Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Alabama defeats Georgia. It was frustrating, but the same old story for the Dawgs in Athens. The numbers are mind-boggling. Kirby Smart has been so good for Georgia. Yet, time and time again, the Tide have owned the Dawgs. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers that show just how frustrating and irritating this rivalry has been for Georgia fans.
Tide Has owned the Dawgs
Numbers Don’t Lie
Numbers can be used to tell a lot of stories and provide explanations. I am a writer and use them in my stories to help shape a narrative of a game. The numbers can be used to justify why one conference should get more teams in the College Football Playoff than another. Or what coach is the best or worst when it matters most? (For example, we could use numbers to talk about how Mid-Game James Franklin continues to underachieve at Penn State. That was a cheap shot, but it got you the reader smiling.) Looking at the numbers for Kirby Smart at Georgia, the numbers can show a coach and team that has been dominant…as long as they are not playing the Tide. Here is a closer look.
- 52-4: Smart’s record in Athens before Saturday night’s game.
- 33: The SEC record number of wins Georgia had at home coming into tonight. That streak is now over.
- 107-13: Smart’s record against every college football team except the University of Alabama.
- 1-7: Smart’s record against the Roll Damn Tide.
Smart has also brought two national championships to the state of Georgia. One of those came at the hands of Alabama, thank you, Kelee Ringo. But let’s face it. It’s just not good enough. Sure, we were irritated when the Tide went up 14-0 early on back-to-back 14-play 75+ yard drives. But were we surprised? If we are being honest, the answer should be no. It was supposed to be different, though. This was Nick Saban’s Alabama. It was Kalen DeBoer’s team.
DeBoer’s Challenges
DeBoer and Alabama had their own numbers coming into Athens tonight. DeBoer was just 2-5 on the road as head coach of Alabama away from Bryant-Denny. That includes losses last year to Vanderbilt and a down-on-their-luck Oklahoma team. But for all of the flak that DeBoer has taken, one number meant the most. 2-0. That is now DeBoer’s record against Smart and Georgia.
Same Tired Storylines
It was supposed to be different. When Saban “retired” two years ago, it was supposed to be different. The torch was supposed to pass to Smart and Georgia. On3’s Ari Wasserman is king of a lot of hot takes. Most of the time, he can make you cringe, but he gets clicks. During the game tonight, though, Wasserman perfectly encapsulated Georgia’s loss to Alabama.
“If you closed your eyes and forgot about everything that has happened the last two years and opened them, what you’re seeing out of Alabama tonight is exactly what you’d expect to see.”
Gut punch. That is what the Georgia-Alabama games have become. Georgia may make a push, but Alabama will always be one chess move ahead. Finding their way to get out and stay on top. Saturday night’s game is frustrating, and it should piss you off as a Georgia fan, but it should not have surprised you. We’ve seen this movie too many times…
Alabama Defeats Georgia (Again)
Georgia’s defense was gashed two weeks ago by big plays from Tennessee. It was a focus for Smart and the staff over the last week. Georgia succeeded in preventing big plays, but what they couldn’t do consistently was get Alabama off the field. The Tide converted 13 of 19 3rd downs on Saturday night. That was the key difference in Georgia’s win or loss in the game. The defensive line was largely non-existent and got little push against Alabama’s offensive line, and was burned a number of times on screen passes. Georgia had the ability to make a final stop on Alabama’s 35-yard line late in the game.
The Tide faced a 3rd and 5 from their own 43-yard line. Rather than simply running the ball up the middle and milking more time, DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb went for the kill. Ty Simpson hit Jam Miller out of the back field for a seven-yard gain to get the first down and secure the win for the Tide.
Same old story. Georgia has consistently struggled against Alabama, particularly in the turnover department, and has also faced a persistent inability to get off the field on third down. Until that is fixed, Georgia fans can expect more of the same when the Dawgs and Gators get together.
Main Photo: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
