As confetti christened the Alabama football team the 2012 Southeastern Conference champions Saturday at the Georgia Dome, a fan carried a sign: "Can't Beat SEC." The Crimson Tide had executed a 32-28 nail-biter over Georgia, and players were celebrating atop a platform, holding aloft blue discs with the conference logo. This followed the widespread circulation on the Internet last week of a cartoon. It depicts a hulking elephant and bulldog in boxing gear peering down at a leprechaun with the caption, "One of us will be right with you…"
Notre Dame could very well beat Alabama in the Bowl Championship Series title game when the teams meet Jan. 7 in Miami. The Fighting Irish are an undefeated and worthy opponent. But in an epic game Saturday night, Alabama and Georgia backed up every bit of their fans' incessant bluster about how no league can match theirs. From its TV ratings to its armies of fans, from its bruising players to the run of national titles it could soon bring to seven, from its home-field grandeur to its deeply relevant conference championship game, the SEC has become college football's unquestionable ruling empire.
Offense, defense and special teams took turns showing how SEC talent can leave you feeling like you just watched three-dimensional chess. The teams cranked up the tension with the first scoreless first quarter in the 21-year history of the SEC title game, then busted the game open in the second half. Georgia's Cornelius Washington blocked a 49-yard field-goal attempt and Alec Ogletree ran the ball back 55 yards for a touchdown and, with a point-after, a 21-10 lead for the Bulldogs, who entered as seven-point underdogs.
Georgia's pass rush smothered Alabama's A.J. McCarron, sacking him three times. So Alabama rode its sterling offensive line and running back Eddie Lacy, who gained 181 yards and two touchdowns.
Back and forth the teams bludgeoned one another, during one stretch combining to score five touchdowns in seven drives. This was supposed to be the defensive battle the first quarter had seemed to foreshadow, but the lead changed a head-swiveling five times.
Alabama's McCarron threw a 45-yard pass to Amari Cooper for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:15 remaining, spurring a thunderous celebration. The Bulldogs had a chance to drive for the win and a clear shot at their first national title since 1980. Opposing them was insatiable Alabama, the defending champions back in the hunt despite losing six players from their bone-crushing defense to the NFL draft.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray drove the Bulldogs down the field, firing three consecutive passes for first downs to reach the Alabama 8-yard line. But Georgia had no more timeouts, and receiver Chris Conley caught Murray's final, tipped pass and slipped at the 5 as the clock went to zero.
by wsj.com
SEC championship, SEC Championship Game 2012, Alabama vs Georgia, SEC championship game
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