Bulldogs Blitz Tide 28-7 for SEC Championship

Saturday, December 6

Atlanta, GA

4:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

12-1 , 7-1

Alabama

10-3 , 7-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Georgia

Alabama

December 06, 2025 | Football

Box Score Game Stats Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes

ATLANTA — The third-ranked Georgia football team captured its second straight SEC championship and got a bit of revenge against No. 9 Alabama on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 77,247 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After losing 24-21 to the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide in Athens back in September, the Bulldogs dominated for long stretches of their 28-7 win to clinch the program's 16th SEC crown.

Georgia (12-1) held the Crimson Tide (10-3) scoreless through the first three quarters, didn't allow the Tide to top 100 yards until the final play of the third, and also made big plays in all three phases of the game. A blocked punt in the first quarter was the first key play, setting up the Bulldogs' first score. The Bulldogs, playing in their fifth straight SEC Championship Game, tying Florida (1992-96) for the most ever, earned back-to-back SEC titles for the first time since winning three in a row from 1980-82.

The Bulldogs were 0-4 against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and 1-7 against the Tide under head coach Kirby Smart. But none of the previous games mattered when the teams took the field Saturday in front of a spirited crowd that was split about evenly between Bulldog and Tide fans. Georgia's fans had a lot more to cheer about.

In a matchup of two good defenses, both offenses struggled at times to move the ball; Alabama hadn't scored fewer than 17 points all season. For the game, Georgia out-gained Alabama 297-209, and Bulldog quarterback Gunner Stockton finished 20 of 26 for 156 yards and three touchdowns, while Tide QB Ty Simpson was held to 212 yards on 19 of 39 passing, was sacked three times for minus-23 yards and threw an interception. On the ground, Georgia ran 41 times for 141 yards; the Bulldog defense held the Tide to minus-3 yards on 16 attempts.

Safety JaCorey Thomas led the defense with six stops, including a sack, while linebackers CJ Allen, Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole had five each.

It was Georgia's special teams that made the game's first huge play. Midway through the opening quarter, with Alabama's Blake Doud punting on fourth down from the Tide 21-yard line, the Bulldogs' Cole Speer got free into the backfield and blocked the punt. Georgia's Justin Williams recovered the ball at the Alabama 25 and returned it four yards to the 21.

Georgia, which had already been forced to punt twice, took over deep in Tide territory and soon got into the end zone. On first down at the 21, Nate Frazier ran 14 yards to the 7. Three plays later, Stockton rolled to his right and hit running back Roderick Robinson II for an easy touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:36 to go in the first quarter. It was Robinson's first touchdown of the season and first since 2023.

It was Georgia's defense that made the next big play, with cornerback Daylen Everette intercepting a Simpson pass around the UGA 27. Safety KJ Bolden tipped the pass just ahead of Everette, and the Bulldog offense was soon back on the field late in the first quarter.

Georgia pushed its lead to 14-0 with 8:43 to play in the half when the Bulldogs capped a 14-play drive after the interception with a 5-yard touchdown from Stockton to wideout Dillon Bell. A few plays earlier, Bell had a 19-yard reception to move the ball to the 4.

The Bulldogs led 14-0 at the half, making it four straight quarters that their defense had held the Tide scoreless. In Alabama's 24-21 win in Athens in September, Georgia blanked Bama in the second half but couldn't rally for the win. At the break Saturday, Georgia had 168 yards of offense to Bama's 70, with a 10-4 advantage in first downs and a 19:59-10:01 advantage in time of possession.

The scoreless first half made it 11 straight quarters over the past four games in which Georgia's defense had not allowed a touchdown. The last time an opponent got into the end zone was when Texas scored with 5:27 to go in the third quarter on Nov. 15, and the Bulldogs scored 21 unanswered after that to win 35-10.

A sack by Thomas on third-and-9 at the Tide 26 on the opening drive of the second half made sure that streak kept going for a while. And Zachariah Branch's 24-yard punt return gave the Bulldogs great field position at the Tide 40. Georgia made the most of the return and the field position, taking a 21-0 lead with 10:47 to go in the third quarter on running back Nate Frazier's 9-yard run to the left side of the end zone.

Georgia led 21-0 heading into the fourth quarter, with Alabama just passing 100 yards of offense on the final play of the third.

Alabama finally got into the end zone with 12:33 to play in the game, scoring on a 23-yard pass from Simpson to receiver Germie Bernard. That cut Georgia's lead to 21-7 and snapped a streak of five-plus quarters without any points against the Bulldog defense.

The Crimson Tide forced a punt on Georgia's next possession, one that returner Cole Adams fumbled and recovered at the Bama 4 with 9:08 remaining. Georgia's defense kept up the pressure, and when the Tide went for it on fourth-and-2 at its 12, Simpson threw incomplete.

After two runs were stuffed, Georgia faced a third-and-11 from the 13. When it looked like the Bulldogs might have to settle for a field goal that might still give the Tide a chance at a comeback, Stockton hit Branch on a short pass to the left, and the speedy wideout ran the ball in for a 13-yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead with 6:51 to go.

Georgia again stopped the Tide on fourth down, with 3:22 remaining at the Bulldog 18. The Bulldogs then took over, and a Chauncey Bowens 19-yard rush gave Georgia some room. After the 2-minute timeout, Georgia was able to run out the clock and celebrate another SEC championship.

The College Football Playoff 12-team field and bracket will be announced during the selection show Sunday at noon on ESPN. The Bulldogs will be in the Playoff for the fourth time in the last five years.