There is no way around it. The Georgia Bulldogs beat the absolute tar out of the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the SEC Championship, securing a top-two seed in the College Football Playoff in the process. Georgia's 28-7 victory over the Crimson Tide was totally cathartic. Alabama had owned Georgia for years. It was the first time Georgia completely dominated Alabama from start to finish.
One of the biggest reasons why Georgia defeated Alabama had everything to do with its defense. Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann had the guys ready to play. For as much ridicule as Schumann got in the first half of the season, Georgia has held its last six opponents to 21 points or less in every game. Most impressively, Georgia allowed you to have more rushing yards than Alabama did today.
Yes, Georgia held Alabama to -3 yards rushing on the evening when factoring in Ty Simpson's -28...
Georgia held Alabama to -3 yards for the game.
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) December 7, 2025
Alabama just held. pic.twitter.com/tBnwCKWhbt
This was the first time in Alabama history that the Crimson Tide had negative rushing yards in a game.
Alabama has negative-3 rushing yards. Do you know the last time Alabama had negative rushing yards in a game? Never. Like, never ever (according to Bama's game notes).
— Matt Baker (@MattBakerCFB) December 7, 2025
If this knocks Alabama out of the playoff, Kalen DeBoer will be wishing he was heading to Penn State.
Glenn Schumann's defense has become Georgia's new driving force
Let's not beat around the bush here... Schumann got raked over the coals seemingly every first half from the start of the season and through the Ole Miss game. Georgia regularly gave up touchdown drives in the first quarter, only to hone in and play better in the second half. The lead was too big for Georgia to overcome Between the Hedges the first time around. So three cheers for sweet revenge!
It was a combination of things that contributed to Georgia being so ferocious against the Alabama offense. First off, running the football has been a challenge for the Crimson Tide all year long. Being down Jam Miller in the backfield largely took away their threat to really run it. Schumann had his linebackers playing with their heads on swivels to commit to making sound tackling all evening long.
The other big component was Georgia was able to generate pressure seemingly at will on the Alabama offensive line. Simpson was scrambling for his life back there. He cost the Crimson Tide 28 yards on the ground, in part to being sacked three times. Simpson was also a sub-50 passer on the evening by completing only 19-of-39 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown, and an early interception.
Overall, Georgia is now able to win games because of its defense, and no longer in spite of it. This is a polarizing coordinator of note really finding his footing. Kirby Smart made sure to give Schumann and his defensive staff props for this thorough handling of Alabama. It also helps that Smart's defensive backs have grown up for the most part and have largely rounded into form. It is a complete defense.
Ultimately, Georgia has everything a potential national champion could need. The Bulldogs run the ball so well. They can pass with the best of them. While the defense does not force a lot of turnovers, it punishes the opposition more often than not on each and every drive. This is a team that is jelling at the right time. Nobody wants to play them, not even the team that wins the Big Ten Championship...
At this time, we need to give Schumann his due respect for completely revamping his side of the ball.