Tide Continues To Dominate First Quarter

Last week I mentioned the first quarter of the game could be a key to the outcome. This held true as Alabama came out and drove down the field on their first possession, on their way to a 10-0 lead. This, along with numerous Georgia turnovers and penalties, snowballed into a 31-0 halftime lead. Georgia came back in the second half to outscore Bama 30-10, but, there was too much damage already done.

Tale of Two Halves

In the first half, the Dawgs running game was outmuscled by a tough Alabama front seven. Knowshon Moreno was held to 34 yards rushing and one touchdown on the night. Stafford hit A.J. Green as the ball was knocked loose and scooped up by the Alabama secondary for one of the first half turnovers. And, the penalties began to pile up, as the Dawgs totalled 10 penalties for 81 yards on the night.  In the second half, Matt Stafford tossed 2 TD passes and Prince Miller returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown to help Georgia close the gap. Stafford finished with a game high 274 yards passing with 2 touchdowns. And, A.J. Green finished the game as Georgia's leading receiver with 6 catches for 88 yards and a TD. Alabama ultimately held the ball for 11 more minutes, had 11 more total yards (334 to 324) and won the game by 11 points. QB John Parker Wilson was a very efficient 13 for 16 with 205 yards passing and Bama outrushed Georgia 129 to 50 yards.

Georgia's Goals Still Intact

Though the Dawgs took a step back Saturday night, the season's goals are still intact. Florida was upset by an unranked Ole Miss team Saturday, giving both Georgia and Florida one loss. With a tough SEC schedule coming up, the Dawgs must find a way to keep winning to reach the SEC championship. The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", will still be as important as ever in the SEC East race.... On a national level, if you have to lose a game, you'd rather it be to the #8 ranked team in the nation. At the end of the year, a loss to a top ten team looks a whole lot better than a loss to an unranked team. This should help the Dawgs, when comparing losses with Florida and Southern Cal.... One final thought that crosses my mind: How sweet would it be if the Dawgs play their way into an SEC Championship showdown with none other than the Alabama Crimson TIde? What a game that would be!!