Georgia football fell to its Goliath on Saturday for the seventh straight time, and it wasn’t pretty by any means.
This team went from dominating teams to looking sluggish, unmotivated, and well, it cost them.
Alabama had to win that game, Georgia knew that, and instead of stepping up to the challenge, this team didn’t even remotely look the same.
The Tide knew they had to play one of their best games of the season to beat Georgia, and they did. Starting quarterback Bryce Young had his Heisman Trophy moment, and well chalk it up, Dawg fans, and take this one on the chin.
Georgia football suffered another devastating loss, and here are our three takeaways.
Alabama amassed 536 total yards and averaged 7.7 yards per play. The Tide saw 115 yards on the ground on 26 carries, averaging 4.4 yards a rush. Through the air, Alabama crucified the Dawgs as they collected 421 passing yards, averaged 9.6 yards an attempt and 16.2 yards a completion.
Georgia collected 449 total offensive yards and averaged 5.8 yards a play. The Dawgs saw 109 yards on the ground and 340 passing yards.
Starting quarterback Stetson Bennett went 29-for-48 for 340 yards, three scores and two touchdowns. Many blame him for the loss, but he isn’t the only reason. Did Bennett make mistakes and throw a 42-yard pick-six? Yes, but he also made other things happen that were beneficial and successful.
Georgia didn’t have a great day on either side of the ball. Alabama did a fantastic job studying film and preparing, so give them some credit.
However, the Dawgs mistakes are fixable, and with so much time between now and the game, they will have time to adjust some things and make those changes.
Georgia wasn’t the better team, and while that is the toughest pill to swallow, Alabama played like they had to win if they wanted in the playoffs, and they did.
If the Dawgs improved in one of these three stats, who knows how the outcome would have looked, but they didn’t. Here are three of the stats that show why the Dawgs fell to the Tide.
Georgia football couldn’t convert or stop on third down
One of the biggest glaring stats is the third-down numbers for Georgia football on both sides of the ball.
While usually, the Dawgs are successful on first and second down, the third-down numbers didn’t need to be better, but this game was a different story. With two talented defenses, the team who converted more was going to be the winner, and Alabama did that.
Alabama converted 7-of-14 third-downs while Georgia converted 3-of-12. The Tide sustained drives four more times than the Dawgs, which speaks numbers.
Both teams went 1-of-3 in the first quarter, but then the atrocious second quarter happened for the Dawgs.
Georgia went 0-of-2 while Alabama went 4-of-5. This quarter is what hurt the Dawgs the most on third down.
Alabama scored its first touchdown on 3rd-and-2, with the 67-yard strike that flipped the switch. Their second conversion was a 22-yard pass to convert another 3rd-and-2. The third was a three-yard run, and the final conversion was a 23-yard pass on 3rd-and-10.
Georgia did better in the third quarter, converting 2-of-4 while holding Alabama to 1-of-2. However, the fourth quarter showed another 0-of-3 conversion rate for the Dawgs and Alabama converted once on a 24-yard pass on 3rd-and-5.
The Tide found ways to make third down count while the Dawgs continued to fall short. When you only convert three third-downs against a team like Alabama, they rarely win the game.
Georgia football couldn’t get pressure and it cost them
All season long, Georgia football has terrorized opponents, putting a vast amount of pressure on quarterbacks, but against the Tide, the Dawgs had very little success.
Georgia tallied four tackles for loss, zero sacks, and 15 quarterback hurries as a defense. While those hurry numbers make us feel a little better, that goose egg beside the sack category overrides it.
Starting quarterback Bryce Young had all day to throw the ball, and that offensive line stood tough against one of the best defenses in the country. They all deserve snicker bars after that performance.
Georgia, however, should eat beanie weenies for the next week. The defense didn’t look their usual self but sluggish and unmotivated. How a team can come into a game like this unmotivated baffles us, but Alabama had one of its best games of the year, and the Dawgs didn’t make enough adjustments to get the job done.
When you don’t get pressure on a guy like Bryce Young, who went 26-of-44 for 421 passing yards, it will be a long day for a defense, and we saw that with Georgia’s. They were worn out by the end of the game from being on the field so much but still managed to get some key stops down the stretch to avoid getting blown out by more than 17 points.
Georgia has some work to do in terms of pressure-type situations, and with a month, that should be plenty of time to remotivate and have these Dawgs hungry to avenge their legacy against Michigan.
Georgia football gave up nine explosive plays in the second quarter
The second quarter will haunt Georgia football fans for the next month because that was the worst defensive performance we’ve seen in a long time. Georgia made adjustments and found some success, but that second quarter proved highly costly.
Alabama could do no wrong during that quarter, while the Dawgs could do nothing right.
We all know by now that Alabama is explosive, and Saturday showcased that. However, if we break down the explosive plays, that second-quarter produced the most. According to offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s definition, explosive plays are 12-plus yard runs and 16-plus yard passes.
Georgia gave up nine explosive plays in that second quarter and just three through the other three quarters combined to give Alabama 12 total. Well, 13 if you want to count the 47-yard pick-six, but that’s up to you.
At the same time, Georgia amassed 12 explosive plays throughout the game as well. So if the Dawgs could have just slowed down Alabama once in the second quarter, it would have been beneficial. If you takeaway the nine plays, Georgia didn’t allow one in the first quarter, just one in the third quarter, and two in the fourth.
Georgia could have won this game, but there were too many mistakes that Alabama capitalized on, and it was Alabama’s time to shine again. The Dawgs didn’t play up to the Tide’s level, which was obvious. However, a rematch could be in sight if the Dawgs handle their business against Michigan.