#8 Alabama brutalizes #3 Georgia in athens

The Georgia Bulldogs made a big deal of their “blackout” of Sanford Stadium, with the team and most of the 92,000 in attendance clad in black.  If it did provide any motivational edge to the home team it sure wasn’t apparent as the visiting Crimson Tide stormed out to a 31-0 halftime victory before weathering a Bulldog comeback to prevail 41-30.  It was the sixth time that Alabama and Georgia have met while both were nationally ranked and for the first time the Tide emerged victorious.

Led by another efficient and mistake free game from QB John Parker Wilson, the Crimson Tide scored on their first five possessions en route to their big halftime advantage.  Wilson finished with 13 completions on 16 attempts for 205 yards and a TD.  The Tide ground attack added a solid 129 yards and Alabama had a significant edge in time of possession (35:46 to 24:14).  Wilson was low key despite the team’s big win and his impressive performance:

"That was nice. That is what you practice for, that is what you strive to do on every drive."

Georgia coach Mark Richt, meanwhile, pulled no punches in explaining his team’s performance:

"We just got whipped. There's no excuses, and don't expect any from me."

The furious 2nd half comeback kept Georgia’s statistical output for the game from looking too ugly, but even with respectable offensive numbers the box score clearly indicates several of the problems that got the Bulldogs in such a deep hole to begin with.  Georgia’s rushing attack was practically nonexistent, finishing with 50 net yards on the ground.  Their tendency toward undisciplined play continued, with 10 penalties for 81 yards.  This is in marked contrast to their opponents, who were flagged for two penalties for 9 yards.  And there’s no way to put a positive spin on a 4 for 13 third down conversion number.

Things certainly don’t get much easier for Georgia despite having 3 of their next 4 games at home after a bye week.  Tennessee will visit on 10/11 followed by #19 Vanderbilt.  The Bulldogs will go on the road for a tough game against LSU and will return home the following week for the annual rivalry renewal with Florida.

Alabama will entertain Kentucky next weekend followed by a bye week of their own.  They’ll host Ole Miss on 10/18 and travel to Knoxville for a game against Tennessee the following weekend.  With a home game against Arkansas State on November 1, there’s a very realistic chance that they could enter their 11/8 road game against LSU undefeated.