ATLANTA — It had to end at some point, right?
Alabama’s sensational streak of 17 straight victories in Atlanta came to an abrupt halt Saturday, as No. 3 Georgia downed the No. 9 Crimson Tide 28-7 at the Southeastern Conference championship game before 77,247 boisterous fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bulldogs won their 16th SEC title and their third in four years, punching their ticket to a first-round bye in the looming College Football Playoff and a quarterfinal date in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s night in the process.
“This has been a tough, hard season, and the kids in our program have bought into it hard,” Georgia 10th-year coach Kirby Smart said. “I appreciate the toughness in the way they do things, and that pays off in the long run. To win back-to-back SEC championships is every kid’s dream in this footprint, and I’m honored to be the head coach at Georgia and win games like this.”
The Bulldogs improved to 12-1 overall, while the Crimson Tide of second-year coach Kalen DeBoer dropped to 10-3 and are now at the mercy of the CFP selection committee when it comes to making the coveted 12-team field. The playoff participants will be revealed Sunday afternoon.
“If this game takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right,” DeBoer said. “I really don’t. I don’t know how you can go into a conference title game as the No. 1 seed and having done all these things throughout the year — we were playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country.
“How that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff?”
Alabama had not lost in the Peach State capital since the 2008 SEC championship against Florida and quarterback Tim Tebow. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide then prevailed in nine SEC title contests, six Chick-fil-A Kickoff games, a playoff semifinal after the 2016 season and the national championship game of the 2017 season, which transpired in overtime at Georgia’s expense.
There was also the matter of Alabama entering Saturday having won 10 of its last 11 series meetings against the Bulldogs, including the Crimson Tide’s 24-21 triumph in Athens on Sept. 27, but this game would be very different from the start.
Georgia’s special teams dominated early, with Brett Thorson booming a 53-yard punt that bounced out of bounds at the Alabama 8-yard line, and with former Calhoun High School standout receiver Cole Speer racing from the edge to block a Blake Doud punt moments later to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Crimson Tide 21.
The Bulldogs needed four plays to reach the end zone, with Gunner Stockton finding running back Roderick Robinson II on play-action from a yard out to make it 7-0 at the 4:36 mark of the opening quarter.
“There have been injuries since my freshman year, and I’ve been up and down,” Speer said. “It means a lot to still be here and be able to play in games like this no matter what I’m doing. Everybody celebrating with me was really a good feeling.”
Said Stockton: “He’s one of my best friends, and he’s one of my roommates. Just seeing all the hard work that he’s put into this program and seeing it pay off was definitely something special.”
Speer, a 5-foot-11, 185-pounder, entered Saturday with five career receptions for 56 yards and eight career special-teams tackles. He has now been a part of three league championships with a chance at winning a second national crown.
“I almost teared up in the locker room afterwards when we called him up, because that’s going to be gone,” Smart said. “Those stories are going to be gone. We’re going to 105 (scholarships) now, which I support, but everybody will chase 105 four- and five-star players. Stories like that kid? You’ve got to be a bold coach to say, ‘I’m going to go take this kid who loves the University of Georgia and will do anything and will make sacrifices.’
“You look at guys at Kansas State who are walking away from it, and that’s getting lost in our game. There are so many role players. Cash Jones has played so well for us this year. Cole Speer? Those guys are incredible role players for us.”
Ty Simpson had a pass tipped by KJ Bolden and intercepted by Daylen Everette on Alabama’s ensuing possession, which gave the Bulldogs possession at their own 43. Stockton then led Georgia on a 14-play, 57-yard march that consumed seven minutes and 44 seconds and culminated with a 5-yard pass to Dillon Bell for a 14-0 lead with 8:43 left before halftime.
Georgia led 14-0 at halftime, racking up 19 minutes and 59 seconds of possession time while holding Alabama to 70 yards.
“It’s always great to start a game fast like that,” Everette said of Georgia’s defensive play. “You want to get the offense on the field as early as possible, and we kept doing that.”
The Bulldogs were even more dominant in opening the third quarter, with safety JaCorey Thomas sacking Simpson for a 9-yard loss on third down and Zachariah Branch returning a Doud punt 24 yards to the Alabama 40. They used an 18-yard pass from Stockton to tight end Lawson Luckie to get into the red zone and then made it 21-0 on Nate Frazier’s 9-yard run at the 10:47 mark.
Alabama became the first team in SEC championship history to get shut out through three quarters, finally getting on the board with 12:33 left on a 23-yard pass from Simpson to Germie Bernard. The score capped a nine-play, 91-yard drive that was aided by personal foul and pass interference penalties on the Bulldogs.
The Crimson Tide held Georgia and got the ball back on their own 4-yard line, but Simpson’s fourth-and-2 pass from their 12 sailed high, which enabled the Bulldogs to ice the contest on an 11-yard pass from Stockton to Branch that made it 28-7 with 6:51 remaining. Stockton finished 20-of-26 passing for 156 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors.
Georgia wound up sacking Simpson three times for 23 yards, which factored into the Crimson Tide finishing with minus-3 rushing yards, the fewest in their storied history. Alabama played without leading rusher Jam Miller, who sustained a lower-leg injury in last weekend’s win at Auburn.
Toliver takes over
With Georgia starting center Drew Bobo out with a foot injury, redshirt freshman Malachi Toliver from Cartersville took over that role.
“He was awesome,” Stockton said. “Malachi is a fighter. He attacked practice, and Drew was a good role model for him. We even took snaps during the walkthrough in our suits.
“I took my jacket off, and he did, too, but we’re always preparing.”
Odds and ends
Smart’s four SEC championship game wins trail only the 11 by Saban (including his two with LSU) and the five by former Florida coach Steve Spurrier. … Georgia outgained Alabama 141 to minus-3 on the ground, marking the 21st straight SEC title contest in which the team that won the rushing battle won the game. … Saturday marked the first league championship in which no field goals were attempted. … The SEC during timeouts recognized this year’s losses of associate commissioner Mark Womack at age 70, former commissioner Roy Kramer at 96, and former coordinator of officials Bobby Gaston at 101. … Alabama still holds a 44-27-4 advantage in a series that began in 1895. … Georgia’s biggest margin of victory ever over the Crimson Tide was 35-0 in 1948.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.