WATCH: Malachi Moore intercepts tipped pass, sets up TD drive

Alabama’s true freshman defensive back Malachi Moore’s interception led to amazing field position and a najee harris touchdown.

Alabama’s true-freshman defensive back Malachi Moore came up with an interception that may have given Alabama the momentum needed to take down the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.

Stetson Bennett IV’s pass was deflected almost 15 yards away from the line of scimmage, the redirected pass was then intercepted by Moore at the two-yard line. The freshman retured the interception to the Alabama 44.

From there, Mac Jones and the offense took over. A quick trip to the redzone, courtesy of a 34-yard pass to DeVonta Smith, led to a pass interference call against Georgia in the end zone, and ultimately concluded with a two-yard touchdown rush by Najee Harris.

The Crimson Tide now leads the Bulldogs by 10, 24-34.

WATCH: Jaylen Waddle scores 91-yd TD to give Alabama lead

Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle scores on a 91-yard pass and catch to give Alabama the lead over No. 3 Georgia.

Though Alabama opened the second half down by four, it felt like much, much more. The defecit has been erased, and Alabama has taken the ead thanks a massive catch-and-run by Jaylen Waddle.

A pass by Mac Jones found Waddle, fresh off of a handsy defensive back, for a 91-yard touchdown.

TheCrimson Tide defense has struggled to stop Georgia’s ground game, as well as their Stetson Bennett IV’s passing attack.

Mac Jones has kept Alabama in the game, offensively, since Najee Harris’ impact has been minimal due to Georgia’s nationally recognized defense.

Waddle now has 161 yards and one touchdown off of six receptions.

The Crimson Tide now leads 27-24 with a quarter and a half remaining in the game.

Halftime Report: Alabama vs. Georgia

Alabama, Georgia match up as the two remaining strongholds within the SEC, the defensive strength of UGA faces off against Mac Jones.

After an interesting start to the game that had early interceptions for both starting quarterbacks, plenty of punts and a couple of trips to the end zones for both teams. Nick Saban and Alabama will head into their lockerroom trailing Georgia 24-20.

Mac Jones continues to try and execute the deep passes, something he has done well this season. In the first half, Jones threw for 224, two touchdowns and an interception on 15 completions on 22 attempts.

The wide receiver corps of Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and John Metchie III have been unable to gain yardage through short passes, instead opting for numerous shots down the field against a dangerous Georgia secondary.

Overall, the Alabama pass catchers have been the consistent contributor for Alabama’s chances of winning, with DeVonta Smith being the star on six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

The Alabama run game has proven effective against Gergia’s defensive front when compared to other ground-game attempts against the Bulldogs in games prior. Opponents averaged roughly 57 rushing yards per game against Georgia, the Crimson Tide have totaled 74 yards, with Najee Harris having 80 on 13 carries and Jones lowering the total due to -13 yards in the first half.

Pete Golding’s defense entered this game looking to improve upon a disappointing performance in the Crimson Tide’s Week 3 performance against Ole Miss.

Georgia’s Stetson Bennett IV put a small, but noticeable dent into Alabama’s secondary with a strong passing attack, headlined by junior James Cook (4 receptions, 101 yards, 1 TD), that included 12 completions on 25 attempts for 177 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

A shared backfield for the Bulldogs combined for 91 yards and a lone touchdown on the ground.

Will Reichard hit a career-high 52-yard field goal to cut Georgia’s lead to four.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama Football as the second half kicks off.

 

WATCH: Alabama scores first with John Metchie III 40-yard TD

Alabama’s redshirt freshman WR John Metchie III scores first points of the game with a 40-yard touchdown thrown by Mac Jones.

Alabama’s redshirt-freshman wide receiver reeled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones to score the first points of the highy anticipated contest.

No. 2 Alabama enters the game with the highest scoring offense in the nation, and No 3 Georgia with the highly-praised defense, limiting opponents to an average of just over 12 points per game.

After an early interception thrown by Jones on the first snap of the game, Justin Eboigbe came down with an interception a few plays later, which helped set up the 40-yard touchdown pass.

Metchi is the young star in the Crimson Tide’s receiving corps. he has filled in the big shoes left behind by Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy well as an underclassman.

Alabama holds an early lead thanks to Metchie’s touchdown.

