Tide rolls over Georgia
Young shreds Bulldogs’ defense with 4TDS, 461 total yards
ATLANTA» Underdog is an unusual role for Alabama. Turns out, it suits the Crimson Tide just fine.
Now, Nick Saban’s team is in a much more familiar position: getting ready to play for another national title.
Bryce Young carved up the nation’s toprated defense, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another as the fourthranked Crimson Tide rolled over No. 1 Georgia 41-24 in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday.
The stunning result will likely send both powerhouse programs to the four-team College Football Playoff.
For Alabama, it would be the seventh appearance in the eight-year history of this postseason format, but this might the most unlikely one of all given the way the Tide
late in the regular season.
Saban made sure his players heard all the skeptics. “You guys gave us a lot of positive rat poison,” the coach quipped to reporters. “The rat poison you usually give us is fatal. But the rat poison you put out there this week was yummy.”
No one lapped it up more than Young, who set SEC championship records with 421 yards passing and 461 yards total offense.
“He played great tonight,” Saban said. “He’s played great for us all year long.”
Coming off a surprisingly difficult, fourovertime win over Auburn and already saddled with a loss, the Tide knew they needed a victory to ensure a return to the playoff. No problem.
The reigning national champions gave Saban a chance to add to his record seven titles — six of them coming since he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007 to lead a storied program that has become perhaps the greatest dynasty in college football history.
“The resiliency they’ve shown all year makes this so special,” Saban said.
Georgia (12-1, No. 1 CFP) cruised through the regular season, barely challenged and a unanimous choice as the nation’s No. 1 team for the past two months. The Bulldogs boasted a fearsome defensive unit that had allowed only 6.9 points a game.
Young made that vaunted defense look like a scout team, earning game MVP honors, bolstering his Heisman Trophy chances and moving on to an even bigger game on the final day of 2021.
“He’s soooo good at avoiding the rush,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He buys time with his mobility and makes plays downfield. Give him credit. He did a tremendous job.”
The playoff field will be announced Sunday, with the semifinals set for the Orange and Cotton bowls on Dec. 31.