It labeled a heavyweight title fight -- Round II -- down in Atlanta between No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama and that’s just what we got heading into halftime as the Bulldogs are up 21-14 and certainly eyeing a bit of revenge in this year’s SEC Championship Game.
Leading the way for the East Champs was quarterback Jake Fromm, who was simply dealing against the Tide defense and was already up to 14-of-17 passes for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns after the first two quarters. His pinpoint passing helped sustain several lengthy drives and started to open things up on the ground for the big fellas in the backfield. D’Andre Swift was his usual productive self in hitting the edge with 64 yards rushing and a score while teammate Elijah Holyfield was responsible for 29 yards between the tackles against that stout front seven.
Alabama’s offense, meanwhile, was a little off in their biggest game to date. Tua Tagovailoa finished the half with just 35 yards and slightly injured his ankle on a sack that occurred one play prior to him throwing a red zone interception. Despite a long run back on the turnover by Richard LeCounte though, the Tide defense picked up their teammates by forcing a punt and Tagovailoa eventually returned to action.
Tailback Josh Jacobs was the workhorse on the ground with 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the latter of which came as the clock was winding down in the second quarter that saw him recover his own fumble in the end zone. His effort was a big part of the offense getting anything going at all given a big number of drops from the wide receivers.
It makes for a fascinating final two quarters with at least one berth in the College Football Playoff on the line. Georgia led in these teams last meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium 11 months ago and the fans in red and black are hoping for a very different kind of ending this time around.