I got some bones to pick. I got some things to say about this one. Matter of fact, I got a whole lot to say.
I'll start with a mea culpa. I was wrong. I thought that with Hurricane Isaias barreling over the State of Alabama yesterday, this game should have been rescheduled or relocated for the safety of both the fans and the players. I thought Alabama was maybe playing a game of chicken with the Georgia Bulldogs, who had to drive across two states during flash-flood conditions in order to play. I thought the Tide was hoping Georgia was going to decline to travel and forfeit the game, giving Alabama an easy win.
As it turned out, despite my misgivings, the game went off fine despite the conditions. The Bulldogs arrived safely, and I heard no news stories about fans drowning in flash floods while driving to attend the game or being turned away due to road closures or other adverse conditions. The field didn't appear soggy, there were no slippery ball/wet ball miscues, and no rain delays. The only impact the weather seemed to have on the game, and this was infuriating, was just before the half, as Alabama was driving toward the Georgia end zone, local television here in the Atlanta region cut away to announce a tornado watch for nearby Butts County.
I was surprised, because I had thought that the hurricane had passed over Alabama hours ago, and Georgia was in the clear. It was alarming to learn a tornado had been confirmed within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Now, by all means, a tornado watch is serious business and ABC was absolutely correct to cut in with a warning. They went to a split screen view, with the sound off on the game, and a weatherperson explained the situation and advised residents in the affected zone to seek shelter immediately. My complaint is that she went on and on and on, fillibustering endlessly with meteorology lessons, asides about the broadcasting process, and endlessly repeating the warning and advice over and over. Meanwhile, with Georgia leading by three and only seconds left in the half, Alabama was advancing the ball closer and closer to a go-ahead touchdown, a potential turning point in the game.
The weatherperson said she understood she was interrupting the game, but her tone was dismissive. She never said anything insensitive to the fans she was interrupting, a transcript of her words would show no condescension, but the tone of her voice was "Well, so sorry to interrupt your precious little sports game with a life-and-death emergency warning." We could see the game, but the clock had stopped for some reason that wasn't clear with the audio off while the weatherlady repeated for like the ninetieth time, "Tornado watch in effect for Butts County."
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!", I and the rest of Bulldog Nation were collectively screaming at our television sets (I confirmed on Reddit that I wasn't the only one screaming). Alabama eventually scored and took a 10-7 lead - we could see that on the silent half of the screen - but we had no understanding why the clock had stopped for them multiple times during the drive or why calls were made or not made (more on that later).
So for the record, I was wrong about the wanting the rescheduled and the interruption was the only impact Isaias had on the game, as far as I know.
Anyway and otherwise, what a game! It felt like and it was played like a championship match. Two titans, longtime SEC rivals and the No. 2 and No. 6 teams in the country, going at it with everything they had.
Well, maybe not quite everything. Georgia came into the game without star running backs Nate Frasier (211 yards and five TDs) and Chauncey Bowens (124 yards and six TDs), both out with injuries. Dwight Phillips, Jr. stepped up to the challenge and delivered 120 yards on 17 carries, and Bo Walker was no slouch with 69 yards of his own on six carries.
Georgia scored first. On thier first possession of the game, Gunner Stockton and the Dawgs drove the ball from their own 39 to the Alabama 17, but a pair of costly penalties forced Georgia to settle for a field goal. The Dawgs scored again in the second quarter on a 20-yard, Stockton-to-London Humphries pass. It was quickly 10-0, Bulldogs.
On the next possession, Alabama struck back with a TD of their own. The Tide's Trae'shawn Brown broke through Georgia's d-line for a 59-yard run before getting tackled deep in the backfield by KJ Bolden On the next play, Alabama QB Keelon Russell completed a 22-yard TD for the Tide's first points of the game. However, there was clearly a hold by an Alabama lineman that allowed Russell the time in the pocket to complete the pass, but the refs missed the call. Let me repeat that: the refs missed a holding call on an Alabama scoring play. They should have been penalized five yards, but the play was allowed to stand. It was a bad call - bad no call, actually - but coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs didn't lose their shit over it, like Alabama and their loser coach did later in the game. Some calls go your way, some don't - you focus on what you can do on the field and try your best to overcome whatever obstacles the zebras throw your way.
