NCAA Football: The Tide rolls over the Bulldogs to win SEC title
Atlanta, Georgia - The Alabama Crimson Tide is another step closer to a repeat performance of last year’s successful college football season after dominating the Georgia Bulldogs for this year’s SEC championship.
The third-ranked Crimson Tide beat down the top-ranked Bulldogs 41-24 in the 2021 SEC Championship Game for their second-straight conference title and third in the last four years.
After Georgia jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, Alabama finally settled in to score 17 straight points for their first lead of the game.
The Bulldogs answered back with a touchdown to tie things up, but the Tide roared back with a score of their own for a 24-17 lead at halftime.
Alabama owned the third quarter and moved up to a 14-point lead, only to keep the heat on by scoring another TD to open the fourth. They led the final quarter 38-17 to start putting things out of reach for the Bulldogs.
Georgia found the end zone again to cut their deficit to 14, but the Tide eventually scored one last time in the game's final minutes to wrap up another SEC crown.
The player spotlight
Once again, sophomore Bryce Young (20) was the star of the show for the Crimson Tide.
He threw Alabama’s first two touchdowns to help spark the offensive attack that helped the Tide roll away with the win.
He was also dangerous running with the ball, being a dual-threat that the Bulldogs just couldn’t contain throughout the game.
Young finished the game with 26-for-44 passing, 421 yards, and three touchdowns to go along with three rushes for 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He won game MVP honors.
The big picture
With their big win on Saturday, the Tide might be switching places as far as rankings go when upcoming playoff spots are announced.
The Bulldogs have held onto the top spot since Alabama lost their only game of the season back in October.
But while Georgia hasn't lost a game this year, Alabama went off for seven wins in a row and just handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
The Tide has found its groove and is playing like a team that will have no problem lifting the national championship trophy for the second straight year.
Both teams will have to wait and see if the playoff committee will pit them against each other in a rematch once the playoff seedings are determined on Sunday.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire