfect strangers hugged each other. Fists were bumped.
Palms were slapped. And someone ventured the suggestion that if …. mind you IF ….
Alabama salvaged a win out of the wreckage of the game so far, this errant 30
yard field goal would be the play of the game.
Tua, playing through pain,
moved the team from the Tide 20 to the Georgia 28 throwing complete to The
Other Jaylen for 23 yards, and Jerry Jeudy for 12. A third pass attempt to
DeVonta Smith drew a pass interference penalty on Georia. On 1st and
10 Tua threw deep down the middle, but the ball was woefully short of reaching
the receiver in stride. As the receiver had to stop and wait for the ball,
Georgia’s safety made a play on the ball and intercepted at the 3 yard line. [Analysts
after the game pointed out how Tua’s ankle injury impaired his throwing
mechanics. Because he was hurt, he was not able to generate the velocity and
accuracy fans have taken for granted this season.]
With its back to its own
goal line, Georgia decided to run the ball three times. Not an unreasonable strategy
for a team with Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift. But the Bama defense played
a brilliant and gritty stand, yielding only 9 yards and forcing a punt.
Once again, Tua courageously
took the field. On first down, he found Henry Ruggs, III in the right flat for
9 yards. Damien Harris picked up the first down on a run of 8 yards to the Tide
45. Tua’s third pass of the drive was complete to DeVonta Smith who picked up 4
yards to the 49. On second down, Tua threw a strike to The Other Jaylen on a
crossing route who lit his after-burners and raced 51 yards down the sideline
for a Tide touchdown. Four plays; 72 yards; 1:29 off the clock.
Joseph Bulovas was good
on the PAT and the score was Georgia 28 – Alabama 21.
At this point, fans knew
it was on the defense to contain Georgia and give the offense a chance to tie
the game.
Both teams exchanged
punts, and with 12:27 to play in the game, Alabama had the ball at its own 20,
desperately needing a touchdown to tie the score. The offense was determined.
The Georgia defense was likewise determined to continue to pound on Tua as it
had all day. After Tua gained a first down at the Tide 31 on a pass completed
to DeVonta Smith, Georgia dialed up the pressure past the redline on the gauge.
He threw incomplete to Ruggs on first down. He was hit in the backfield after
the throw, and the pass rush drove left tackle Jonah Williams back into Tua,
causing Williams to step on the side of Tua’s ankle with all of his weight.
It was a painful looking
injury, and the brave sophomore had to be helped off the field by two trainers.
During the injury time out, Jalen started getting loose on the sideline. Before
he went out to check on Tua, Coach Saban walked over to Jalen who was throwing
balls to Jerry Jeudy. The coach spoke briefly to his former starter, the
ultimate teammate who stayed to be a backup at Alabama rather than play as a
starter somewhere else. I don’t know what was said. But the last thing that
passed between the player and his coach was a fist bump.
What followed was simply
remarkable.
With cool efficiency, and
the precision of a heart surgeon, Jalen led his team down the field. He
completed five of seven passes to Irv Smith, Jerry Jeudy, and The Other Jaylen.
He made 4 first downs, and converted 3rd and 12, 3rd and
5, and 3rd and 1. Najee Harris, Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs, and
Jalen found running room through the Georgia defense. The drive ended with a 10
yard completion to Jeudy on the right side of the endzone for a touchdown. Joe
Bulovas knotted the score at 28 all.
The complete drive,
covered 80 yards in 16 plays, consumed 7:08 of game time, and left the Dawg
defense gasping for breath.
Georgia attempted to
return the ensuing kickoff and failed to gain the 25 yard line. From there, Jake
Fromm completed a 26 yard pass to D’Andre Swift for a first down at the Alabama
49. Holyfield was tackled for a one yard loss and two incomplete passes later,
Georgia faced a 4th and 11 from the midfield stripe with 2:15 to
play in the game and the score tied.
Kirby Smart had a decision to make. He could
punt the ball back to Alabama and gain field position. He could try to pin Bama
deep. The most likely scenario would be Alabama with the ball needing somewhere
between 80 or 90 yards for a touchdown and at least 60 yards for a field goal. So
he did the logical thing … no… not really. He pushed the panic button and called
for a fake punt play; and not just any old fake punt play, but one that
required him to send his backup QB, Justin Fields into the game to take a
direct snap.
I am reasonably certain
even Butch Jones saw what was happening and knew not only that a fake was
coming but that Fields was going to get the ball. The play gained 2 yards.
Alabama’s offense went
back into business at its own 48. On 3rd and 8 from the 50 Jalen
threw complete to Irv Smith for 19 yards. He next threw complete to The Other
Jaylen for 16 yards in the right flat. On the next play, Georgia was chasing
Tide receivers while Jalen ran a draw all the way into the endzone.
Five plays; 52 yards;
2:07 off the clock.
Tide 35
Dawgs 28
Tide fans absolutely
crazy!
Thinking back on it, I believe
Kirby’s decision on the fake punt might not have been the act of coaching
malpractice that many pundits are accusing him of. I believe he assessed the
state of his defense and wanted to try to avoid overtime.
College overtime wears a
defense out. Just ask LSU and Texas A&M. I would not be surprised if there
weren’t Tiger and Aggie defenders still breathing oxygen after their seven
overtime game two Saturdays ago. Kirby knew Blankenship would not miss from 30
yards again in his lifetime, so all he needed to do was pick up a first down
anywhere inside the Tide 35. Those odds were better than the prospect of having
to play OT against a red-hot Bama offense.
Winning any championship
deserves an upward adjustment in the final grade, and the Tide’s performance richly
deserves the bump up. So, here is how I grade the game:
Offense: B+ Alabama gained 403 yards of total
offense, earned 23 first downs and converted 5 of 11 third downs. After a rocky
start, marred initially by some uncharacteristic drops by receivers, and later
by the impact of injury, Tua completed 10 of 25 pass attempts for 164 yards. He
threw 1 pass for a TD and was intercepted twice. Jaylen completed 7 of 9
attempts for 82 yards and a TD.
The Other Jaylen was the
leading receiver with 113 yards and a TD on 4 receptions. Ruggs, Irv Smith,
Devonta Smith, and Jerry Jeudy each caught 3 passes. Damien Harris caught 1.
Josh Jacobs ….the game MVP….led
all rushers with 86 yards on 8 runs and scored 2 TDs. Damien Harris gained 52
net yards on 9 carries. Jalen added 28 yards and a rushing TD. Najee Harris ran
the ball 3 times for a net of 15 yards.
Alabama had 6 offensive
possessions that gained at least 40 or more yards [75, 75, 52, 72, 80, 52] that
resulted in 5 TDs and an interception. Four times the offense was forced to
punt after only 3 plays; two of those came back-to-back to start the second
half.
Bama failed to convert a
single third down in the first three quarters of the ball game. It completed 5
of 6 in the 4th quarter. In the 4th quarter, Alabama held
the ball for 9:37. In the entire first half the time of possession was only
9:08.
Adjusted Grade: A+
Defense: B Georgia
compiled 454 yards of total offense [153 net rushing], and earned 23 first downs.
The Dawgs had 5 long drives [60, 74, 51, 51, 62] that achieved four TDs and a
missed FG. None of those long drives were made in the final 23 minutes of the football
game. In the first half, UGA converted 5 of 9 third downs. In the second half
the Dawgs were 0 for 7 on third downs.
Savion Smith was Alabama’s
leading tackler with 11 tackles [8 solo]. Q. Williams and D. Thompson were each
credited with 8 tackles. Tide defenders made 5 tackles for lost yardage and
forced one fumble. They broke up 8 passes and hurried Fromm 3 times. In Georgia’s
final desperation drive at game’s end, the Stop Troops sacked Fromm once, and on
another play separated him from the football. The play was ruled an incomplete
pass. The replay clearly shows Fromm lost the ball before starting any forward
throwing motion, but the replay also showed the hand of one Tide defender
making brief contact with Fromm’s facemask. The video ref allowed the call on
the field to stand.
Adjusted Grade: A+
Special Teams:
Punting: A+ Miker
Bernier averaged 40.2 yards per punt. The Other Jaylen returned Georgia’s first
punt 36 yards. The coverage team allowed only 2 Georgia returns for a total of
16 yards.
Place Kicking: A+
Joe Bulovas was perfect on 5 PAT’s.
Kickoffs: A- Bulovas averaged a net of 60.8 yards
per kick. Two of his 6 kicks were touchbacks. Georgia returned 4 kicks for a
total of 67 yards. One Georgia return gained 36 yards.
Adjusted Grade: A+
Coaching: A+ I though the play calling looked a little
panicky in the first quarter when we ran two plays with both Jalen and Tua on
the field. I don’t believe anyone in the known Universe was fooled into thinking
a pass was going to be thrown to Tua when he was lined up as a wide receiver. The
participation report lists 51 players who saw action in the game. Alabama made 5
trips into the red zone and scored touchdowns 4 times.
All in all, I think the
officiating was not abysmal, which is a huge improvement over some games we
have endured this season. Alabama was penalized 3 times. Georgia was flagged 6
times for 50 yards.
For Alabama and Georgia
both, this was an emotionally draining and brutally physical game. But make no
mistake, Georgia’s recovery will require some serious group therapy. Do not be
surprised if the Dawgs let Alabama beat them again when they don’t show up
ready to play Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
Alabama on the other hand
needed a game like this one. Great teams find ways to win when they do not play
well. Great teams overcome adversity and compete on every play. Great teams win
close games in the 4th quarter. Bama did all of that.
Trailing Georgia until
the final minute of the game is about the best antidote for rat poison I can
think of.
Sports have the ability
to elevate the human spirit. To let us see what can be achieved through hard
work, dedication, and sacrifice; placing team above self. The course of Alabama
football over the last eleven months is one of those stories you treasure. It’s
the stuff of legend. A story good parents will teach their children, and the
lucky few who were in Atlanta for the two bookend games will never forget.
Let me leave you with one
final bit …. When the last notes of the Rammer Jammer faded, the thirty plus
thousand Alabama fans who remained broke into a loud chant of “Jalen…Jalen…Jalen
…Jalen.”
The Sooners are next.
Let’s go be champions.
Roll Tide, Y’all.
The Commissioner
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