Takeaways after Georgia defeats down Alabama 28-7 in SEC Championship rematch

ATLANTA — We’ve been here before.

Georgia football and Alabama have faced off in the SEC Championship the past few seasons. Safe to say it hasn’t gone well.

The Bulldogs have lost every recent SEC Championship game to the Crimson Tide. In fact, they’ve obtained a 1-7 record in the past 10 years between National Championship games and regular season matchups.

But the key is the one win. When the Bulldogs last played the Crimson Tide twice, they came away with a win in the 2021 National Championship.

Could UGA repeat history? Could Alabama continue its dominance against the Bulldogs?

Turns out it was the former. Georgia won dominantly, taking down Alabama 28-7, nearly shutting out the team it’s struggled with in the past.

Here are three takeaways from how Georgia dominated on its way to its second-straight SEC Championship.

A few months ago, the Georgia offense fell flat at times, despite quarterback Gunner Stockton’s best efforts.

This time around, both facets of the Georgia offense were working.

Both the running game and the passing game found success, as both went over 100 yards. Players like Nate Frazier and Stockton were stellar on the ground, and each nearly picked up 50 yards, including Frazier picking up a touchdown.

Meanwhile, players like Zachariah Branch and Dillon Bell had strong days through the air, each having a touchdown. Bell was also solid in the run game, as the jet sweep was working consistently for the Bulldogs.

While not perfect, Georgia did a good job on third down, converting 5-14 third downs.

Penalties were definitely an issue this game, ruining a drive or two. Georgia also didn’t have to drive down the field consistently, as turnovers and blocked punts helped a lot. However, the offense did everything it needed to do, picking up a dominant victory.

Back in September, this matchup didn’t go so well for Georgia.

The Bulldogs only converted two out of eight third-down conversions, while the Crimson Tide converted a whopping 13 out of 18.

This time, not so much. The Bulldogs stopped the Crimson Tide consistently, as they only converted two of nine third-down conversions.

There were a few times when inconvenient penalties hurt a few drives. Demello Jones committed a few untimely penalties, which could’ve helped Georgia shut out the Crimson Tide.

While that stat was stellar, it wasn’t the only area that Georgia dominated. Georgia held Alabama to only 1 rushing yard and kept the passing game mostly contained.

KJ Bolden was great in coverage, including tipping a pass and forcing an interception, which was caught by cornerback Daylen Everette. Ellis Robinson IV also made several solid pass breakups.

Warner Robins native Rasean Dinkins also got the start in this game, and was flying around the field and made a tackle

Georgia also got pressure this time around, bringing down Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson two times. They also had three tackles for a loss, as players like Chris Cole and Quintavius Johnson had consistent success at the line of scrimmage.

The Bulldogs could’ve generated more pressure or tackled better. Georgia has plenty of time to work on that over the bye week before its playoff game. However, between the blocked punt, interception, and constant pressure from guys like Johnson and Xzavier McLeod, the Bulldogs looked stellar.

Georgia is playing its best football at the right time.

No better evidence than Georgia dominantly defeating Alabama.

While Stockton isn’t having to put up Hesiman numbers week-in and week-out, the Bulldogs’ defense has come on. Harris, Johnson, and McLeod have been stellar on the line of scrimmage, the linebackers continue to play well and players like Robinson, Bolden and more have been amazing in the secondary.

Georgia has a bye on the way. The key, unlike last season, will be to keep its momentum going. The bye week is an easy time to lose momentum, just look at the Bulldogs’ appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in 2024.

However, this is an opportunity to get healthy, stronger and better at a few of the things that the Bulldogs have struggled with down the stretch.

But make no mistake, this was a terrific win for Georgia, as it took home its second-straight SEC Championship.