While there were plenty of great college football games today, all eyes centered on the Week 5 clash Saturday night between the Alabama Crimson Tide vs Georgia Bulldogs. Not only was it a matchup between heavyweights in the SEC, but it also carried a lot of importance for coaches Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Saturday night’s Alabama vs Georgia battle.
Winner: Ty Simpson Delivers his Iconic Alabama QB Moment
Alabama has its quarterback. The numbers from Ty Simpson weren’t gaudy on Saturday night, but he made the big plays when it mattered. Simpson scored all three of Alabama’s first-half touchdowns, and with the game on the line, he delivered the dagger third-down conversion that silenced the home crowd for good. Alabama is a top-10 team again, and the Heisman campaign for its star quarterback is beginning.
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Loser: Georgia Bulldogs’ Third Down Defense
Coming into Saturday night, Georgia’s defense held opponents to a 27.5 percent third-down conversion rate (23rd). You wouldn’t have guessed it with how easily Alabama’s offense moved the football on third downs in Week 5. The Crimson Tide had nearly as many third-down conversions in three quarters (11) as Georgia allowed in its first three games combined. Then, with one final chance ti get the football back, Georgia’s defense gave up the 3rd-and-5 conversion that sealed the Alabama win.
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Winner: Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor’s Big Man Moment
How can you not love football? Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor worked tirelessly to lose at least 15 pounds and he got there. So, Kalen DeBoer rewarded the 6-foot-7 lineman with a screen pass in the red zone on Saturday night. While Proctor didn’t get to deliver the college football world a big man touchdown, he broke a few tackles and moved it from the 13-yard line to the 2-yard line, setting up Ty Simpson’s touchdown. Seriously, how can anyone not love college football?
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Loser: Kalen DeBoer’s Second-Half Offense
In the first half, the Crimson Tide offense put up 24 points and 262 total yards, going 9-for-11 on third down and averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. Georgia made adjustments, and DeBoer seemingly never had an answer for it. Alabama’s offense was shut out in the third quarter, posting a 33.3 percent third-down conversion rate on its next six attempts, and there was still no ground game to speak of. Just a second-half implosion by DeBoer’s side of the ball, but the defense saved the night so 24 first-half points got the win.
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Winner: Georgia Bulldogs’ Explosive Run Game Leads a Rally
On a night when Gunner Stockton couldn’t get it going through the air against Alabama’s defense, Georgia once again turned to its ground game. It’s been a cornerstone on this side of the ball in September, averaging 209 rushing yards per game. Thanks to a pair of huge 40-yard runs by running back Chauncey Bowens and receiver Dillon Bell, Georgia put up over 220 rushing yards against an Alabama defense that allowed 138.3 rush yards per game coming into the night. If not for Bowens and Bell, the Bulldogs would’ve been embarrassed at home on national television.
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Loser: Gunner Stockton Struggles Under the Bright Lights
Gunner Stockton has been “the guy” for Georgia in September, posting the second-highest ESPN QBR (89.1) in the nation with a 69.8 percent completion rate and seven total touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ signal-caller just didn’t have it on Saturday night. In the second half, after the Bulldogs’ rushing offense rallied and made this a one-score game, Stockton was given multiple opportunities to lead the game-winning drive. He always fell short. Stockton will rebound from this, but it’s a blow to his Heisman candidacy and he really robbed Georgia of a great chance to finally take down Alabama.
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Winner: Jam Miller Shows His Value in Return
That’s how important Jam Miller is to Alabama. It won’t show up in the box score (46 carries, 2.9 yards per carry), but Miller’s work on passing downs made the difference on Saturday. He proved instrumental helping out in pass protection, resulting in Simpson only getting sacked once on 39 dropbacks. Fittingly, after all of his under-the-radar work, Miller came through with the game-sealing catch on third down that sunk Georgia. Miller is back, and the Crimson Tide are rolling into a home matchup versus Vanderbilt.
Loser: Georgia DB Ellis Robinson’s Lack of Discipline
Evidently, getting torched by the Tennessee Volunteers secondary a few weeks ago wasn’t enough for Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson. Late in the game, Alabama converted a 3rd-and-1 with Ty Simpson fighting through a rugby scrum to get it. The play was effectively dead, when Robinson flew in and jumped into the pile and made helmet-to-helmet contact, drawing an obvious 15-yard personal foul penalty. Instead of Alabama having it at its 23-yard line, the ball moved to the 38-yard line. The next first down sealed Alabama’s win.
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