Hope you all have had a profitable year. I tried another site this season, but wanted to drop by here and give my thoughts on the final game of the season. Whichever way you go, good luck to all!
Here we are at the final game and we can all agree we have the 2 best teams going at it. Bama seems to be peaking and the Dawgs have been the most consistently dominant team all season. With one hiccup in early December vs this very Bama team.
That game was odd in the aspect that for every other GA/Bama game under Kirby the Dawgs have always had the better 1st half plan. It was always the 2nd halves that tripped them up. This time I feel Kirby tried to outsmart everyone and went totally away from what his D had done all year long. They sat back and didn't blitz Young. Electing instead to contain him and rolling out coverage's that his DB's were not used to in a live game. This allowed Young time to survey the field and for his speedy receivers to get open. The Dawgs didn't blitz until midway through 3rd Q. Much too late. Once they started blitzing the Bama offense scored 3 points and Young struggled mightily.
Even with the above said, the game in my mind came down to around a 3 1/2 minute stretch. With the game tied 17-17 and around a minute or less left in the half, Bryce Young scrambles and fumbles. The GA player tries to pick it up, instead of falling on it. This allows Young to reach out and pull the ball toward him for the recovery. 2 plays later Bama scores and it's halftime. Coming out of half, Bama quickly marches down the field and scores in making it 31-17. The Dawgs would never get closer than that margin.
I look for the Dawgs to get back to their game from the start. They'll take a page out of Coach Yost, from Remember The Titans, playbook and "Blitz All Night!!" With Metchie out, playing over the top on Williams, and limiting Young's time, that should keep the Bama offense in check.
There will be a coronation Monday night, as a new King is crowned. A passing of the torch. The heartbreak, the losing streak, the monkey on the back, all disappear. DAWGS ON TOP!!
Dawgs -2.5
Under 52