News Article: A few extra thoughts, context for Alabama’s SEC title comeback

JustNeedMe81

Hall of Fame
Sep 30, 2011
14,905
6,189
187
42
Huntsville, Al
Click here

-- Everything changed on second and goal. I remember watching Tagovailoa looking to the sideline and changing the play to something on the short side of the field with a few short routes. When Georgia had those covered, he spun around to buy time but was met by two Bulldogs for the sack and the first ankle injury that likely impacted the rest of his game. The interception on the next pass didn’t have the gas it needed.-- What’s notable: Both Georgia interceptions were made by safeties after Tagovailoa famously deked the Bulldog safety on the 2nd-and-26 play in January.

I was trying to figure out what happened on that play.


-- There were a few moments that felt like major momentum shifters early. The dropped pass by Irv Smith when he was wide open across the middle was huge but easily forgotten in the end. Easily could’ve been a touchdown, instead a punt and Georgia got cooking from there.
-- A combination of the injured ankle and Georgia’s varied defensive strategy just had Tagovailoa off his game all afternoon. He was late delivering passes, holding onto the ball too long in the pocket. There were also a number of drops like Smith’s and one from Jerry Jeudy on one that could’ve been a touchdown (though the Tide scored later in that first-half drive).-- Tight end Hale Hentges on Tagovailoa’s day: “We didn’t do a great job supporting him. That’s the great thing about football. Whenever one person doesn’t have the best game of their life, we can look toward everyone else. We should have done a better job making plays for him. We had a lot of drops.”-- A lot of us were confused at the second-quarter series with both Hurts and Tagovailoa in there. Georgia never bothered to cover the two QBs when they were lined up at receiver, leaving 11 defenders on nine offensive players. It led to a key three-and-out after falling behind 14-7 that almost ended in an interception dropped on the sideline.
-- It felt like if Alabama could score on that first drive of the second half, it would be a new game. Instead, it went three and out on the first two possessions that netted negative yardage and Georgia went up two touchdowns again. The delayed blitz was getting to Tagovailoa.
 

BayouBama75

All-SEC
Dec 7, 2001
1,012
105
187
Knoxville, TN
I remember seeing last night that the biggest comeback in SECCG history was 13 points......before last night.

Also, Tua didn't have one of his best games but I thought the play calling was probably the worst of the season as well.
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,213
29,371
287
Vinings, ga., usa
I remember seeing last night that the biggest comeback in SECCG history was 13 points......before last night.

Also, Tua didn't have one of his best games but I thought the play calling was probably the worst of the season as well.
Also Alabama had never come back in the SEC championship game when trailing at the half and Georgia had never lost when leading at the half.
 

Krymsonman

Hall of Fame
Sep 1, 2009
5,453
3,180
187
River Ridge, LA
Well, I thought, on the first drive of the game, we would run it in. We ran it down there, and Georgia seemed to be playing to stop Tua. I thought, with our backs, we should have had a rushing TD there. The interception really pumped Georgia up.
 

EnterBama

Scout Team
Oct 24, 2018
146
0
0
Well, I thought, on the first drive of the game, we would run it in. We ran it down there, and Georgia seemed to be playing to stop Tua. I thought, with our backs, we should have had a rushing TD there. The interception really pumped Georgia up.
My thinking as well. I thought we'd run it in with 1st & goal on the 6. Not getting a TD there, Tua getting hurt and the interception shaped the whole game, especially the first half.

We could have run all night on Georgia.
 

Tidetwin

All-American
May 15, 2006
2,020
290
107
Northeast Georgia
My thinking as well. I thought we'd run it in with 1st & goal on the 6. Not getting a TD there, Tua getting hurt and the interception shaped the whole game, especially the first half.

We could have run all night on Georgia.
Running it in after our great special teams play would have put UGA on its heels from the get go.

I think MC’s piece is a terrific summary of the remarkable ebbs and flows of this game. The missed field goal was so big.
 

dvldog

Hall of Fame
Sep 20, 2005
6,569
346
107
72
Virginia
Running it in after our great special teams play would have put UGA on its heels from the get go.

