Photo Credit, sbnation.com
Bama’s defense weights down bulldogs in second half
Coach Nick Sabin shocked the nation in front of 77, 430 spectators by benching sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts in favor of true freshman standout Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts and the Tide’s offense struggled throughout the first half. The offense finished the half scoreless.
In search of a spark, Sabin turned to Tagovailoa, who started the second half. Initially, Hurts and Tagovailoa were tabbed to share time, but Sabin stayed with Tagovailoa the remainder of the game.
It took the freshman all of one half to sky-rocket into the spotlight. Literally an overnight success. The closing of the game proved it when Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard strike to De’Vonta Smith in overtime to lift the Crimson Tide to its sixth title under Sabin by knocking off Georgia, 26-23 in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
The expression of disappointment painted the faces of Alabama (13-1) fans after Bulldog’s strong safety Dominick Sanders blasted around the right side and dropped Tagovailoa for a 16-yard loss on first down of overtime at the Bama’s 41. But the following play did more than makeup for what it lost. The southpaw found a comfortable spot in the pocket, looking right as Georgia’s secondary held tight coverage and turning left, firing a strike to De’Vonta Smith, who easily beat defensive back Malkom Parrish off the line of scrimmage and down the left sideline.
That instantly sent Tide fans into an uproar of cheers as its players ran onto the field in celebration.
In last season’s title game, the Tide fell to Clemson, 35-31, who were led by Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Georgia (13-2) took possession of the ball first in overtime. Senior running back Nick Chub’s first two carries netted zero yards. On third and ten, Bama’s linebacker Terrell Lewis sacked Fromm, resulting in a 12-yard loss which led to Rodrigo Blankenship’s beautiful 51-yard field goal to give Georgia a 23-20 lead. That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get.
Early on, Hurts started the game, but his lackluster performance did little to produce points and often drives stalled. But the moment arrived after defensive back Tony Brown intercepted Fromm at the Bama 36-yard line. Later, on the possession, facing second down and eight from the 17-yard line of Georgia, Hurts overthrew a pass to receiver Calvin Ridley, who was all alone in the right side of the end zone.
He was sacked twice. Once by Ledbetter and cornerback Tyrique McGhee in the first quarter, and outside linebacker Davin Bellamy, later in the second quarter. Also, targeting downfield receivers seemed to be a tall task for Hurts. However, he carried the ball six times for 47 yards and finished 3-of-8 for 21 yards through the air.
The accolades kept coming for Bama as fans watched Sabin collect his sixth title, tying legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who coached Alabama from 1958-1982. Bryant’s impressive 25-year stint at the school included titles in 1961, ’64, ’65, ’73, ’78 and 79 and netted 323 wins.
Tagovailoa, a Hawaiian native starred at one of the country’s top high school football programs, St. Louis of Honolulu, Hawaii. His impressive performance concluded on 14-of-24 passing for 166 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Tailback Najee Harris rushed for 64 yards on six carries.
Fromm gave his best effort passing for 232 yards on 16-of-32 attempts with a touchdown and one interception. Sony Michel led all rusher with 98 yards on 14 carries, Ridley caught six receptions for 82 yards, and Mecole Hardman added two catches for 80 yards.
Nothing prepared Alabama for the Bulldog’s surprising 13-0 halftime lead. On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia’s front seven of defensive end-Jonathan Ledbetter, nose guard-John Atkins, defensive tackle-Tyler Clark, linebacker-Davin Bellamy, linebacker-Reggie Carter, linebacker-Lorenzo Carter, and linebacker-Roquan Smith, the Butkus award winner, pressured Hurts while the secondary harassed its receivers.
The Bulldogs pushed all the correct buttons, piecing together a balanced attack led by freshman quarterback Fromm. Known for its running game, the crowd watched Fromm work from the pocket with timely passes to receiver Terry Godwin, Michel, Riley Ridley, and Javon Wims. Mix in the rushing of running backs Nick Chub, Michel, and D’Andre Swift, and equated to an off-balanced Tide defense.
But the second half belonged to the Tide. Alabama looked more like itself on its second possession of the third quarter. After his first pass fell incomplete, Tagovailoa escaped the grasp of Bellamy, got behind a pair of Bama blockers and scampered down to the Bulldog’s 44 for a first down. From there, he completed four consecutive passes, including a six-yard touchdown toss to Henry Ruggs III with 8:52 left in the third quarter to make the score 13-7 after Andy Pappanastos extra point kick.
On Georgia’s ensuing drive, it reminded the Tide that nothing had changed as it drove 93 yards in four plays. After cornerback Anthony Averett dropped Chub for an eight-yard loss at the 13, two downs later, Hardman reeled in an 80-yard scoring pass from Fromm to stretch its lead back to 13, 20-7 with 6:52 to go in the third quarter.
Right after, the Bulldogs grabbed the momentum when defensive back Deandre Baker intercepted Tagovailoa at the 38 of Bama. But on the next play, 307-pound defensive lineman Raekwon Davis picked off Fromm and return the ball 19-yards to the Georgia 40. Pappanastos staged the turnover into a 43-yard field goal to draw the Tide closer at 20-10.
The Tide would score two more times to tie the game. Pappanastos added a 30-yard with 9:24 left in the fourth quarter and Tagovailoa threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley to even the score at 20.
Alabama’s defense combined for eight second-half stops behind the line of scrimmage, no gain or sacks to stifle Georgia’s offense.
As time wound down to three seconds and a chance for the Tide to win in regulation, Pappanastos 36 yard field goal attempt sail wide left.