Georgia’s defense walked into the Alabama game with a simple plan: hold the line, stay disciplined, and make the Tide earn everything. By the time it was over, the Bulldogs had done exactly that, shutting down a high-powered offense that had been averaging close to 50 points through the first five weeks of the season and limiting Alabama to 17 in Georgia’s 20-17 win.
After the game, linebacker Chris Cole said the Bulldogs expected the swings that came with a tight matchup.
“We knew coming in that this game was going to be back and forth. There were going to be ups and downs, but we knew that we just had to reset and refocus on what we did wrong to be able to fix it. Just go back on the next drive and compete.”
He also spelled out the mentality that carried Georgia through the four quarters.
“Our mindset was just to not let them score, and that’s our mindset every time we go out on that field. We knew coming in that we had to put the team on our back, and it was going to come down to the fourth quarter and us being on the field to be able to stop them.”
The work, according to safety transfer Khalil Barnes, starts long before kickoff. Barnes said Georgia’s physical week of practice was a major difference from what he experienced at Clemson.
“It was four days [of pads]. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
It’s nothing new now. It was new to me when I first got here.
We just didn’t do it like that at Clemson. He [Coach Smart] preaches physicality, and it’s not just some cliché.
We really live it.”
That edge showed up when the game turned. Alabama scored two first-half touchdowns, but Georgia tightened up after that, allowing only three points over the final two quarters and nothing in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs won the physical battle, and that showed in the way they closed.
Cole was all over the field in the win, finishing with eight tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one sack and two pass-breakups. He has 30 tackles this season, along with 7.5 TFLs, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, three pass deflections and one defensive touchdown.
Barnes also chipped in with five tackles, one tackle for a loss and one pass-breakup in coverage. Through the season so far, the veteran safety has 13 tackles, two TFLs and two pass-breakups.
Georgia gets another major test this weekend against Auburn. The Tigers and Bulldogs meet for the 131st time inside Sanford Stadium next Saturday at 3:30, with Georgia holding the lead in the all-time series.
In Other News...
Georgia Is No. 1 But The Real Test Starts Now
Georgias rise to No. 1 in the latest AP Poll came on the heels of a statement win over Alabama and Texas loss to Oklahoma, a combination that pushed the Bulldogs to the top of the rankings with 66 of 70 first-place votes. Notre Dame, Miami and Indiana picked up the other votes, even without the same kind of marquee wins on their rsums, but Georgias spot at the summit comes with a familiar catch: being the target is usually harder than getting there.
The Bulldogs are still the SECs last unbeaten team, and the calendar is not about to make things easier with five conference games left. The road ahead includes a trip to Ole Miss and a home date with Missouri, matchups that could shape Georgias path to the SEC Championship Game and determine how long the No. 1 label stays on the teams chest. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Took A Huge Step Back Toward The Top
Georgias win over Alabama did more than add another marquee result to the rsum. It also reshuffled the top of the college football picture, with Texas losing to Oklahoma and South Carolina knocking off Florida, creating the kind of weekend that can send a team surging straight to the front of the AP Top 25 discussion.
For Kirby Smarts program, the timing matters almost as much as the victory itself. The Bulldogs are positioned for a return to the top of the poll after building the kind of profile that gets rewarded in October, and the ripple effects from around the country only strengthened that case as the latest rankings take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Just Gave Georgia Fans New Fuel In The Alabama Rivalry
Kirby Smarts latest trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium only added to the sense that Georgias standard under him has become something bigger than one rivalry game. The Bulldogs left with another big road win, and Smarts overall resume keeps separating itself from the rest of the SEC coaching tree, even in a league built on legendary names and high-stakes Saturdays.
The Alabama series still carries plenty of weight for Georgia fans, of course, because the numbers have not always leaned their way and every meeting seems to sharpen the conversation. But the recent run against the Tide has given Bulldogs supporters a different kind of confidence, especially after the most recent championship matchup between the two programs, and it is hard not to see that as the backdrop for everything else that followed Saturdays game, from player performances to the postgame scene around the stadium. [Read more 🡒]