As discussed above, Alabama scored again in the last seconds of the half as the broadcast in Georgia was interrupted by some weatherlady yapping incessantly about a hurricane watch in a far-flung suburb (no one was hurt and as far as I know, no damage was reported). The score was 14-10, Alabama, at the half, the first time all season the Bulldogs weren't ahead in the score.
Georgia fixed that in their first possession of the second half, They had won the coin toss, and elected to receive in the second half, and the decision payed off. They drove the ball 61 yards from their own 25, and then Stockton rushed for a TD from the Alabama 14. With the score 17-14, Georgia, the Dawgs were back in the lead. At least until Alabama tied the game back up with a third quarter FG.
For another insufferable 10 minutes, the game remained tied until Georgia's Peyton Woodring, who had missed a FG attempt earlier, completed a kick from the Alabama 23. 20-17, Georgia.
On their final drive, Alabama advanced the ball to within range for a game-tying FG field on the Georgia 34. Then the play the game will unfortunately be remembered for occurred. Alabama QB Russell threw an incomplete pass into the end zone intended for Rico Scott. But two Georgia defenders were there and KJ Bolden, who earlier stopped Trae'shawn Brown's potential TD run clearly made contact with Scott.
Was it pass interference? Yes, it was. Was it called? No, it wasn't. Should it have been? Yes, it should have. There I said it. Georgia should have gotten a PI call but didn't. Just like Alabama should have been charged for holding on their first-quarter TD, but didn't. Just like Alabama has gotten away with "no calls" on countless games in the past. Just like for every other team in the FBS, some calls go your way, some don't, and others aren't made at all, for or against your team. That's football. That's what happens. Deal with it.
But OF COURSE Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and the entire state of Alabama went apeshit. Of course, ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit, who's long hated the Dawgs, at least since they beat his precious Ohio State Buckeyes, complained over and over and fucking over again that Alabama got robbed, and after the game concluded, "Georgia got lucky."
Luck went both ways, Kirk. In addition to the first half TD, Alabama got away with other holding calls. And even if the PI was called, Alabama wouldn't have been awarded with a TD. All the way back on the 34, they wouldn't even have gotten half the distance to the goal. Georgia would have been assessed a 15 yard penalty which, yes, would have put Alabama in a better position to possibly score, but Georgia had led the game for all but three seconds of the first half and led or was at least tied for most of the second. Alabama had the lead for only about five minutes all game. Yes, it's only the final score that matters, but there's no guarantee the correct call would have won the game for Alabama.
As it was, Russell got sacked on the next play, putting Bama out of FG range and forcing them to punt back to Georgia for a final drive. The atmosphere on the field and the Bama sideline was so toxic that on Georiga's final drive, Alabama hothead Dijon Lee slapped a little mustard on Bulldog wide receiver Craig Dandridge at the end of a play. Dijon was assessed a personal foul, which gave the Bulldogs the first down they needed to run out the clock and win the game, 20-17. Thanks, Dijon!
Not only on the field, the atmosphere was so toxic in the stands that Alabama fans were throwing gabage ond "objects" at Georgia players as they left the field. Coash Smart had to tell the players to put their helmets on as they left the field. Talk about sore losers!
The narrative that Georgia "got lucky" with the PI no-call and that the refs were biased against Bama is simply paranoid bullshit. MAGA-level self-delusional. Georgia fought through plenty of their own penalties, including an earlier offensive pass interference call and a holding call that took away a Dwight Phillips Jr. touchdown run. Calls went against both teams, but Georgia fought through them while Alabama imploded.
And Kirk Herbstreit is a jerk.
Gunner Stockton finished the game with 249 passing yards on 18-for-22 attempts and a QB rating of 182.8. Alabama's Keelon Russell had 185 yards and on 16-of 30 and a 116.1 rating. So what's the Yahoo Sports headline after thee game? "Georgia deserves credit for gutsy win over Alabama, but Crimson Tide QB Keelon Russell has us hoping for a rematch." It's always, "Bama, Bama, Bama" with these guys. Fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers.
I could say more, and sooner or later probably will, but I like ending this post with "fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers."
Fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers.
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