ATLANTA – The question was asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time this season.

After two costly interceptions by quarterback Stetson Bennett, did Kirby Smart consider going with backup JT Daniels? Also, would Smart consider going with Daniels moving forward?

If you’ve been paying attention, his response sounded familiar.

“We have a decision to make every week at every position, but I have the utmost confidence in Stetson Bennett. I think he did some really nice things tonight,” Smart said. “We go and reevaluate everything all the time, but he played well. It's a tough environment we put him in defensively, and we have to be able to run the ball and have a little bit of semblance of balance. I felt like there were times tonight when we were getting into a scoring contest, because our defense didn't get stops. And you don't want to have to do that.

“But I certainly have a lot of confidence in Stetson, and I have a lot of confidence in J.T., too.”

Bennett’s day was certainly not his best.

The senior completed 29 of 48 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but his two interceptions, including a pick-6 by Jordan Battle, didn't help the Bulldogs’ cause.

His first interception came inside the Alabama red zone.

“You can't throw a pick down there. The one where they went all-out zero, clock was running down, didn't have time—whenever we went for it on fourth down, tried to scramble and make a play; it didn't happen,” Bennett said. “We’ve just got to finish it. We had opportunities. Like I said, we were moving it. We were driving the ball all four times, and just can't throw picks, and got to execute better.”

Senior left tackle Jamaree Salyer (foot) returned to action for the first time in four games and started Saturday’s game.

He would come out midway through the fourth quarter before returning during Georgia’s next offensive series.

He was not the only one.

Safety Christopher Smith dressed and played for the first time in three weeks. Although he didn't start, the senior saw extensive action throughout.

… Running back Kendall Milton dressed out but didn't play.

Smart was asked how the defeat would affect his Bulldogs moving forward.

“It didn't do any damage. What it did is reinvigorate our energy. It re-centers you, right?” Smart said. Their (Alabama) greatest thing is when they lost their game against Texas A&M, they garnered some focus and some attention. To me, that's an opportunity for a wakeup call, if anything.”

However, the fact that it happened in the SEC Championship doesn’t help matters.

“Unfortunately, it comes in a setting like this, but they're a really good football team. And the narrative out there was, well, they just went to Auburn, and they really struggled. Some of the sacks they gave up, their attackers didn't even get out of stance. The crowd noise was a major impact there,” Smart said. “Auburn played many of their downs almost every single play, and they won a lot of the battles we didn't win tonight. We knew the narrative coming in; these guys can throw the ball, and they've got a really good quarterback. They gave them the opportunity to make plays, and they made a lot of really good plays, along with their wideouts."

… Jameson Williams’ 67-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was the longest scoring play against the Bulldogs this year.

… The captains were seniors Quay Walker (LB), James Cook (RB), and juniors Zamir White (RB) and Nakobe Dean (LB). Alabama won the toss and deferred until the second half.

… Senior William Poole (DB) got his second career start and first since 2018.

Bulldogs Allow Season-High 41 Points: Georgia came in as the national leader in scoring defense (6.9 ppg) and then saw Alabama tally 24 points in the second quarter and 41 for the game. The Crimson Tide totaled 536 yards of total offense on 70 plays. Alabama was averaging 42.7 points per game entering the day. Georgia had allowed only seven points total in the second quarter, and the previous most total points allowed in a game this year was 17 by Tennessee. Before Saturday, Georgia’s first 12 opponents had scored just 83 points.

… Georgia’s leading receiver was freshman tight end Brock Bowers (10 catches for 139 yards, one touchdown), who tied former Georgia receiver Terrence Edwards for the school record with 11 touchdown catches in a single season. Bowers' score covered 18 yards and closed Georgia's deficit to 38-24. He notched his fourth career game of 100-plus yards receiving, and set an SEC Championship Game record for catches and yards by a tight end. Bowers is the first Bulldog to have at least 10 catches in a game since George Pickens against Baylor (12 for 175) in the 2020 Sugar Bowl.

... Pickens, who saw his first action of the year in the rout of Georgia Tech last Saturday after recovering from a knee injury, finished with two catches for 41 yards. Sophomore tight end Darnell Washington notched his first career touchdown, a 5-yarder to make it 10-0.

… Jack Podlesny went 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, making a 38-yarder. For the year, he is now 64-for-65 on PATs and 18-for-22 on field goals. Meanwhile, senior Jake Camarda handled the punting duties with four for a 52.5 average, including a career-long 68-yarder and another one that was 64 yards.