ATLANTA — For a second straight season, Alabama used a second-half comeback to beat Georgia in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Georgia 35-28 Saturday to claim its 27th SEC title. Here are five things we learned from the game.
Alabama saw Georgia’s fake punt coming
Georgia’s fake punt late in the fourth quarter might have left the crowd inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium stunned. However, Alabama players saw it from miles away.
With the score tied at 28 and 3:11 left on the clock, Georgia faced a fourth-and-11 from the 50-yard line. Lining up for a punt, the Bulldogs tried to be sneaky, trotting out backup quarterback Justin Fields as the upback. However, Alabama spotted Fields’ presence right away as linebackers Christian Miller and Anfernee Jennings stopped him for just a 2-yard gain after he took the direct snap.
"I wasn’t surprised. I mean they lined the quarterback up as the personal protector,” Miller said. “I mean correct me if I’m wrong, but he wasn’t on the field for the other punts. As soon as I saw No. 1 standing there we’re all pointing.”
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After taking over at its own 48-yard line, Alabama capitalized on the good field position. On the ensuing drive, quarterback Jalen Hurts drove the Crimson Tide down the field before running in the eventual game-winning touchdown from 15 yards out with 1:04 remaining on the clock.
"I wanted to be aggressive," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "Look, I wasn't coming here to play to tie, to play to keep it close. We came here to win the game. We wanted to win the game. These kids deserve to win the game, and we weren't able to do it."
While he doesn’t blame Smart for going for the fake, Miller said plays like those are something Alabama prepares for regularly. Saturday, that preparation played a huge role in the Crimson Tide coming away with the victory.
“We go over situations and stuff like that,” Miller said. “Especially in that area, you always want to be on high alert for fakes. It’s just a matter of having awareness that, ‘Hey No. 1 is behind the center. He might take a snap.’”
Tagovailoa should be fine
It was a day to forget for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Heisman contender had the worst outing of his career, completing 10 of 25 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. Making matters worse, the sophomore quarterback was forced out of the game when left tackle Jonah Williams stepped on his right ankle in the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa spent several moments on the ground and had to be helped off by trainers. However, according to head coach Nick Saban, the injury shouldn’t keep his star quarterback out for an extended period of time.
“Tua actually sprained his ankle in the first half, actually came back and played,” Saban said. “The other injury, he got stepped on, his foot, which I don’t think is significant. So, we’re going to evaluate his ankle tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s going to be something that would keep him out. Maybe for a little while, but we probably won’t practice for a couple weeks anyway. But we’ll know more about that tomorrow.”
Jacobs rebounded from illness
Before earning offensive MVP honors, Josh Jacobs hardly mustered up the strength to down a bowl of soup. The Alabama running back suffered flu-like symptoms which made it hard for him to drink fluids much less eat a solid meal heading into Saturday’s game.
“My body was aching,” Jacobs said. “I had cold sweats and stuff.”
Jacobs said he started feeling sick on Tuesday and missed Thursday’s practice. He received two IVs Saturday, one before the game and one during halftime as his body started cramping due to lack of fluids. However, that didn’t stop him from piling up 86 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries against the Bulldogs.
Bulovas confident kicking woes will improve
To most it might have seemed like a trivial point in Alabama’s comeback. However, it was a pressure-packed moment all the same. Following Hurts’ touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy with 5:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, kicker Joseph Bulovas stepped up to tie the game for the Crimson Tide.
“As a kicker, you can’t really look at pressure, and you kind of train yourself not to feel it,” Bulovas said. “It’s really just see it, hit it. And that’s how I was about my business. Obviously, yes, there was a lot of pressure involved. But at the end of the day, it’s an extra point and you have to get it through.”
Bulovas did just that, knocking his kick through the uprights. In fact, the redshirt freshman nailed all five of his attempts on the night. Unfortunately for Alabama, that hasn’t always been the norm this season. The Crimson Tide has missed a whopping eight extra points this season, including five from Bulovas.
“There’s no excuse. Our operation needs to get better,” Bulovas said. “It needs to get more consistent with extra points, field goals — long or short.
“That’s something we’ve been working on. Throughout the year we’ve tried different holders. But we feel confident in what we’re doing, and that’s all that really matters now.”
Bulovas’ five extra points give him 68 on the season, moving him into second place on Alabama’s single-season PAT list. Jeremy Shelley holds the record with 69 conversions in 2012.
Big day for Alabama seniors
Alabama’s victory Saturday helped its seniors set a milestone. With the win, this year’s senior class moved to 54-3, setting an NCAA record for most wins by a single class. The previous record was held by last year’s Alabama class, which finished with a 53-5 record. The Crimson Tide will have at least and possibly two games to expand on the record as it enters the College Football Playoff.
Senior running back Damien Harris finished with 52 yards on nine carries. Senior defensive end Isaiah Buggs recorded four tackles, while redshirt senior linebacker Christian Miller tallied three tackles and a quarterback hurry. Senior punter Mike Bernier averaged 40.2 yards per punt on five punts.
