ATLANTA – At last, the curse in Mercedes-Benz Stadium was broken.
Georgia, who was winless against Alabama in Southeastern Conference title games going into the contest, handled the Crimson Tide in a defensive battle and came away with a 28-7 victory. It was the first time a head coach Kirby Smart team had defeated Alabama since Kalen Deboer took over in Tuscaloosa a few years ago.
Both teams were forced to punt at the start of the contest after Georgia started the game with the ball.
Midway through the first quarter, Georgia blocked an Alabama punt and recovered it on their 22-yard line. A few minutes later, quarterback Gunner Stockton found running back Roderick Robinson on a play-action pass from one yard out to score the game’s first touchdown.
On the ensuing possession, Crimson Tide wide out Ryan Williams broke free for a 20-yard gain on third down, which kept their drive alive. Moments later, however, Alabama’s Ty Simpson missed his target over the middle and ended up in the arms of Georgia’s Daylen Everette for an interception.
The Bulldogs capitalized off of the mistake nearly seven minutes later.
On fourth-and-inches, Smart elected to go for it. Stockton used his legs to pick up the first down. Shortly after, the redshirt junior found Dillon Bell over the middle, putting Georgia on Alabama’s 5-yard line.
The duo hooked up again on a similar concept, this time in the end zone. Bell’s touchdown grab gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the second quarter.
That momentum carried over to Georgia’s defense, which held Alabama’s offense to just 70 total yards in the first half.
Heading into the intermission, the Bulldogs had shut out the Crimson Tide for four straight quarters dating back to their first matchup of the season at the end of September.
They ended up making it five consecutive when the teams came back out onto the field for the second half.
Nate Frazier extended Georgia’s lead to 21-0 on a 9-yard run roughly five minutes into the third quarter, and the Bulldogs defense continued to stand its ground. As the game entered the fourth quarter, Alabama only had 103 total yards (10 rushing).
The Crimson Tide finally got on the board with 12:33 left in the contest. Simpson hit wide out Germie Bernard on a screen, who took it 22 yards to the house after making a couple of defenders miss.
By then, it was too late. The next time Alabama got the ball back, it was four-down territory the rest of the way.
From their own 12-yard line, the Crimson Tide failed to convert on fourth-and-short, which gave the Bulldogs great field position. A few plays later, wide receiver Zachariah Branch put the game on ice after taking a screen pass 13 yards into the end zone.
With that, Georgia led 28-7 with less than seven minutes left in the game, which it would carry all the way to the finish line.
Stockton was efficient on the evening, throwing for 156 yards on 77% completion. He passed for three touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over.
Including Georgia’s four sacks, Alabama ended the game with negative three rushing yards. It was the first time a Smart defense held its opponent to negative rushing yards since 2019 when the Bulldogs held the Aggies of Texas A&M to negative one yards on the ground.
With the win, Georgia moved to 12-1 on the season and secured an SEC title trophy, along with a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs.
