Georgia got the win Saturday night that’s eluded them so often as they beat Alabama 20-17 in their own stadium. At the end of the day the only thing that matters in a game this big is winning, but there were multiple things that occurred throughout the game that Georgia fans should be extremely proud of.
Here are five things that stood out the most from Georgia’s big win over Alabama Saturday night.
1. Gunner Stockton overcame two critical mistakes
Gunner Stockton through five games this year showed a lot of improvement as a passer, but he needed to prove he’s better against a good team. Alabama was that test, and Stockton delivered.
Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards and two total touchdowns. He however wasn’t perfect as he had two throws that were near disastrous.
Both throws should’ve never been thrown as they went straight for an Alabama defender instead of a receiver. Alabama picked one of them off to give themselves great field position, but Georgia’s defense stepped up with a big sack to force a punt. The second bad throw would’ve given Alabama even better field position, but the Alabama defender luckily dropped it.
Take those two throws away and Stockton played a near perfect game. He however has some room for improvement still, but he proved that he can be an elite quarterback on the biggest stage in college football.
2. Dwight Phillips is a luxury in Georgia’s RB room
By far the biggest concern going into this game were the injuries to Georgia’s running back room. The Bulldogs were without their top two running backs in Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens due to injury, but that just opened the door for Dwight Phillips to have the best game of his career.
Phillips delivered when Georgia needed him most as he tallied 120 yards on 17 carries. He never found the end zone, but he played a big role in each of Georgia’s scoring drives.
Who knows how much he’ll play when Frazier and Bowens are healthy, but it’s nice knowing that Georgia has three elite running backs they can rely on.
3. Georgia’s defense got enough pressure to impact Keelon Russell
Keelon Russel is the stereotypical quarterback Georgia typically struggles against since he is an elite passer who is fast and can turn any broken play into a big gain with his legs. Russell showed those skills at times, but it always seemed like Georgia had an answer to stop Alabama’s drive.
Georgia ended the game with four sacks which isn’t a big number, but those sacks came at the right time. They all ended Alabama’s drives with a few of them forcing punts when they had already entered Georgia’s territory.
Russell still had a solid game, but holding Alabama, who had the No. 2 scoring offense in the country coming into this game, to just 17 points is something they should be proud of.
4. The bounces went Georgia’s way
Whenever Georgia’s played Alabama in the past it always felt like the 50-50 plays went Alabama’s way. This time that wasn’t the case.
Georgia and Alabama both only had one turnover and they were relatively even in penalties too, but the random bounces went Georgia’s way.
Alabama and Georgia combined for five fumbles throughout the game, and Georgia recovered all five of them. Only one fumble came when Alabama was on offense which came from a crucial strip sack to stop the Tide’s productive opening drive. The other four fumbles all came when Georgia had the ball, but UGA was fortunate to recover all four.
Who knows how this game goes if even one of those fumbles was recovered by Alabama, but sometimes you need a little luck on your side to win big games and Georgia got a little lucky whenever the ball was fumbled.
5. Georgia's odds to make the SEC Championship game are extremely high
Georgia is in a prime position to make the SEC Championship game now. They not only have the head-to-head advantage over Alabama if they finish with the same record, but they are the only undefeated team left in the SEC.
Georgia at this point would more than likely get into the SEC Championship game even if they lose one game. At this point it also seems likely that every team other than Alabama will lose at least one more game too, so UGA could even make it to Atlanta with two losses.
Georgia however doesn’t want to lose one game though, but it’s nice knowing they can afford to. Their schedule however sets them up to potentially run the table because of their five remaining conference games only Ole Miss and Missouri seem like teams capable of beating them, and Georgia gets to play Missouri at home.
At this point it’d be surprising if Georgia doesn’t get to the SEC Championship game, and that’s all thanks to this win over Alabama.
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