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Scott Polacek is the featured Columnist IV.
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
There is a king on the throne.
The Georgia and Alabama football teams played in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday. Georgia avenged its loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and won the national title.
The defense led the way for the victors, who were finally able to topple the powerhouse with so much at stake.
The 373 passing yards of Young were not enough for the Tide, who failed to win back-to-back titles.
The win was secured by the pick-six thrown by the winner in the final minutes.
Notable player statistics.
Bennett was 17-of-26 passing for 224 yards and 2 touchdown.
White had 13 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Young was 35-of-57 passing for 362 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 turnovers.
Brian Robinson Jr., running back, ALA, had 22 carries for 68 yards and 4 catches for 28 yards.
Latu had 5 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia's offense responds to early struggles.
The Alabama obstacle has prevented Kirby Smart's program from taking the next step. The SEC title game and the national title game were the only two games in which Smart had a losing record against the Tide.
Will Anderson and other Alabama defenders were dropping blocks, meeting ball-carriers in the holes and pressuring Bennett as the Georgia offense looked to be the same as before.
The defense kept them within striking distance and opened the door for a second-half comeback, despite the fact that they only scored two field goals in the first half.
The running game entered as White built some steam even on an empty drive that was stopped by a flea flicker. James Cook ran for a 67-yard touchdown two possessions later to set up White for the go-ahead score and the game's first touchdown in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the offense went full tilt.
Bennett dropped back and lost a fumbled ball in his own territory, which required a lengthy review to see if it was a pass or if Brian Branch was in bounds. Bennett responded with a touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell to regain the lead.
White churned yards and clock and Bennett found Brock Bowers for a touchdown after a defensive stop.
While the defense will get a lot of deserved praise, it was an incredible response from the offense that has been criticized this season. Bennett bounced back from his turnover that cost his team the lead and is a national champion as a result.
Alabama's shorthanded offense came up short.
If there was ever a team that could be over confident in a national title game, it was Alabama. It just defeated Georgia by 17 points in the conference title game and entered play with the winner of the Heisman Trophy.
From the beginning, it was clear that the Alabama team was facing a different challenge than Georgia's defense. In the first half, Alabama only managed three Will Reichard field goals as the defense tightened up in the red zone.
Things became even more difficult for the defending champion when Jameson Williams was injured. They were already without John Metchie III, which put more pressure on Young to carry the offense.
On Alabama's opening possession of the second half, he threw an ugly pick up to Christopher Smith. That inspired a shift in offensive strategy and commitment to Brian Robinson Jr., who powered his way through arm tackles and picked up key yards after the catch on short passes.
Georgia blocked the field- goal attempt, which swung the game. Things got worse when a fourth-quarter drive ended in a field goal, but the Tide found the end zone on their next possession thanks to a short field following a turnover.
Young hit Latu for the go-ahead score after scrambling out of the pocket, but that was the last positive for the offense.
It's next possession came with a one-point deficit and ended with a 3-and-out. Young threw the pick-six that ended the game, as the dominant Georgia defense made the headlines.
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