12/5/12 SEC Championship Game
Let me start this blog by saying that I was wrong about a lot of things when I made my predictions for this game. First and foremost, for the first time since November 2010, I predicted that Alabama would lose. I thought that our defense had been exposed over the last few games (LSU and Texas A&M), and I thought Georgia would score between 24 and 31 points. Actually, I was pretty close on that prediction. However, I had no idea that we would score 30+ on those guys. UGA was so loaded with talent on the defensive side, and they have such a good defensive coaching staff, that I thought McCarron wouldn’t stand a chance, and our running game wouldn’t be able to bail us out. Well, that was a whiff on the running game prediction, because we ran for 350 yards, and both Yeldon and Lacy looked the best I have ever seen them.
It will be almost impossible to recap this game in chronological order simply because there were so many crucial plays (in a game this close, all plays are crucial) that I couldn’t keep this blog to a reasonable length. Instead, I want to make some general observations, and then discuss a few plays at the end that really were win/lose scenarios. First, as Bama fans, we cheapen ourselves when we complain about the officiating. First, yes, it should have been a penalty on Dial. No matter how you read the rules, the refs have flexibility in how they interpret unnecessary roughness, and we have all seen blocks like that on QBs called. I’m glad they didn’t call it, but it’s because they missed it, not because they saw it and decided not to call it. Second, yes, the tipped pass was questionable. I can't look at the replay and say with any certainty that it was or wasn’t tipped. I definitely wish it wouldn’t have been called because it stopped our drive, and subsequently led to the blocked FG/TD. At that point, we were down 21-10, and it was looking VERY bleak. However, that’s when the game changed, and we showed our resolve as defending national champions. We scored two TDs in fairly short order, and took a lead early in the fourth quarter.
But the resiliency that we showed at that point occurred throughout the game by both teams. We scrapped our way to our first lead on the last play of the half, but UGA took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove for a TD, regaining the lead. After we managed to get the lead back early in the fourth quarter, UGA immediately drove the length of the field again and scored a TD, taking a 3 point lead. There were so many momentum changes in this game that it’s hard to say exactly where the main turning point occurred, so I’ve narrowed it down to two specific events. First, early in the third quarter with us trailing by 4, I made the statement that we should run the ball every single play for the rest of the game. Simply put, we couldn’t throw the ball on those guys, and for once, I don’t think it was AJ’s fault. Our WRs were just absolutely blanket-covered by the UGA secondary, and throwing the ball was nothing more than a waste of a down. I think Coach Nuss listened to me, because from that point on, the focus went squarely to our running game. The second, and real, turning point came with about 6:30 left in the third. We were down by 11, and just got the ball back after the blocked FG debacle. Yeldon ran over right tackle for about a 4-yard gain, but DJ Fluker (who pancaked his man) got up after the play and went ballistic on the offensive line. I don’t know what he said, but from that point on, the O-line looked like what they had been hyped as being the whole season, the best O-line in the nation. Yeldon followed immediately with a huge 30+ yard run, and seemingly in the blink of an eye, we rode that running game to a 25-21 lead.
As we all know and as I mentioned before, UGA immediately drove the ball right down our throat and scored again, setting the stage for the unbelievable, dramatic finish. I won’t go over every detail, but here are some quick hitters:
1) The UGA punt returner fair-catching the ball on the 6-yard line was a crucial mistake.
2) The 3rd and 1 stop on that drive while we were down 28-25 was monumentally huge. If not for that stop, I’m fairly certain that we would have lost the game. Jesse Williams made a heroic effort to get off his block and make that stop.
3) We faced a 3rd and 5 on the subsequent drive that was absolutely vital. We ran the ball, which I thought was both gutsy and necessary (because we couldn’t throw the ball), and Yeldon really made a phenomenal run. He bounced it outside, but the UGA defensive back had containment, so Yeldon had to cut it back between the inside pile and the DB, and somehow made the first. Again, I think we lose if not for that effort.
4) AJ made a perfect pass on that play action bomb to Amari. The only way we were going to complete a pass at that point was to make UGA absolutely, positively 100% certain that we were going to run the ball. We did that, the Georgia DB bit, and we got the TD.
5) After the 3 and out on UGA’s next drive, I really thought we had it won. We only needed one first down to win. We didn’t get it, but we were really close. Watch the 3rd down play. Jesse Williams flatted his man, clearing the way for Yeldon. However, Steen barely missed his block on the UGA linebacker (Number 35), allowing him to get inside position. Ultimately Number 35 was able to flow across the field and stop Yeldon short of the first down. Without that narrowly missed block, the last drive heroics never would have occurred.
6) I (obviously) was really hoping that the Milliner interception would stand, but it did hit the ground.
7) Did you notice that Dial tipped that pass to King that took the ball down to our 35? Anybody that wins a game like this has to get lucky in some way, shape, or form, but UGA got lucky there.
8) The play where their TE carried Vinnie down to our 8 made me nauseous.
9) I don’t know if Mosley is getting the credit he deserves for that last play tipped pass, but in my opinion, if not for that tip, we would have lost.
When all was said and done, we came away with a 32-28 win and a chance to win our 3rd national championship in 4 years. Don’t get me wrong; Notre Dame poses a stern challenge, and us actually winning the championship is anything but a foregone conclusion, but that is for another time. For now, we’re the 2012 SEC Champions, and in a conference like this, that is something that we can be really proud of. I’ll post a blog or two before the big game to preview the matchup, so be sure to check back. Until then, as always, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Kenny