#3 Georgia 30, #8 Alabama 41

The Alabama Crimson Tide blacked out the Georgia Bulldogs 41-30 in dominating fashion. Wubya and I were at the game and we were stunned. The Tide came out aggressive and mean; they were the better team. Alabama scored on their first five drives, they didn’t commit costly penalties, and they played like potential national power. As result, they were up 31 points at halftime.

On the contrary, the Dawgs looked completely out of sync and overmatched. The G-Day defense continued to look undisciplined and commit penalties that kept Alabama in the game, which allowed them to gain momentum and confidence. Additionally, it never put pressure on Bama quarterback John Parker Wilson, and our cornerbacks gave Tide wide receivers too much space to catch the ball. Defense Coordinator Willie Martinez; please call something more than cover 2 and zones.

The offense didn’t fair much better as the offensive line failed to provide quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno enough time to operate. Stafford finished 24 of 42 for 274 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He was hurried all game, which caused him to make several boneheaded throws. At the conclusion of the game, he was tested for a concussion. The results were negative, so hopefully he’ll be ready for the Tennessee game in two weeks. Moreno suffered an elbow injury at the end of the second quarter, which limited his playing time. He finished with 34 yards and 1 touchdown. Reports out of Athens suggest that he may miss the Tennessee game. Freshman wide receiver A.J. Green continued to impress, finishing with 88 yards and 1 touchdown.

Although the Dawgs were manhandled during the first half, they battled back in the second half and showed great heart. They scored 30 points in two quarters and at one point were only down 14 points. Additionally, the defense held Bama to only 10 second half points. As a result of the lost, the Dawgs fell out of the top 10 and are now ranked 11th in the AP Poll. Luckily, the Bulldogs’ quest for a national title is not lost because of the strength of their schedule. They still have to play #3 Louisiana State, #12 Florida, #13 Auburn, and #19 Vanderbilt. Moreover, they may have an opportunity for a rematch against #2 Alabama if both teams make the SEC Championship. The Dawgs will also be helped by the fact that #1 Oklahoma, #4 Missouri, and #5 Texas are all in the same conference and it’s possible that all three could lose to each other.