(Photo From: Rhona Wise/USA Today)
It's that time of year again. The time where the two best in college football duke it out for the National Championship. This year's matchup features two SEC heavyweights in the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs.
About the Teams
Alabama
A very familiar face in the CFP National Championship for the better part of the last decade, Alabama comes in looking for their 19th National Title and their 7th in the Nick Saban era. Nick Saban is in his 15th season as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Throughout the 2021 College Football Season, Alabama did what Alabama does and went 13-1 throughout the regular season.
Key Players
- Bryce Young - QB - 4,872 YDs, 47 TDs, 7 INT - 2021 Heisman Award Winner
- Jameson Williams - WR - 79 REC, 1,572 YDs, 15 TDs
- Brian Robinson Jr. - RB - 1,336 YDs, 16 TDs
- Will Anderson Jr. - LB - 17.5 Sacks, 101 Tackles
Georgia
Another one of the more successful programs in College Football over time, Georgia came in looking for their third national title and first since 1980. Their head coach is Kirby Smart, who is in his 6th season as head coach of the team.
Throughout the 2021 College Football Season, Georgia also had a 13-1 record.
Key Players
- Stetson Bennett - QB - 2,862 YDs, 29 TDs, 7 INT
- Zamir White - RB - 856 YDs, 11 TDs
- Nakobe Dean - LB - 6.0 Sacks, 72 Tackles, 2 INT
Recapping The Game
First Quarter
Alabama began the game with the ball due to the fact that Georgia had won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Crimson Tide began the game very run heavy, passing the ball very little. Bama got into the redzone but could not get it into the end zone as they had to settle for a field goal to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Georgia had put up a great defensive effort but had also struggled to put one in the end zone. The first quarter ended with Alabama up 3-0.
Second Quarter
The second quarter began with Georgia in the red zone. Alabama Put up a great defensive effort and held the Bulldogs to just a field goal to tie the game at 3 apiece. On their next drive, Alabama obtained another field goal to go back on top 6-3. Alabama's next drive led to the same result and the score was 9-3. At this point in the game, it seemed like we were in for a great defensive matchup. After Alabama's two recent field goals, Georgia struck back with one of their own to make it 9-6. It stayed that way at halftime.
Third Quarter
Coming out of halftime, both teams came out with the mindset of wanting to get their offenses going early in the second half. Alabama was going to have to do it without star wide receiver Jameson Williams. Early on, Georgia made the first takeaway of the game with a clutch INT. However, they could not capitalize off of the INT and punted the ball back to Alabama. Alabama then began to run the ball more during this quarter, going to running back Brian Robinson Jr. After failing to score a touchdown, Alabama attempted to kick another field goal but it was instead blocked by Georgia. Georgia then proceeded to take the lead on a touchdown from running back Zamir White. The Bulldogs made the extra point to make it a 13-9 game in favor of Georgia.
Fourth Quarter
Alabama started off the final quarter of the game with a scoring drive that ended like the others so far: in a field goal. That would make the score 13-12. It was during the next drive that Alabama would recover a crucial fumble. This led to the Crimson Tide scoring a TD on a pass from QB Bryce Young to Cameron Latu. Alabama then attempted to go for a two point conversion but failed. The score was now 18-13 in favor of Alabama. On Georgia's next drive, QB Stetson Bennett fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Georgia also went for the two point conversion, but failed. The score was 19-18 in favor of Georgia. Georgia scored another touchdown on their next drive along with a made extra point to extend their lead to 26-18. Georgia then caught a game-sealing pick 6 INT and made extra point to make the score 33-18. That would be the final score as the Georgia Bulldogs win their first CFP National Championship since 1980.
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