PRESS PICKS (Week 6): What we didn't learn about Bama's win over Georgia
STAFF REPORT
You’ve heard about what the epic battle between Georgia and Alabama was.
But maybe you have yet to hear what it wasn’t.
It wasn’t the greatest game of all-time. That list is a mile long. This one may not even be the greatest in the series. You could make a case for a couple of those.
It wasn’t the greatest comeback… Maybe it is, if only the Dogs had won.
The greatest finish… Nah, 2nd-and-26 gets the nod. So, in all honesty, this game took a back seat to the 2018 championship game between the two.
The greatest performance by a player in a big game… Ryan Williams? Jalen Milroe? Awesome but not the greatest. Yeah, there is probably a debate out there somewhere. So many players have made incredible passes, catches, runs… you could go on but as great as Williams and Milroe were, it wasn’t the greatest.
It wasn’t a sign that Kalen DeBoer had officially arrived as the replacement of Nick Saban… OK, for the moment, yes. But that lasts until he loses a game. And he will lose one at some point, probably later this season.
It wasn’t more proof that Alabama “owns” Kirby Smart… It’s more about the fact that Alabama has just as many great players as Smart, no matter who the coach is. This was a learning moment for the Georgia coach. He almost learned enough to pull off the comeback in the second half.
It wasn’t the last time these two teams will meet this season. The guess here is they will not meet in the SEC Championship. The league may end up with more than two teams with one loss so the tiebreaker may leave one or the other (or both) out. But there is a chance they see each other in the playoffs, a real good chance.
Finally, it wasn’t a fluke win or the wrong team won. We didn’t know what Alabama under DeBoer would bring to the table. We all found out pretty quickly that when given the tools, he can make an offense sing. Now the rest of the SEC knows it, especially the Dogs.
The season has a long way to go, but it will be hard for any game to top this one. That is definitely a truth.
2024 Standings (Last Week)
1. Michael Butler 65-24 (9-5) .730
2. Wesley Lyle 63-26 (11-3) .708
Doug Amos 63-26 (11-3) .708
4. Rosie Langello 62-27 (12-2) .697
5. Tim Gayle 61-28 (9-5) .685
6. Graham Dunn 59-30 (10-4) .663
7. Mike Peacock 56-33 (8-6) .629
8. Lindsey Bonner 46-28 (9-5) .622
9. Rick Hendrick 53-36 (10-4) .596
10. Barry McKnight 52-37 (6-8) .584
Michael Butler (WTLS 106.9&94.7 FM/1300 AM/Tallassee Times)
65-24 (9-5) .730
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Vestavia Hills
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - FAMU
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - SMU
Michigan at Washington - Michigan
Doug Amos (ESPN The Ticket)
63-26 (11-3) .708
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Prattville
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Stanhope Elmore
Booker T. Washington at St. James - St James
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Montgomery Academy
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Texas A&M
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - Louisville
Michigan at Washington - Washington
Wesley Lyle (River Region Sports & al.com)
63-26 (11-3) .708
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Vestavia Hills
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - FAMU
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - SMU
Michigan at Washington - Michigan
Rosie Langello (Sports Director - WSFA Ch. 12)
62-27 (12-2) .697
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Enterprise
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Vestavia Hills
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Cleburne Co
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - SMU
Michigan at Washington - Washington
Tim Gayle (River Region Sports/Montgomery Independent)
61-28 (9-5) .685
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Enterprise
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Prattville
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - St. James
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - FAMU
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - Louisville
Michigan at Washington - Washington
Graham Dunn (River Region Sports/WTLS/Voice of Alabama State Hornets)
59-30 (10-4) .663
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Prattville
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Montgomery Aca
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Texas A&M
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - Louisville
Michigan at Washington - Washington
Mike Peacock (River Region Sports)
56-33 (8-6) .629
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Vestavia Hills
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Montgomery Academy
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - Louisville
Michigan at Washington - Michigan
Lindsey Bonner (Sports Director - WAKA Ch. 8)
46-28 (9-5) .622
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Prattville
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Russell Co
Booker T. Washington at St. James - BT Washington
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - SMU
Michigan at Washington - Michigan
Rick Hendrick (WXFS 95.1 The Fox/PA Montgomery Biscuits)
53-36 (10-4) .596
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Prattville
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Stanhope Elmore
Booker T. Washington at St. James - St. James
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - Alabama St
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina - Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - Louisville
Michigan at Washington - Washington
Barry McKnight (Voice of Troy Trojans)
52-37 (6-8) .584
Enterprise at G.W. Carver (Thurs) - Carver
Vestavia Hills at Prattville - Vestavia Hills
Russell Co at Stanhope Elmore- Stanhope Elmore
Booker T. Washington at St. James - St. James
Tallassee at Cleburne County - Tallassee
Trinity at Montgomery Aca - Trinity
Alabama at Vanderbilt - Alabama
Auburn at Georgia - Georgia
Florida A&M at Alabama St - FAMU
Tennessee at Arkansas - Tennessee
Ole Miss at South Carolina -South Carolina
Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri
Iowa at Ohio St - Ohio St
Miami, Fla at Cal - Miami
SMU at Louisville - SMU
Michigan at Washington - Michigan