Morning, y’all — and happy Feature Friday!
With No. 2 Georgia nearing its showdown with No. 6 Alabama on Saturday, I picked a simple question for the DawgNation team this week: What’s your favorite moment from the Georgia-Alabama rivalry?
Many of our answers are understandably from games played on the biggest stage, which these two teams often find themselves on.
Make sure you read to the bottom of the newsletter, though, for some key weather and operations updates ahead of Saturday’s game:
Jeff Sentell: “My moment is from Indianapolis in 2022, but deeper into the woods than the obvious twists and turns of that game. What resonates with me is the viral interaction between Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall on a back-to-back sequence of plays.
“Tindall missed his assignment on a second-and-goal defensive stand with 7:49 left in the second quarter. The two collided and nearly gave Alabama the room to score. Dean covered his back and helped force an incompletion. Then he gave Tindall an earful. Tindall came back on the next snap with a key sack of Bryce Young.
“Bama had to settle for a 9-3 lead and not a 13-3 edge in the first half. Dean described the play afterward: ‘It’s just knowing our guys. If we didn’t have that connection, if we weren’t so close, I wouldn’t have been able to do that to him. He understood; he knew what he had to do to fix it.’
“That moment was forged through team meetings and offseason skull sessions. It said everything about whether the Dawgs could be champions that night. It showed what a real connection and what a player-led team looks like. Even in the toughest moment.”
Cody Chaffins: “Jan. 8, 2018. Early third quarter. UGA leads 13-0. Alabama punting on their own 28. Tyler Simmons blocks the punt and UGA recovers on the Alabama 30. Set to go up 20-0 (or at least 16-0) in the national championship game. Tyler Simmons was onside.”
Connor Riley: “Georgia’s final offensive touchdown in the 2022 national championship game. Clinging to a 1-point lead, Stetson Bennett found Brock Bowers on a run-pass option to put Georgia up by eight. The score was set up by a spectacular blocking effort from Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. Georgia’s defense still had to get a stop, but it finally felt real that Georgia was going to both beat Alabama and win a national championship.”
Mike Griffith: “Georgia had failed to get into the end zone on its first eight possessions of the 2022 title game and trailed, 9-6, when Jalen Carter blocked Will Reichard’s 48-yard field goal attempt with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
“On the very next play, Bennett handed off to James Cook who broke loose a 67-yard run to the Alabama 13-yard line to set up the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the night (a 1-yard Zamir White run) and first lead of the night in the 33-18 championship victory.”
And here’s one of my favorite moments, though I’m cheating because it’s an entire quarter: Georgia outscoring Bama 20-9 in the fourth quarter of the national championship Jeff, Connor and Mike mentioned.
This was a totally different ending than the 2018 SEC championship or 2017 national championship against Bama, when Georgia had the lead and then conceded it late.
It led to this funny exchange after Georgia clinched its first title since 1980: When Alabama coach Nick Saban approached Georgia coach Kirby Smart to shake hands after the game, after the Bulldogs had finally brought down the mighty Crimson Tide to win it all, Saban smiled and admitted: “You guys kicked our ass in the fourth quarter.”
It struck me because Smart, a member of the Saban coaching tree, got a huge win against a mentor who he had learned so much from.
Trivia time
What is Georgia’s all-time record in Tuscaloosa?
Alabama announces adjusted game-day operations for Georgia game
With the threat of Hurricane Isaias, Alabama has announced several changes to game-day operations for Saturday’s matchup with Georgia in Tuscaloosa.
As of Thursday evening, the game is still scheduled as planned, set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EDT at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Many events and operations earlier in the day have been modified, however, “due to the forecast for severe weather and high winds prior to kickoff.”
First, “College GameDay” will be held inside Coleman Coliseum, with the north and east doors opening at 5:30 a.m.; overnight camping or queuing will not be allowed, with fans allowed to start lining up at 5:15 a.m. Only clear bags will be allowed inside.
Tailgating or outdoor activities will not be permitted on campus before noon Saturday. Only uncovered tailgating will be allowed after noon, Alabama announced. No tailgate setups will be allowed before noon Saturday. Per the school, “weather permitting, personal tailgating will be permitted after noon.”
“The University reserves the right to alter this schedule if conditions warrant further operational delays,” the school’s news release said on tailgating.
Shuttle services and campus parking lots will not open until noon Saturday.
According to the school, fans and those attending the game should continue to monitor the weather and check back at its official channels for updates, as weather conditions and operational plans can evolve.
Read the full story from yours truly here.
Injury report unchanged; Smart makes rare admission on ESPN
Smart did not update the Bulldogs’ injury report — touchdown-leading tailback Chauncey Bowens remains classified as “out.”
But Smart did make an appearance on ESPN, and made a rare admission when acknowledging the significance of Georgia’s game at Alabama on Saturday night.
Smart, who typically downplays the notion of one SEC game being any bigger than another, called the upcoming SEC showdown a “brand” game.
“So much is put into this game and then there’s going to be another one the next week, so we’re trying to keep our guys level-headed,” Smart said during his ESPN appearance with Pat McAfee. “Yeah, it’s important, yeah it’s a helluva opportunity on a national stage, a brand game — for both teams’ brand.
“We think we’re a physical team, they’re a physical team, let’s go find out and let’s see who’s the most physical or the most ready right now.”
Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.
Elite junior safety commits to Georgia football
Nick Carroll has been a name to know in Georgia for a couple of seasons. He helped lead Toombs County to a state runner-up finish last year as just a sophomore.
He’s now a prominent name for the 2028 UGA recruiting class. Carroll just shared his commitment to the Georgia football program through Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.
The future safety had 783 receiving yards, 11 touchdown catches and seven interceptions as a sophomore. He wrapped up 42 tackles, broke up nine passes and tallied 255 yards on kickoff and punt returns.
The 4-star prospect has 325 receiving yards and five more scores as a junior so far this fall. He’s also kept up his busy Friday night schedule on defense, with nine tackles and two passes defensed for a 6-0 team.
Toombs is No. 1 in Class 3A in the weekly GHSF AJC Varsity rankings.
With this decision, Georgia now has three commitments for its 2028 class. Carroll joins 5-star QB Jayden Wade as one of the class’s two Top 100 overall prospects. Junior 4-star TE Asa Wall, who’s dominated opponents at John Milledge Academy this season, rounds out the trio.
Read Jeff Sentell’s full story here.
Trivia answer
Alabama holds a 9-2 advantage in the series in Tuscaloosa (and 45-27-4 overall)
