Entering Saturday, Georgia's last loss came against Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship.
With history repeating itself, the Bulldogs' 29-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Crimson Tide, 27-24, with a conference title on the line. Alabama running back Roydell Williams punched in a 1-yard touchdown with 5:47 to go to build a 10-point lead and provide the necessary cushion to give Georgia its first defeat of the season.
The Bulldogs will now need quite a bit of help to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Georgia began the game fast, jumping out to a 7-0 lead with a 12-yard Kendall Milton touchdown. However, Alabama scored 17 unanswered points, with Peyton Woodring missing a 50-yard field goal--his first miss since Week 3 against South Carolina.
Georgia cut the game to 20-17 in the fourth quarter at the 10:16 mark with a Carson Beck 1-yard touchdown. However, the Crimson Tide responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that took up 4:29 to go up 27-17. While the Bulldogs responded to cut the lead to 27-24 on a Kendall Milton touchdown, they were unable to get a stop to try to tie or win the game at the end.
What it means
Georgia will now need the ACC and Big Ten championships to break its way to have a chance at sneaking into the College Football Playoff. With its first loss of the season and without a conference championship, the Bulldogs will need Iowa to upset Michigan and for Louisville to defeat Florida State. If both those teams fall, the Bulldogs have a good chance to be the No. 4 seed when the four-team field is announced.
A question that needs answering
Where did the aggressive offense go?
Georgia opened the game on fire offensively. Beck completed his first four passes of the game, and the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs are at their best when they're able to be aggressive and set a quick tempo.
Following the first drive, the aggression disappeared for a long while. In the first half, Georgia was enamored with the toss to the boundary side, which Alabama snuffed out repeatedly. If head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo could have a re-do in the first half, perhaps it would have been more Beck through the air and less of a ground game that has been inconsistent all year, especially against better opponents.
Three important plays
False start: On fourth down at the Alabama 26-yard line, Georgia lined up for a field goal. However, the Bulldogs committed a false start penalty and had to move back to the 31. Woodring's subsequent 50-yard field looked good most of the way, but started to veer right late. The ball hit the right upright and bounced back to the end zone. The five yards on that kick proved crucial, keeping the Bulldogs from getting what was a needed three points out of that drive.
No review: On Alabama's final drive of the first half, it faced a fourth-and-4 and elected to go for it. Milroe found receiver Isaiah Bond for 22 yards and a first down, with the Crimson Tide hurrying to the line to run another play. The officiating crew didn't stop the game to take a look at the play, even though it looked like the ball possibly hit the turf. The Crimson Tide concluded the drive with a touchdown and held a 17-7 lead at the half.
Milroe puts it away: Milroe picked up two first down runs on Alabama's final possession, with the second putting the game away for the Crimson Tide.
Grading Georgia
Offense: D
With the running backs, Georgia averaged 3.5 yards per carry and ran it 23 times with them. It's hard to place blame on the players, however, when any casual observer could tell you what this game flow needed to be.
Defense: B
After an exceptional start on Alabama's first two possessions, it became increasingly difficult to keep Milroe from making plays in key situations. The unit did play better in the second half and limited Milroe to only 192 passing yards. But needing a stop to give the offense the ball back with a chance to win, the defense was unable to stop Milroe in the running game.
Special teams: B+
The false start that led to the missed field goal was such a major mistake. But Anthony Evans III helped spark Georgia early in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard punt return that led to a quick touchdown. Brett Thorson was outstanding once again.
Season grades to date
Offense: B+
Defense: B
Special teams: A-