WATCH: Alabama DL Justin Eboigbe reels in interception at line of scrimmage

Alabama DL Justin Eboigbe came down with an interception just a few plays after Mac Jones threw an interception on the very first snap.

Mac Jones and the Alabama Crimson Tide got off to an interesting start as he threw an interception on the very first snap of the game.

Well, the Crimson Tide defense wasted no time in getting the ball back in a unique fashion,

Sophomore defensive tackle DJ Dale swatted Stetson Bennett IV’s pass, which landed in Justin Eboigbe’s hands, causing Jones and the offense to get back on the field.

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding went under fire after Week 3’s poor performance against Ole Miss, allowing over 600 all-purpose yards.

An unanticipated start to a game that has big implications in a race to an SEC title and a National Championship.

REPORT: Outcome of Georgia game will count toward Nick Saban’s record

Nick Saban’s perfect 21-0 record against assistant coaches could be in jeopardy as he will likley be watching the game at home.

Nick Saban defeated Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team last Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi to not only improve Alabama’s record to 3-0 on the 2020 season, but also improve his own personal record to 21-0 against former assistant coaches.

Saban has never lost to a former assistant coach of his. Though, that might be  short-lived as the Crimson Tide will take onKirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs for Week 4 of SEC action in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The only catch is: Saban won’t be on the sideline becuase of his recent COVID-19 diagnosis.

So, will it still count toward his record?

AL.com’s Michael Casagrande discovered that it is up to the program to determine whether or not the loss, or win, is credited to the absent head coach, or the acting head coach.

Casagrande quotes the NCAA’s ‘Statistics policies and guidelines,’ which offer a clear and precise call-to-action for programs in scenario’s exactly like Alabama’s.

“If the head coach is not present at a contest due to illness or other unexpected circumstances, or otherwise is unable to complete the sport season, it is the responsibility of the institution to determine, preferably prior to the contest, whether the win, loss or tie for that contest shall be credited to the head coach or to an interim or assistant coach,”

Alabama’s offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be overseeing operations, as Saban put it, but is expected to assume the role of Saban for this Saturday’s Week 4 matchup against No. 3 Georgia. However, Casagrande reports the outcome of the game will fall on Saban’s record.

After the publishing of his original story, Casagrande reports that an Alabama official has confirmed the outcome of the game will count toward Saban’s record.

 

Latest USA TODAY bowl projections keep Notre Dame feeling Orange

Where Notre Dame ends up this postseason remains an educated guess at best but the latest USA TODAY projection would certainly be compelling

Bowl projections are incredibly interesting this season as some think the Pac-12 and Big Ten will have played enough games for their schools to be potentially College Football Playoff worthy while others don’t think that’s the case.

What comes of it is an interesting discrepancy in where various teams end up in the projections as a result.

Yesterday we looked at the latest from Jerry Palm at CBS, who had Oregon in the College Football Playoff.  As fallout, Notre Dame was projected by Palm to make a return trip to Orlando in the Cheez-It Bowl.

USA TODAY has also updated their projections with a different end to 2020 for Notre Dame however and it’s against a team that was one of America’s sweethearts last weekend.

The Projection:
Orange Bowl – Miami, FL
Notre Dame vs. Georgia

This would be only the fourth ever meeting between Notre Dame and Georgia and the second in a bowl game if it were to play out.

Georgia has won all three previous meetings with Notre Dame, making them one of a very few programs to ever not lose to the Fighting Irish.

SEC experts pick Alabama to win conference title in 2020

CBS Sports’ SEC experts weighed in on the state of SEC football in 2020, made some bold predictions and foresees Alabama winning it all.

The 2020 college football season is underway and it will be unlike any season in the sport’s history. Alabama and the rest of the SEC will play a ten game, conference-only schedule due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Questions loom over how the season will pan out, how the change in schedule will affect teams and who will reign supreme by the end of it all.

CBS Sports’ SEC experts weighed in on these questions, and more, when looking ahead to the 2020 season, which is set to kick off on Sept. 26.

The experts named their most overrated and underrated teams within the conference for 2020. Alabama’s name was nowhere in sight on both lists.

The Crimson Tide were mentioned in the ‘Bold Predictions’ by Ben Kercheval. He mentions the quarterback situation in Tuscaloosa could be similar to that of when Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa competed for the starting role.

