What just happened: Georgia falls to Alabama yet again
Some things never change.
For the 10th time in the last 11 meetings, Alabama has defeated Georgia. This time, the Crimson Tide did so 24-21 at Sanford Stadium.
Unlike previous games, Alabama secured its win without many explosive plays. Georgia simply couldn’t get off the field on third down, allowing 13 of 19 conversions, including the Crimson Tide’s first eight of the game. Alabama owned the game’s time of possession 35:36 to 24:24.
Georgia falls to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Head coach Kirby Smart is now 0-2 against Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer.
What it means
The margin of error shrinks for Georgia, with games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas, and Georgia Tech on the horizon. Also, something’s gotta give with a defense that, on Saturday at least, couldn’t rush the passer, cover man to man, tackle or get off the field on third down. There also can’t be that many other defensive coordinators who stand that attached to the hip of the head coach on the sideline, right?
A question that needs answering
Is Georgia’s defense really this bad?
There have only been four games so there’s plenty of time to improve and adjust. But Alabama’s offense wasn’t remotely as good as Tennessee’s. The Crimson Tide weren’t much of a threat to run to ball but it didn’t matter. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson diced the defense up for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
Alabama did a good job in pass protection and gave Simpson all day to throw. But with how Georgia has recruited up front defensively, it shouldn’t have been that easy for the Crimson Tide. Florida State sacked Simpson three times. Georgia couldn’t even get one.
Three important plays
Failed fourth-down run: In the early fourth quarter and facing a fourth-and-1 from inside the 10, Georgia declined to take the points, hurried to the line, and handed the ball to … Cash Jones. No offense to Jones, but your top two choices in this situation should be to, 1) take the three points, or 2) give it to Josh McCray. That was too critical of a moment for the coaches to be that reckless in their decision making. That possession should have tied the game at 24, at minimum.
Third-and-9 failure: At yet another crucial point in the game with under four minutes to go, the Bulldogs elected to throw a swing pass to Jones that went for a loss. Again, 1) why is this pass not going toward the first-down marker, and 2) why is Jones in there for anything other than pass protection? The Bulldogs decided to punt and never saw the ball again.
Final failure on Alabama’s last third-down conversion: Alabama picked up its 13th third-down conversion on third-and-5 near midfield with under two minutes to play. Georgia was absolutely inept in stopping Alabama on third down from start to finish.
Other important games of note
No. 13 Ole Miss 24, No. 4 LSU 19: Lane Kiffin rolled the dice on fourth down late in the fourth quarter instead of kicking a field goal to go up by eight points. The gamble worked and the Rebels, looking like one of the top two teams to beat in the SEC, were able to end the game following the conversion.
No. 9 Texas A&M 16, Auburn 10: Two weeks in a row the Tigers have played a top-10 SEC opponent down to the wire. Auburn wont be an easy out for Georgia when the two teams meet in a couple of weeks.
No. 15 Tennessee 41, Mississippi State 34: Georgia will face a tough Mississippi State team later this season. But on Saturday, Tennessee was able to score a win over the SEC’s other Bulldogs in overtime.
Grading Georgia
Offense: C
The Bulldogs ran the ball well, averaging 7 yards per carry and totaling 225 rushing yards. But there were way too many perplexing calls in key situations where the offense was not only unable to execute, but was put in a horrible position to execute. Talyn Taylor’s drop was absolutely devastating as well.
Defense: F
What else is there left to say?
Special teams: A
By default, this is an A. Brett Thorson landed three punts inside the 20-yard line but the one field goal Peyton Woodring should’ve kicked, he wasn’t asked to do so.
Season grades to date
Offense: C-
Defense: D
Special teams: A