I think MC’s piece is a terrific summary of the remarkable ebbs and flows of this game. The missed field goal was so big.
With an addl 3 points, no way they try the fake punt. Well, probably not. :)
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,931
15,930
282
Boone, NC
Thanks '81. I like "observation articles" like that. Lot's of things of interest there.

I continue to have to pinch myself and remember we won this game. I honestly don't know how. Of course there were plenty of things we did right in the second half, but there were so many things that happened to our advantage that, if the ball bounces slightly different we lose.

The fumbles that we all recovered were huge; especially JJ's in the endzone and ISJ's on the last drive.

The missed FG that he makes almost everytime was huge!

Jalen going 5 out of 5 on 3rd downs was amazing. If he goes 4 of 5 we probably don't win.
 

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,401
13,177
287
Hooterville, Vir.
My thinking as well. I thought we'd run it in with 1st & goal on the 6. Not getting a TD there, Tua getting hurt and the interception shaped the whole game, especially the first half.

We could have run all night on Georgia.
There are five or six plays that divide winning from losing and early on Bama seemed to be losing on those few plays (Tua not throwing the ball away on Bama's first possession on 2nd and goal, Irv uncharacteristically dropping a ball when wide open, Jeudy uncharacteristically dropping one as well). In 2010 & 2013 against the Barn (false start, block in the back, missed FG, etc.), there were these little things Bama was doing (or failing to do) that mounted up and resulted in a defeat. I remarked to the wife, "Defeats are built one bad play at a time." She got onto me for assuming Bama would lose. I said, "I don't believe Bama is going to lose, but for Bama to win, they are going to have to stop these bad plays and start playing up to their potential."

A turnover, any turnover, is huge. Tua's pick set the tone for the first half, but that pick was set up when Tua declined to throw the ball away on 2nd down and gave up a sack and got himself injured in the process. That 2nd down play was a lose-lose-lose kind of play. (And I am not getting down on Tua. A great, generational kind of QB. If he could add the "throw the ball away on a bad play and play another down" to his tool kit, it would make him even better (and keep him healthier).

Fortunately, Bama stopped making the big mistakes and started making the big plays.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,931
15,930
282
Boone, NC
There are five or six plays that divide winning from losing and early on Bama seemed to be losing on those few plays (Tua not throwing the ball away on Bama's first possession on 2nd and goal, Irv uncharacteristically dropping a ball when wide open, Jeudy uncharacteristically dropping one as well). In 2010 & 2013 against the Barn (false start, block in the back, missed FG, etc.), there were these little things Bama was doing (or failing to do) that mounted up and resulted in a defeat. I remarked to the wife, "Defeats are built one bad play at a time." She got onto me for assuming Bama would lose. I said, "I don't believe Bama is going to lose, but for Bama to win, they are going to have to stop these bad plays and start playing up to their potential."

A turnover, any turnover, is huge. Tua's pick set the tone for the first half, but that pick was set up when Tua declined to throw the ball away on 2nd down and gave up a sack and got himself injured in the process. That 2nd down play was a lose-lose-lose kind of play. (And I am not getting down on Tua. A great, generational kind of QB. If he could add the "throw the ball away on a bad play and play another down" to his tool kit, it would make him even better (and keep him healthier).

Fortunately, Bama stopped making the big mistakes and started making the big plays.
Tua has got the find the "happy medium" in knowing he can make plays like he did against Vandy in '17 and Florida State in '18 (both where he made incredible, whirly spins in the pocket) AND knowing when there's nothing there and getting rid of the ball.

Ironically, we thought we lost Tua to a concussion on the play againt FSU and, yet, it's his ability to make plays but also not know when to throw it out of bounds that's caused him to hit a critical ceiling he's got to bust through to continue to play at the level he needs to to be successful both here and the NFL.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
4,540
187
44
kraizy.art
One could easily argue that Tua's injury changed everything, but I still felt like the Irv Smith drop just completely changed the game. That doesn't happen, I think Alabama is the one that sustains a drive and puts points up (instead of Georgia scoring on a short field) and that right there accounts for almost the entirety of the lead Georgia built. A better rested Alabama defense probably never struggles as much (Alabama lost time of possession by ten minutes!), so on so forth.

I also think that drop probably cost Tua the Heisman, not by itself of course but through the course of events that came after.
 
Last edited:

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.