Follow College Football Playoff title game live: Alabama vs. Georgia

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs meet up in this season's national championship on Monday.

Follow along as the Yahoo Sports college football crew breaks down all the action.

Georgia wins first national championship since 1980

Georgia has done it.

For the first time since 1980, the Georgia Bulldogs are the national champions of college football. They did it with a former walk-on at quarterback and one of the best defenses in recent memory.

In a 33-18 victory over Alabama, the Georgia defense continually held the Crimson Tide to field goals and pressured Heisman winner Bryce Young. In the end, UGA sealed the deal by intercepting Young. It was Kelee Ringo who brought it back 79 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

There was also Stetson Bennett, the often-doubted quarterback who made the plays with the game on the line to give his team the lead. He turned it over deep in his own territory to set up Alabama's go-ahead touchdown. On the next two drives, Bennett made the throws that mattered.

His gorgeous 40-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell put UGA ahead 19-18 with 8:09 to go. And then he connected with freshman tight end Brock Bowers for a 15-yard touchdown with 3:33 to play, putting the Bulldogs up 26-18.

And when Ringo sealed the win with the interception, the lifelong Georgia fan could not control his emotions.

Georgia seals national title with epic pick-six

With the ball in the hands of Bryce Young, the Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama still had a chance.

Young completed a few passes to get the Tide into Georgia territory, but the comeback effort ended abruptly. Young lobbed one into coverage and Kelee Ringo picked it off.

Kirby Smart was screaming for Ringo to get down, but Ringo had other ideas. He sprinted 79 yards for a Georgia touchdown, increasing the lead to 33-18 and sealing Georgia's first national championship since 1980.

Georgia adds to lead with another TD

Following the go-ahead touchdown, the Georgia defense quickly forced a three-and-out and put the ball back in the offense's hands with 7:10 to go.

Would the offense go into clock killing mode? Or would Georgia stay aggressive? The answer was both.

Georgia's run game was picking up sizable chunks on each handoff. Time was coming off the clock and Georgia was looking to add to its lead. Eventually, UGA faced a third-and-1 from the Alabama 15-yard line.

That's when Todd Monken called the perfect RPO play. Stetson Bennett pulled the handoff and found Brock Bowers wide open. He picked up the first down yardage and scampered in for a touchdown.

Instead of trying for a two-point conversion to potentially go up by nine points, Kirby Smart kicked the extra point to give his team a 26-18 lead with 3:33 to play.

Can Georgia hold on?

Stetson Bennett, Georgia offense respond

After Alabama took the lead, the Georgia offense needed to respond. It did so emphatically.

Entering the drive, Stetson Bennett had thrown for 141 yards on 22 attempts. On this drive, he racked up 68 passing yards on just three throws, including a beautiful 40-yard touchdown to Adonai Mitchell to give the Bulldogs the lead.

The subsequent two-point conversion try failed, but Georgia was back in front, 19-18, with 8:09 to play.

What a game this has been.

Controversial call helps Alabama take the lead

Georgia had avoided turning it over on offense all night — until the fourth quarter. Both Will Anderson and Christian Harris came screaming off the edge and it was Harris who got a hit on Stetson Bennett.

At first, it looked like Bennett got rid of the ball for an incomplete pass. But it was ruled a fumble and an Alabama recovery right near the sideline on the field by the officials.

After a review, both the fumble and Alabama recovery were controversially upheld, giving the Tide offense the ball in the red zone. This time, Bryce Young and company cashed in.

On a third-and-goal play, he found Cameron Latu for a go-ahead three-yard touchdown. The score gave Alabama an 18-13 lead with 10:14 to play.

Will the Georgia offense be able to respond?

Georgia defense holds in red zone again

It didn't take long for Alabama's offense to get back in Georgia territory, but the Bulldogs got off the field when it mattered most.

Alabama had a first-and-goal from the Georgia 5-yard line, but had to settle for yet another field goal. This time, a perfectly timed blitz spoiled what could have been a Bryce Young touchdown pass.

Nick Saban then opted to cut the Georgia lead to 13-12 with 12:59 to play instead of trying for the go-ahead touchdown on fourth down.

Georgia finally gets in the end zone

After the blocked kick, Georgia decided to get back to its ground attack. It paid off in a big way when James Cook burst through the line for a 67-yard gain.

Cook raced all the way to the Alabama 13. Three plays later, Zamir White — Cook's backfield mate — scored the first touchdown of the game from a yard out to give Georgia a 13-9 lead with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter.

We're in for a nail-biting fourth quarter.

Blocked FG spoils lengthy Alabama drive

Georgia pinned Alabama all the way at its own 2-yard line. Without Williams at receiver, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and got running back Brian Robinson involved — both as a runner and receiver out of the backfield.

With Robinson leading the way, Alabama methodically moved into Georgia territory but eventually faced a third-and-11 from the UGA 30. That's when Young delivered a dime to freshman Agiye Hall. The ball hit Hall right in the hands for what would have been a first down, but he dropped it.

