PREVIOUS ALABAMA-GEORGIA MEETINGS UNDER KIRBY SMART

JAN. 8, 2018

Mercedes-benz Stadium

No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 (OT)

What: 2017 CFP National Championship game

Known for: “Second-and-26’ and “Tyler Simmons Was Onside”

Halftime score: Georgia 13, Alabama 0

Key moments: A blocked punt and recovery by Simmons was overruled by offside penalty, which video replay showed was in error. Georgia would have taken possession inside the Alabama 20 two minutes into the third quarter. Instead, Alabama scored on its next possession to make it 13-7. … Calvin Ridley’s 4-yard TD catch on fourth-and-goal tied the score at 20-20 with 3:49 to play. After Rodrigo Blankenship’s 51-yard field goal put the Bulldogs ahead in the first overtime, freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit freshman wideout Devonta Smith with a 41-yard touchdown pass on second down with 26 yards to go.

Criticism: Georgia played too conservative with the lead. The Bulldogs punted from the Alabama 39 facing fourth-and-6 with 2:00 remaining in the third quarter. Georgia ran the ball on every play of its next possession until facing third-and-4 at midfield and Jake Fromm was sacked. The Bulldogs had a three-and-out, all-run possession on their next series as well.

DEC. 1, 2018

Mercedes Benz, Stadium

No. 1 Alabama 35, No. 4 Georgia 28 What: 2018 SEC Championship game

Known for: “Ill-fated Fake”

Halftime score: Georgia 21, Alabama 14

Key moments: The Bulldogs led 28-14 at the 8:20 mark of the third quarter when Blankenship, a Lou Groza Award finalist, missed a 30-yard field-goal try wide left. … Georgia still led 28-21 in the fourth quarter when Saban switched to quarterback Jalen Hurts after a banged-up Tagovailoa continued to struggle under the Bulldogs’ relentless pass pressure. … Georgia lost outside linebacker D’andre Walker to a groin injury in the second half. Brenton Cox and Walter Grant proved ineffective at containing the more mobile Hurts, who made several first-down runs. Hurts connected with Jerry Jeudy on third-and-goal to tie the score at 2828 with 5:19 to play.

Criticism: No time to run a fake a punt. Facing fourth-and-11 at the 50 with 3:30 to play, Smart sent in quarterback Justin Fields as the upback on punt team. The snap went to Fields, who was supposed to throw the ball downfield to an uncovered D’andre Swift. Bama sniffed it out, and Fields was forced to run for a 2-yard gain. Hurts scored the gamewinning touchdown five plays later. Conventional wisdom says to punt them deep, defend and try get the game into overtime.

OCT. 17, 2020

Bryant-denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

No. 2 Alabama 41, No. 3. Georgia 24 What: SEC regular-season matchup

Known for: “Mac Jones Goes Deep Again!”

Halftime score: Georgia 24, Alabama 20

Key moments: The Bulldogs went ahead 24-17 on Stetson Bennett’s 5-yard TD pass to freshman Jermaine Burton with just 23 seconds remaining in the half. But that was enough time for quarterback Mac Jones to lead Alabama on a four-play, 41-yard field-goal drive. … Bennett, who’d been intercepted on a fluke, line-of-scrimmage pass play in the first half, was intercepted twice more in the second. On one he was trying to force the action on third-and-long. The other should have been caught by Burton but deflected off his hands.

Criticism: Georgia insisted on using man coverage to defend Bama wideouts. The Tide would take its first lead, 27-24, on a 90-yard TD pass to Jaylen Waddle. On the play, junior cornerback Tyson Campbell fell down trying to cover Waddle man-to-man. Georgia safeties Lewis Cine and Richard Lecounte also got beat for long touchdowns in single coverage against John Metchie and Devonta Smith.