Joel Klatt didn’t leave much wiggle room in his read on Alabama’s loss to Georgia: he thinks the Tide were done in by a missed call.
On the latest edition of his “Joel Klatt Show” podcast, the FOX Sports lead college football analyst argued that Georgia tends to get the benefit of the doubt in the biggest spots. “Georgia fans are going to be irate at this … comment, but all of us who are not dyed-in-the-wool Dawg fans, Georgia gets an incredible whistle,” Klatt said. “In some of the biggest moments and most crucial moments of tight ball games, man, Georgia gets an incredible whistle.”
The play that set him off came in the fourth quarter with Alabama trailing 20-17 and trying to either tie or grab the lead at the UGA 34. KJ Bolden collided with Rico Scott in the end zone, but no pass interference flag came out. Bolden said Monday that he’d expect a PI if the same thing happened to Georgia.
Alabama never got the break it needed from there. On the next snap, Keelon Russell was sacked, and the Tide had to punt. They did not get the ball back.
“Can you make a strong argument that the officials cost Alabama the game? Absolutely,” Klatt said.
“It is as clear a pass interference as I can remember seeing. How is that not called?”
Even with the loss, Klatt still sees Alabama as a team capable of going all the way. He pointed to the showdown in Tuscaloosa and suggested both teams belong among the best in the sport.
“Can you make a strong case that the two teams we saw play in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night are the two best teams that we’ve seen in college football? I think you can make a strong case for that,” he said. Bama can absolutely win the national championship.”
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