That incompletion set up a 48-yard field goal, a kick that was blocked by Georgia's Jalen Carter to keep the score at 9-6.

Georgia gets INT, but can't take advantage

The first turnover of the game came early in the third quarter, but Georgia's offense could not cash it in with points.

On Alabama's second play from scrimmage in the second half, Bryce Young was picked off by Christopher Smith when he overthrew Jahleel Billingsley down the right sideline.

That INT gave Georgia the ball at the Alabama 43, but the Bulldogs could not take advantage. Alabama's defense, with Will Anderson making his presence felt, quickly forced a three-and-out and Georgia coach Kirby Smart decided to punt on fourth-and-7 from the 40 rather than keep his offense on the field.

Alabama takes 9-6 lead into halftime

Georgia was able to tack on a field goal with 3:09 left in the first half, cutting Alabama's lead to 9-6.

From there, both coaching staffs went conservative. Alabama opted to punt on fourth-and-8 from the Georgia 41 and then Georgia ran out the clock instead of trying to be aggressive in the final 1:33 of the first half.

Alabama outgained Georgia 216 yards to 153 in the first half. Almost all of those yards came through the air — 206 for Alabama and 127 for Georgia.

Both defenses came up big on third down. Alabama converted on just three of its nine third-down tries. Georgia went 3-of-8.

Alabama hits big play, Georgia defense gets clutch sack

Bend, but don't break.

On its next offensive possession, Alabama hit another big play. This time, Bryce Young hit tight end Cameron Latu in stride for a 61-yard catch-and-run.

That play set Alabama up at the UGA 8-yard line, but Channing Tindall made a tremendous play to chase down Young for a sack to force yet another field goal. That short field goal gave Alabama a 9-3 lead.

Alabama WR Jameson Williams injures knee

Alabama regained the lead early in the second quarter, but it came at a cost.

On Alabama's first play that followed the UGA field goal drive, Bryce Young hit Jameson Williams for a big play. Williams got a free release off the line and was wide open for a 40-yard gain.

Williams tried to make a cut and his knee buckled. He immediately went to the turf and needed to be helped to the sideline. Soon after, he went into the injury tent and later back to the locker room.

The drive culminated with a 45-yard field goal to give Alabama a 6-3 lead, but most of the attention in the stadium was on the status of Williams. Alabama is already missing John Metchie, who paired with Williams to make one of the best receiving duos in the country.

Now Alabama could be tasked with winning the national title with both of them on the sideline.

Bennett to Pickens deep ball ignites Georgia offense

Georgia gained a total of one yard on its first two possessions with quarterback Stetson Bennett looking really shaky in the face of the Alabama pass rush.

And on Georgia's third possession, the offense was backed up at its own 8-yard line to start. The Bulldogs got some room when Bennett found Darnell Washington for their first first down of the game. A few plays later, Bennett finally had a clean pocket. He let one loose and found George Pickens behind the defense for a 52-yard gain.

Pickens, expected to be UGA's No. 1 receiver, missed most of the season with a knee injury. He showed why with this play, going full extension to haul in a beautiful ball from Bennett.

A few plays after the Bennett-to-Pickens connection, Georgia would have a first-and-goal but eventually had to settle for a 24-yard field goal. That tied the score at 3-3 with 12:35 left in the first half.

Georgia defensive TD called back, Alabama takes 3-0 lead

In the SEC title game, Georgia struggled getting pressure on Bryce Young. In the early going on Monday night, the Bulldogs got a hit on Young, the Heisman Trophy winner, and appeared to have opened the national title game with a defensive touchdown.

Jordan Davis blasted through the Alabama front and jarred the ball loose from Young. Nakobe Dean then scooped up the loose ball and waltzed in for a touchdown.

However, after a review, it was determined that Young's arm was going forward. It was ruled an incomplete pass and the ball went back to the Alabama offense.

From there, Alabama marched down the field and opened up the scoring with a 37-yard Will Reichard field goal. The drive went 14 plays and 56 yards and gave Alabama an early 3-0 lead.

Can Georgia finally break its national championship drought?

It’s finally game day!

The College Football Playoff National Championship is here and it features a rematch of the SEC title game. Georgia was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country at that point, but was upset 41-27 by Alabama. More than a month later, Georgia gets an opportunity for revenge on the biggest stage.

Alabama, which defeated Cincinnati 27-6 in the semifinals, is in pursuit of its seventh national championship in the last 13 seasons, all under Nick Saban. Georgia, on the heels of a 34-11 blowout over Michigan, is in pursuit of its first national title since 1980.

Georgia has lost seven straight to Alabama, including four during the tenure of Kirby Smart, who was a longtime Saban assistant before becoming UGA’s head coach. The Bulldogs have had the lead in all four of those Saban-Smart showdowns, but the Tide has always come out on top.

Can the Bulldogs reverse those fortunes on Monday night in Indianapolis? We’re all anxious to find out.