The college football world’s worst nightmare is upon them. With the Georgia Bulldogs pulling off a double-overtime comeback win over Baker Mayfield’s Oklahoma Sooners earlier today, and the Tide’s dominant performance in the Sugar Bowl sets in stone an All-SEC National Championship. While the thrilling UGA/OU game was one defined by elite offensive performances, the Sugar Bowl was the polar opposite and despite the lopsided 24-6 score, even the Tide’s offense struggled to put the ball in the endzone.
Jalen Hurts went a respectable 16-of-24 for 120 yards and a pair of scores but he missed on some very make-able throws. Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough split the majority of the carries with Harris (66 yards on 16 carries) being the more impressive of the two. With the Tide’s offense struggling to finish drives, the defense had to take things into their own hands and did just that.
Clemson’s Kelly Bryant was a less-than-stellar 18-of-35 for 124 yards and two interceptions. In addition to a bad game throwing the ball, they were also held to a mere 66 yards on the ground. A big key to that success was big #94, Da’Ron Payne. He was an anchor on a defensive line that was in the Clemson backfield the entirety of the night. His interception of Kelly Bryant and ensuing touchdown reception was the key turning point that drained all momentum from the Tigers’ sideline.
Just a couple of plays later, Mack Wilson returned a deflection for another six points to give the Tide a commanding lead that would go unchanged. Anfernee Jennings, who already missed time this year, was a monstrous force coming off the edge but went down late clasping his knee. Should Jennings be forced to miss the national championship game, Alabama will be another man down at an already thin position.
The styles of Georgia and Alabama match-up to one another very well. They both want to dominate defensively and control the ball on offense. With each team’s elite defensive talent, the quarterback play could become the decider. Regardless, the controversy around Alabama’s inclusion into the playoffs has been put to rest and the Tide got their sweet, sweet revenge over Clemson.
