The College Football Playoff got underway Friday night as Alabama traveled to Oklahoma for a highly anticipated rematch from earlier this season. The Sooners got the best of Alabama on the road during the regular season, and at the start of this game it looked like they were going to roll the Tide. Oklahoma jumped out to a 17-0 lead and there were no signs of them slowing down.
But Alabama did what Alabama typically does and fought all the way back to tie the game by halftime. They then went on to dominate the second half en route to a 34-24 win.
There are a lot of things that Georgia can learn from this game, but the one glaring message UGA must take away from this matchup is that special teams play is just as important as any other part of the game.
Oklahoma made it abundantly clear what Georgia needs to focus on in the CFP
Special teams routinely gets overlooked by college football fans. Even players and cocahes sometimes seem to overlook just how important special teams is. But Oklahoma proved against Alabama that poor special teams play can end their season in the playoff.
There were three plays on special teams that really swung this game in Alabama's favor. The first occurred in the first half when the Oklahoma punter dropped the snap and had his punt blocked. This gave Alabama amazing field position that they immediately cashed in on with a touchdown.
Fast forward to the end of the game when Oklahoma was trailing by 10 points. The Sooners knew they needed to score twice just to tie Alabama, so they opted to kick a field goal on their final two possessions to try and make it a one score game. Unfortunately Oklahoma missed both field goals which allowed Alabama to cruise to the finish line.
So Georgia needs to learn that special teams is just as important as their offense and defense. Special team can be the reason they win or lose a game, and at this point in the season they can't let a couple bad special teams plays cost them.
Kirby Smart doesn't seem like a coach who overlooks anything, but Oklahoma's loss to Alabama is a great reminder about just how important good special teams play is.