TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — This game came down to the wire.
Alabama surged ahead early in the game, but Georgia fought hard and clawed its way back into this football game.
Ultimately, Alabama grabbed a 41-34 over the visiting Bulldogs.
Here are three takeaways from Georgia’s heartbreaking loss.
A tale of two halves
It was an atrocious start for the Bulldogs against Alabama.
Quarterback Carson Beck was making mistake after mistake. He threw two interceptions, completed 47% of his passes and only threw for 100 yards. He was even sacked for a safety.
Cut to the end of the game. Beck added three touchdown passes to his stats and threw over 400 yards. His top target, wide receiver Arian Smith, had a tough drop early in the game, but had a crucial 47 yard reception to put Georgia in a spot to take the lead.
The very next drive, that’s just what Georgia did. Junior Dillon Bell was wide open down the field and was hit in stride for a one play, 67-yard touchdown pass.
The Crimson Tide ultimately took the lead back with their own one play touchdown pass when they got the ball back, and an interception from freshman cornerback Zabien Brown took the Bulldogs hopes for a win away with one play.
Still, the effort Georgia showed was impressive to claw its way back.
Finishing strong, but not strong enough
Georgia’s defense was just too quiet throughout the first half.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had over 300 all purpose yards after just one half, including 106 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 199 yards and a touchdown through the air.
The Crimson Tide put up 28 points on offense, but were lackluster for most of the second half. Until the last two and a half minutes, Alabama only scored three points in the entire second half.
The team began to make plays in the backfield and held up for the most part. However, freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams caught a ball on Julian Humphrey and gave the Crimson Tide a lead with a little over two minutes in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, that touchdown — not to mention the 30 points scored in the first half — sealed it for Alabama and helped the team vanquish the Bulldogs. However, head coach Kirby Smart certainly liked what he saw for most of the second half from his defense.
What’s next?
This won’t be the only tough game Georgia faces this season.
Georgia, no doubt, is happy to face teams like Auburn and Mississippi State in the next two weeks at home, who won’t be as big of a challenge.
However, No. 1 Texas still remains on the Bulldogs’ schedule and may be an even tougher opponent to take down on the road.
Either way, Georgia’s fight and ability to claw back in the football game shows that the Bulldogs have an ability to win games like this.
The Bulldogs’ season isn’t over by any means. A strong finish can still mean Georgia nabs one of the 12 playoff spots and has a chance to win it all.
However, the Bulldogs still need to find an ability to start games a lot stronger or else they won’t even have a chance to play for a national title.
MORE THREE TAKEAWAYS
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