The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 24-21 at Sanford Stadium, ending the Bulldogs' 33-game college football home winning streak from 2019. Poor coaching from Kirby Smart and defensive errors saw Georgia lose a game they could have won against Alabama. The Bulldogs dropped to 1-7 in Smart’s tenure against the Crimson Tide after a series of costly mistakes in a game.
Smart made the most criticized decision of his Georgia career in the fourth quarter. Trailing 24-21 and facing fourth-and-1 at Alabama's 8-yard line, Smart chose to go for the touchdown instead of kicking an easy game-tying field goal.
Running back Cash Jones got tackled for a two-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs and crushing Georgia's momentum.
“That play has been really successful for us. I think we hit Tennessee on it three times for a conversion,” Smart defended after the game, according to ESPN. “We missed a block that we got to make, and they ran through and made a great play to stop it”.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum called the decision “inexcusable” on the Matt Barrie Show.
“I'm not sure what you were trying to prove there. It wasn't the critical moment in the game where you had to get that first down. You tie the game and you exhale a little bit,” Finebaum said.
Smart doubled down on his choice, saying, “I'd do that 10 out of 10 times in terms of going for it”.
3rd down defense disaster
Georgia could not handle Alabama on third downs, as Georgia allowed 12 third-down conversions on 19 plays. This was one of the worst third-down performances of Smart’s coaching career.
Alabama controlled the pace, going 8-for-8 on third-down conversions in the first half of the game. The Georgia Bulldogs' offense was on the field for just over 24 minutes.
Ty Simpson had a solid performance against Georgia as he went 24 for 38 for 276 yards with two touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ front seven did not produce much of a pass rush all game long.
Slow start kills Georgia early
Georgia dug itself into a massive hole by falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. Alabama scored touchdowns on its opening two drives, while Georgia's offense looked lost.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard on the game's opening drive. The Crimson Tide followed up with another touchdown to take complete control early.
Georgia never led during the game, constantly playing catch-up against a disciplined Alabama team. The Bulldogs managed to tie the game twice but could never grab the lead.
Costly turnovers and mistakes
Running back Nate Frazier committed a devastating fumble in the second quarter that led directly to Alabama points. The turnover came at a crucial moment when Georgia was trying to build momentum.
Alabama forced its seventh takeaway of the season with the Frazier fumble, continuing their trend of forcing at least one turnover in every game.
Talyn Taylor dropped a potential touchdown pass at wide receiver that could have altered the outcome of the game. Georgia missed their chance when they needed a big play to keep up.
During the game, Georgia’s offensive line suffered injuries to many of its key players and blocking schemes.
Smart's Alabama problem gets worse
This loss dropped Smart to an embarrassing 1-7 record against Alabama as Georgia's head coach. Smart is now 0-2 against Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
“Everyone knows who Kirby Smart is, but what we know now after the game is he's 0-2 against Kalen DeBoer, and that's an ugly look,” Finebaum observed.
When asked about his poor record against Alabama, Smart gave a defiant response: “I don't lose sleep over that because those games have been, like, championship-caliber games”.
Despite the defeat, Georgia still controls its College Football Playoff destiny under the expanded 12-team format. According to current scenarios, they likely need to win their remaining games to avoid leaving their fate in the committee's hands.
The Bulldogs face Kentucky next weekend as they try to bounce back from their first loss of the season. Smart emphasized moving forward quickly from the Alabama defeat.
“You can't let this game beat you twice,” Smart said, referencing his team's need to recover mentally.
The loss was enough to open the eyes of the fans and let them see the serious flaws in Georgia's coaching and execution that must be fixed immediately if they want to compete for championships this season.
