Georgia made too many mistakes to bounce back from, and its comeback attempt fell short in a 24-21 loss to Alabama last Saturday night at Sanford Stadium.
The Bulldogs struggled early, both offensively and defensively, allowing No. 17 Crimson Tide to capitalize on their mistakes.
“I don’t have an explanation for it,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. “I mean, not starting well on defense. I can’t say that, it’s not really both sides of the ball. In the kicking game, we made some plays. Offensively, we made plays.
“Defensively, two games we played, the two better opponents we played, we did not execute well in the first. It’s really frustrating because we show we can in the second half. We showed we can in the second and third quarters with Tennessee. And with this game, it was more second half.”
The Tide scored on their first two possessions, while the Bulldogs struggled to get off the field on third down. Their offense also converted their first seven third-down attempts and finished the first half 8 of 11.
Alabama finished the game converting 13 of 19 third-down attempts.
“They out-executed us tonight for what was clear, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I’ve coached a lot of years, and we’ve never been 13 of 19 on third down, and that tells the tale of the game,” Smart said.
Georgia’s first two offensive possessions resulted in punts. The Bulldogs finally scored on their third possession, when quarterback Gunner Stockton threw a 38-yard touchdown strike to receiver Colbie Young.
Trailing 14-7 after the defense forced a three-and-out, Georgia running back Nate Frazier fumbled the ball, and Alabama recovered. The Crimson Tide started their drive at the Bulldog 11-yard line but were limited to a field goal.
Georgia responded with a rushing touchdown by running back Chauncey Bowens on the next drive, narrowing the gap to one possession. Alabama then extended its lead to two scores before halftime as quarterback Ty Simpson scrambled for a touchdown, giving the Crimson Tide a 24-14 advantage.
The Bulldogs got a break to start the second half when Alabama’s kicker missed a 43-yard field goal. They then scored quickly, with running back Josh McCray crossing the goal line, and then trailed 24-21 after the PAT.
The Georgia defense made a fourth-down stand on the following drive. The Bulldogs finally had a chance to take the lead, but receiver Talyn Taylor made a costly mistake and dropped a pass on his way to the end zone.
Even after Taylor’s drop, it seemed like momentum was still in Georgia’s favor until a few minutes into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs forced another three-and-out and took over with 3:43 remaining in the third.
Stockton energized the offense with a 21-yard scramble down to the Alabama 27-yard line. Georgia then moved inside the 10 before facing a 4th-and-1, where a handoff to Cash Jones resulted in a turnover on downs.
Smart elected to run tempo and not tie the game with a field goal.
“We’d run it earlier in the night and run it for a conversion,” Smart said. “We missed a block that we’ve got to make, and they ran through and made a great play to stop it. But I’d do that 10 out of 10 times in terms of going for it.”
Alabama didn’t score in the second half but finished the game by forcing Georgia to punt after preventing a first down on a 3rd-and-9 with 3:25 left. They also converted on third down on offense to seal it.
“We know what our identity is. We know who we are. The problem is that to do that, you’ve got to play better defensively,” Smart said. “To be a hard-nosed, run team, physical, grind it out, and be able to hit some shots. I mean, we hit some shots. We didn’t make all our shots, but it’s hard to play from behind all the time.”