Game winning touchdown

The Dawgs took off from there, responding with Mitchell's touchdown, extending their lead to eight points on the back of Bowers' score and then clinching their national championship win with the game-ending pick six. Recruiting matters: At least, it does when you want to win national titles.

Georgia winning its crown Monday didn't happen by accident. There's one thing Kirby Smart learned coaching under Saban that was more important than any schematic advantage: The most brilliant coach on the planet can't win a national title with good players. You need great ones. That's why recruiting has been a priority at Georgia since Smart took over.

Smart's first season at Georgia in saw him bring in a class ranked sixth nationally in the Sports Composite. He's never hauled in a group ranked lower than fourth in the five classes since. The depth of the Dawgs' talent was evident throughout the night as Georgia's defense flew all over the field and stopped an Alabama offense few teams could even slow.

Georgia is a team that is so talented, it somehow managed to win a national title using a former walk-on at quarterback. Georgia's pass rush was helped by its run defense: One of the reasons Georgia could get so much pressure on Young was that it could blitz from anywhere it wanted because it knew Alabama couldn't run the ball consistently. The Tide tried to do so in plenty of different ways but only had inconsistent success.

Early in the game, Alabama tried to get Brian Robinson on the edge with tosses and sweeps. Those didn't work. Georgia loaded the box with defenders, playing only one high safety. Later in the game, the Tide tried to run at the heart of the Dawgs defense and outmuscle it. That didn't work then, either. Alabama finished with only 30 yards rushing on 28 carries, but even if we take away sack yardage Young finished with yards , it managed only 73 yards on 24 carries 3. Robinson was held to 68 yards on 22 totes a week after tearing Cincinnati's defense apart for yards and 7.

He was not overly efficient and held onto the ball for a second longer than he should have before releasing it across multiple plays. That includes the aforementioned fumble that occurred as he was sacked from behind, a mistake that led to Alabama's lone touchdown of the night. It was a moment that immediately brought to mind Bennett's turnovers in the SEC title game that ultimately led to Georgia's downfall. They didn't this time. Instead, Bennett kept his cool and atoned for fumble with two touchdown drives.

One ended with a beautiful throw to Mitchell, who made a spectacular grab to secure the six points, while the other was more methodical. Ironically, it was a drive reminiscent of the one Young led late in the Iron Bowl to lead Alabama to victory over Auburn and keep the Tide in the playoff race.

The Jameson Williams injury was massive: It's hard to say whether the outcome would've been different, but you can't ignore what Williams' loss meant to the Alabama offense.

Latu stepped up to fill the void, catching five passes for yards and a touchdown, but he doesn't provide the kind of home-run threat Williams offers. Hall tried to play that role, but he caught only two of the eight passes thrown his way, and his third-quarter drop led to a series of events that turned the game around. Williams' injury was the second straight suffered by one of Alabama's top two wide receivers against Georgia. Once Williams was hurt, Young was down his two best game breakers.

Coupled with the absences of two key defensive backs on the other side of the ball, it's only fair to note that the Tide were hardly at full strength in the game. Like it or not, you may see this game plenty more: This is already the second time we've seen Alabama and Georgia play in the CFP National Championship.

I don't think it'll be the last. These are two teams built to win national titles, and they weren't even the best versions of themselves this season. Georgia gets the ball to start the second half. That drive could be critical as field position can be key if the offense continue to bog down. If you like defense and physical play, this game is over you. It's a change from shootouts in previous editions of the title matchups.

Welcome to SEC football. The Crimson Tide look poised to extend their lead to 10 after Cameron Latu's yard catch and run put them inside the Georgia However, Latu dropped a sure touchdown on the second snap after his big play.

Alabama was forced to kick its third field goal of the game and increase its lead to with 7 minutes left in the second quarter. It was a big escape for the Bulldogs, who are struggling on offense and couldn't afford to go down 10 points. Instead, it is still a one-score game even though the Crimson Tide have mostly dominated things.

Perfect throw by Bryce Young to Cameron Latu for a huge 61 yard gain. He hit it from 37 yards out. No touchdowns so far as the game nears the midway point of the second quarter.

There have been three field goals, however. Will Reichard converted a yard field goal for the last points as Alabama leads The scoring drive was marred by the injury to Crimson Tide leading receiver Jameson Williams on a yard reception that set up the score.

Williams caught yard pass over the middle of the Georgia defense but as he was twisting to avoid the tackle attempts of two defenders he went down holding his knee. Williams was helped off the field and went to the injury tent on the sideline for evaluation. Besides Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, Williams was easily the biggest offensive weapon for the Crimson Tide this season with 1, yards and 15 touchdowns entering tonight's game.

Ouch Jameson Williams pic. The first signs of life for the Bulldogs offense as Stetson Bennett hits George PIckens with a deep ball for 52 yards to the Alabama They'd get closer to the end zone before the Crimson Tide stiffened and Jack Podlesny kicked a yard field goal to even things at with left in the second quarter. The pass to PIckens is significant as the deep ball could loosen things up for the Georgia running game that has been bogged down.

Bulldogs have 11 yards on eight attempts. The ground hasn't been much better for Alabama, which has 16 yards on six carrie. Three of the last four possessions have ended without first downs as both teams struggle to run the ball effectively and there is little time to throw.

It's not a huge surprise with the talent on both defenses and this is the way things started in the SEC championship game. A feeling-out process for sure. Georgia has one yard offense after its two drives.

Stetson Bennett still has not completed a pass. It's early and things should loosen up as game wears on. It was a quick three-and-out for the Bulldogs on their opening possession as quarterbStetson Bennett was sacked on their first play. Bennett scrambled on second down to make for a manageable third down but then threw incomplete under pressure. Forced to punt, Jake Camarda delivered a yard boot that flipped field position after a field catch.

Alabama starts on its own 20 with left in the first quarter. It's for the Crimson Tide after taking the opening kickoff and driving 56 yards in 14 plays before the series stalled. Will Reichard delivered a yard field goal with left for the first points of the game. Alabama mixed run and pass for most of the possession, getting off quick passes as Georgia tried to bring pressure on Bryce Young.

The Bulldogs had an touchdown overturned, but stiffened within 20 yards of the end zone. Not a bad start for the defense as it tries to reverse its struggles from the earlier meeting.

On the fourth play from scrimmage, it appeared the Bulldogs got on the board first when Jordan Davis hit Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

The ball appeared to be fumbled and was picked up by Nakobe Dean and returned for a touchdown. However, replay review showed Young had his arm coming forward and it was ruled an incomplete pass. The bright spot for Georgia? Early pressure by the Bulldogs front that was lacking in last month's game. It's almost time to kick things off with the national championship on the line. Natalie Grant delivered a stirring rendition of the national anthem before both teams took the field.

Alabama went first before Georgia entered with cameras flashing. Georgia calls tails and wins the coin toss. Bulldogs elect to defer, which means Alabama and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young take the field first. A good early look at how the Georgia defense will adjust after allowing 41 points in last month's game. Look for an early feeling-out period when the Alabama and Georgia meet on Monday night in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

The Crimson Tide will look to see what the Bulldogs learned from last month's loss. How Georgia tweaks a clearly flawed game plan — and how Alabama responds to a new defensive approach — might be the factor that ultimately decides this matchup of SEC powers. Already a subscriber? Log in or Activate your account. No thanks, return to homepage. Edit Close.

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