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Dave Wilson
ATLANTA, Ga. — Despite a 28-7 loss to No. 3 Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said the No. 9 Crimson Tide are deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff, saying a conference title game loss shouldn’t be punishment.
«If this game applies to and takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right,» DeBoer said. «I really don’t. I think the precedent’s been set and I don’t know how you can go into a conference playoff game when you’re the No. 1 seed and did all these things throughout the year — and playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country as well — how that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff when again, we’ve done what we’ve done all year.»
The Tide opened the season with a 31-17 loss on the road to Florida State, then won eight straight, including victories over Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee. Despite a 23-21 loss to then-No. 11 Oklahoma at home on Nov. 15, the Tide qualified for a rematch with Georgia in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs held Alabama to 16 carries for minus-3 yards rushing, just the second time in school history the Tide have been held to negative yards rushing, after the 1968 Gator Bowl. They became the first team not to rush for a first down in an SEC championship game, according to ESPN Research. Their longest carry of the night was 5 yards.
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Still, Alabama remained in striking distance until 8:13 remained, when, trailing 21-7, DeBoer opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Tide’s own 12. Quarterback Ty Simpson threw the ball toward the sideline for Germie Bernard, but it sailed high and wide and out of bounds. Three plays later, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch to stretch the lead to 28-7.
«If we’re really worried about the score, then you probably punt it on your own 11,» DeBoer said. «I’m here to win an SEC championship. If you lose by one or you lose by more, it’s still a loss. And that’s what I was caring about. We’re here to win an SEC championship. We can’t get worried about how much we lose by.»
DeBoer said Alabama was missing a few key players who would have helped against Georgia, all of whom would return before a playoff game, including running back Jam Miller.
«Two of our three losses are when Jam doesn’t play,» he said.
In the first quarter, Georgia’s Cole Speer blocked Blake Doud’s punt, and it was recovered and returned by Justin Williams to the Alabama 21. Four plays later, Stockton threw his first touchdown pass to Roderick Robinson II to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. DeBoer said the block came from the spot usually manned by defensive lineman LT Overton, who was out for this game.
«There’s a check we’ve got to make we make all season long,» DeBoer said. «We missed it and they got an extra hat that we couldn’t block.»
DeBoer said that was the story of the game, that the Tide gave the Bulldogs four short fields and had to hold up against them. But he touted Alabama’s resilience, the same way he said the team bounced back all season.
«If you’re really looking at this game, I mean it was a 14-point game with 7½ minutes to go and we had the ball,» DeBoer said. «I don’t want to take anything away from what Georgia did.»
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN that a loss to Georgia in this game should not be a negative in the eyes of the CFP selection committee.
«That may be the best team in the country right now,» Sankey said of Georgia. «And you’ve got to remember, Alabama went to Athens, won a game, won a number of other ranked games, played tough schedule. This is a reward tonight. It’s not a penalty for playing in that game.»
He said that if the loss does cost Alabama a CFP spot, he’s sure it will raise questions about the future of championship games in a significant way.
«But that question’s been there for decades and Georgia and Alabama played here a couple of years ago, and Alabama beat an undefeated Georgia team in the four-team playoff [in 2018],» Sankey said. «We still kept the championship game.»
Simpson finished 19-of-39 for 212 yards and one touchdown and one interception, his first start in which he completed less than 50% of his throws. He was pressured all night and said the Georgia defense had a good plan. He also said that, regardless of the loss, his team’s résumé holds up to scrutiny.
«We went through a gauntlet of the schedule,» Simpson said. «The SEC is the best conference in the country. That’s a really good team, and it’s pretty much as simple as that.»
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.
