It was the kind of play that can get buried in a box score, but Blake Stewart made sure Georgia never let this one slip away.
With the Bulldogs locked in a 17-17 game against Alabama early in the fourth quarter, the freshman defensive back came through on special teams and recovered a muffed punt near Georgia’s own end of the field. Alabama had pinned the Bulldogs deep, and for a moment it looked like the Crimson Tide might get a gift inside striking distance. Instead, Stewart found the loose ball and kept Georgia from staring down a disaster.
Chris Cole didn’t hide what the moment meant.
"When he came to the sideline, I said, 'Bro, you're a legend. You saved us,'" Georgia linebacker Chris Cole said.
"You know, he can be on special teams and be like he doesn't care, but he does his part every single day and he works hard in practice. Obviously, he was right there at the right time and the right place and saved the ball.
Great play."
Stewart’s role on defense has been limited. He’s logged 10 snaps apiece at STAR in Georgia’s first two SEC games, then didn’t play a defensive snap against Vanderbilt in Week 5 or against Alabama. But special teams gave him his chance to swing a huge moment in Tuscaloosa.
The sequence started with Alabama punting from the Georgia 48-yard line. Alex Asparuhov’s kick bounced just inside the 15 and drifted back toward the end zone, where Georgia return man Sacovie White-Helton tried to make a play off the bounce.
The gamble backfired immediately. The ball popped off his hands and rolled free at the 10.
Carmelo O'Neal of Alabama prevented White-Helton from recovering it, which left Stewart as the only Bulldog close enough to make a play. He dove on the loose ball and came away with it despite traffic from multiple Crimson Tide players.
White-Helton was emotional on the sideline after the mishap, but the mistake didn’t become a turning point for Alabama. Kirby Smart said the play was a combination of a questionable decision and a break Georgia was fortunate to survive.
"Opportunistic [play by Blake]," Kirby Smart said. "Probably not the best decision [by Sacovie], but you know, some of that's my fault because I told Sacovie a couple times that we can't keep getting backed up and we got to make a decision to catch it and get it and get out of there. When he went to do it, I thought, 'This is a good, fortuitous bounce,' and he just didn't have good control over it.
"Nobody works harder at catching punts than Sacovie, so I have a lot of confidence in him. I believe in him, and a great play by Blake Stewart."
Georgia’s offense then made the most of the break. Gunner Stockton handled the poor field position and put together a 10-play, 84-yard drive. The possession didn’t end in the end zone, but Peyton Woodring finished it with a 23-yard field goal that wound up being the difference.
For Georgia and Alabama, the room for error was tiny. The Bulldogs made a mistake on special teams, but Stewart’s quick reaction kept it from turning into a game-changing swing.
In Other News...
Georgia Enters Auburn Stretch With One Offensive Question Looming
Georgias stretch run now comes with the kind of schedule wrinkle that can shape a season, with Alabama followed by Auburn in back-to-back games instead of the more forgiving setup Auburn has enjoyed in recent years. The Tigers are already dealing with a defensive absence in linebacker Xavier Atkins, while Georgia has kept building momentum off the field as well, recently flipping three-star cornerback Nash Johnson from Auburn to the Bulldogs.
On the field, though, the bigger immediate question is in Georgias backfield, where Chauncey Bowens status for the next game is still uncertain. The Bulldogs have had other running backs step up if needed, but this is the kind of late-week uncertainty that can change how Georgia approaches a matchup, especially with Auburn trying to manage its own defensive pressure without Atkins. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Toughest Remaining Test Might Not Be Who Fans Expected
Coming off a road win over Alabama, Georgia has given itself plenty of breathing room, but the rest of the regular season still has some interesting wrinkles. Six games remain, and while three of them look manageable on paper, the more telling stretch may come from the trio of Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri, a run that looked one way a few weeks ago and now feels a little different.
Florida and Ole Miss have both shown enough inconsistency to make those matchups feel less imposing than they once did, which leaves Missouri as the team drawing more attention. The Tigers are sitting at 5-1 and have already stacked up notable wins over Texas A&M and Florida, giving Georgia a late-season test that may carry more weight than the rivalry games fans first circled. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Brutal SEC Test With Plenty To Prove
The Deep Souths Oldest Rivalry returns to Athens with Georgia again carrying the top ranking and the weight of a streak that has turned into its own storyline. The Bulldogs have beaten Auburn nine straight times, and another win would tie a series record while keeping Kirby Smarts team right where it wants to be in the SEC picture.
Auburn arrives with plenty to prove, and the matchup has drawn comments from both Smart and first-year coach Alex Golesh about where each program stands and what has stood out in recent performances. With key players on both sides producing notable numbers, the game offers Georgia another chance to reinforce its grip on the rivalry, while Auburn gets a test that says plenty about how far it still has to go. [Read more 🡒]