SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: ‘Yummy’ rat poison inspires Tide in dethroning of No. 1 Georgia

The Alabama Crimson Tide won their 29th SEC Championship on Saturday with the 41-24 victory over Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (UA Media Relations)

By GRAHAM DUNN

It’s usually the other way around.

Normally, Nick Saban is chastising the media for throwing so many accolades around about Alabama dominance.

But prior to the Crimson Tide’s 41-24 dismantling of top-ranked Georgia on Saturday, the shoe was on the other foot.

Georgia was the odds-on favorite. The Tide had no chance to beat the mighty Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 with its impenetrable defense.

“You guys gave us a lot of positive rat poison,” Saban said following Saturday’s win. “The rat poison you usually give us is fatal. But the rat poison you put out there this week was yummy.”

The talk among the “experts” had Alabama struggling to keep the vaunted Georgia front seven out of the backfield, particularly since teams such as Auburn and LSU, both of which finished at 6-6 this season, had enjoyed plenty of success against the Crimson Tide offense.

Instead, Tide quarterback Bryce Young found plenty of time to find his receivers, particularly Jameson Williams and John Metchie, who combined for 281 yards and three touchdowns .

Sacks recorded by the Georgia defense? Zero.

“I still think that it started up front,” Saban said. “Their front has been so dominant in terms of pressuring people, kind of taking them out of their game. You could never, ever really get the ball out very successfully on a very consistent basis, which is a tribute to them, their scheme, their players are very good.

“It still goes back to the offensive line did a very, very good job of allowing us to get the ball down the field and our receivers to be able to work in the passing game, which we knew was going to be something that was going to be really important in this game. So it really started up front.”

Georgia entered the game having held opponents to a mere 6.9 points per game, 231 total yards and had given up a total of seven touchdowns defensively.

Other than the seven TDs, Alabama had surpassed those totals by halftime.

“Well, I think (Young) had a lot to do with that,” stated Georgia coach Kirby Smart. “Obviously, they have two exceptional skill players outside, really talented tight end. But I would say the quarterback buying time. We called a lot of the same calls we called the other games. We didn't get home or finish on the quarterback, and he was elite at getting the ball to the playmakers.

“He knew where to go with the ball. He keeps his eyes downfield with the rush, where a lot of quarterbacks wouldn't do that. They'd look at the rush and start trying to run away from the rush, and we could run 'em down. But tonight he did a tremendous job. He was mobile and made a lot of plays.”

Alabama’s defense may not have been perfect – it gave up 449 total yards. But the Crimson Tide got two key turnovers, both in the Red Zone,

“(You) can't throw a pick down there,” said Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who has five interceptions against Alabama in the last two meetings.

“The one where they went all out zero, clock was running down, didn't have time, tried to -- whenever we went for it on fourth down, tried to scramble and make a play; it didn't happen. Just got to finish it. We had opportunities. Like I said, we were moving it. We were driving the ball all four times, and just can't throw picks and got to execute better.”

Young was magnificent throughout the game, finding receivers downfield or, when needed, taking off and picking up first downs. In one case, he found the end zone on an 11-yard rush that gavve Bama a 24-17 lead in the last seconds of the first half

It was a far better first half than last week when Alabama was held scoreless for three quarters.

“ I think it was just as a whole, obviously wanting to get off to a better start than we did,” Young said. “I think we all stepped up, and we all answered the bell. We all understood what was at stake. We all understood that we needed to step up. So I'm blessed to have the teammates I do, that when our back's kind of against the wall, we understand we need to have the type of situation, and we kind of got our spark and started moving.”

As for the “rat poison” Smart wasn’t having any of it.

“They're a really good football team. And the narrative out there was, well, they just went to Auburn, and they really struggled,” he said. “Some of the sacks they gave up, their attackers didn't even get out of stance. The crowd noise was a major impact there. Auburn played man of their downs almost every single play, and they won a lot of the battles we didn't win tonight. We knew the narrative coming in, these guys can throw the ball, and they've got a really good quarterback. They gave them the opportunity to make plays, and they made a lot of really good plays, along with their wideouts.”

Alabama will most certainly be in the College Football Playoff when the announcement comes Sunday afternoon. Chances are, the Tide will return to the No. 1 spot which they lost back in October after Texas A&M handed them their first defeat.

“I think it gave us an opportunity to have a two-game season,” Saban said of Saturday’s win. “We have a two-game season now, I hope. That's what we're going to work for. That's what we want to do.

“These players have worked hard all year long. I think they deserved a lot of respect for what they've been able to accomplish and what they've been able to do. But at the same time, how are you going to look forward? I'm sure Georgia will get in the playoffs again still, and they deserve it. They're a very good team.”

Like Saban, most expect the Bulldogs to retain a top four ranking, although where they fall depends on

the outcome of other games, particularly the Big 10 championship where Michigan defeated Iowa and Cincinnati topped Houston.

Three years ago, after a close loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Smart was politicking for a spot in the playoff, one the Dogs didn’t get.

This time, the Georgia coach was a bit demur, although most believe the Dogs will get in.

“That's not for us to determine that, you know what I mean?,” he said. “Certainly I feel like we are, but it's not our job to determine that. It's the committee's.”