“Similar to Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young will eventually be thrust into the spotlight at Alabama even though Mac Jones starts the season as QB1,” writes Kercheval.

However, when it came to predicting who will win the SEC West, Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide was the clear favorite without contest

Experts Barrett Sallee, Dennis Dodd, Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Ben Kercheval, Jerry Palm and David Cobb unanimously picked Alabama to win the SEC West and face either Georgia or Florida in the 2020 SEC Championship game.

Only one expert, Fornelli, did not predict Alabama to win the conference title, he foresees a Georgia win.

Though, the others all backed the Crimson Tide.

“Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones might not have the same upside as other SEC signal callers, but his supporting cast is better,” writes Sallee. “The Tide have an established offensive line, studs at wide receiver in DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle along with one of the best all-around running backs in the nation in Najee Harris. Plus, the best defensive player in college football — linebacker Dylan Moses — returns after a year off and joins a defense that has experience up front and an established star at corner in Patrick Surtain II. Experience matters more so this year than in regular seasons, and Alabama has it in spades. The rest of the SEC teams with top-end talent have glaring holes in the experience department in one or more spots. Not Alabama. This won’t be a competitive SEC season. The gap between Alabama and the field is the size of the Grand Canyon.”

There are two weeks left until Alabama kicks off the 2020 season against Missouri. Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football as the season quickly approaches.

The Athletic predicts Florida to finish 2nd in SEC East behind Georgia

The Athletic once again expects Florida to fall short of rival Georgia in the SEC East, projecting UF to finish second behind the Bulldogs.

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Though the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference kick off their seasons on Saturday, the Southeastern Conference is still three weeks away from its opening weekend.

But The Athletic already released its season preview for the conference, including projected orders of finish for both divisions.

However, they once again expect the Gators to fall short of rival Georgia in the SEC East, projecting Florida to finish second behind the Bulldogs. UGA has won three-straight SEC East titles, and UF coach Dan Mullen has yet to score a victory over the cross-border foe in his first two years.

Here’s the justification The Athletic gave for placing Florida second.

Florida has won 10 games in each of Dan Mullen’s first two years as coach and brings back quarterback Kyle Trask, who proved plenty capable in 2019. If anyone can catch Georgia in the SEC East standings, it will likely be the Gators.

And here is the full projected SEC East standings.

1
12-2
2
11-2
3
8-5
4
8-5
5
4-8
6
6-6
7
3-9

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Warriors land Georgia’s Anthony Edwards in new Bleacher Report NBA Mock Draft

With the first overall selection in Bleacher Report’s NBA Mock Draft, the Golden State Warriors landed Georgia wing Anthony Edwards.

Unlike 22 other teams in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors will be staying at home for the NBA’s restart in the Orlando Bubble. With the league’s worst record at 15-50, the Warriors are one of eight teams outside the bubble. With their season officially over, the Warriors can turn their attention to the NBA Draft.

For the first time since 2002, the Warriors will have the opportunity to make a selection in the top-five picks of the NBA Draft. The Warriors will have a better idea of what their options are in the top-five once the NBA Lottery occurs in August. Until then, mock drafts will take a shot at predicting whom the Warriors will add in October’s edition of draft day.

USC’s Onyeka Okongwu, Memphis big James Wiseman, Florida State’s Devin Vassell and Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton have all had their names listed alongside Golden State in mock drafts.

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In Zach Buckley’s latest mock for Bleacher Report, the Golden State Warriors landed Georgia’s Anthony Edwards with the top overall selection.

View the full Bleacher Report mock draft here.

In his freshman season at Georgia, Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. In 32 contests, the SEC Freshman of the Year shot 40.2% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc.

In Warriors Wire’s July Big Board, the Bulldogs wing topped the list with the No. 1 overall spot.

Edwards would give the Warriors an explosive athlete with the ability to score downhill. The former McDonald’s All-American could serve as a primary playmaker next to Eric Paschall in Steve Kerr’s second unit. At only 18-years-old, Edwards has time to develop behind Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry in Golden State’s backcourt.

As the 2020 draft season continues to heat up in the Bay Area, more mock drafts will begin to pour in with predictions for the Golden State Warriors’ top pick.

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