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Georgia Defender Gunner Stockton got off to a much faster start against Alabama in Saturday's SEC Championship than he did last week against rival Georgia Tech.
Stockton capped a dominant 28-7 win for the Bulldogs. Crimson Tide at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, scoring three touchdowns and securing Georgia a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP).
While the SEC title win sent Georgia (12-1) into the first round of the playoffs, Alabama (10-3) suffered its third loss of the year. The Tide are now in danger of missing out on one of the CFB's 12 coveted postseason berths.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide's Parker Brailsford prepares to hit the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first quarter of the 2025 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday in Atlanta. (Kevin K. Cox/Getty Images)
The victory for head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia also ended Alabama's dominance in recent high school head-to-head matchups.
The Tide have won each of their last four meetings in the SEC Championship Game, and Smart is 1-7 overall against Alabama. Heading into Saturday, the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship marked Smart's only win against a nearby public school.
Smart has now helped Georgia to four conference titles.
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The Crimson Tide were thought to be in a good position when they climbed to ninth in the rankings last week. CFP ratingsbut a lopsided loss to the Bulldogs renewed concerns that Alabama could miss the playoffs for a second straight season under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
After the loss, DeBoer advocated for keeping the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide out of CFP contention.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches Saturday's game against Georgia in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Kevin K. Cox/Getty Images)
“I think you look at the games we've played throughout the season, but if you really look at this game, I mean it was a 14-point game with seven and a half minutes left and we had the ball,” DeBoer said. “You look at what didn't go well – we gave them four short pitches. And again, I don't want to take anything away from what Georgia has done.
“The field battle is part of it. But we gave them four short fields. “I mean, it’s a testament to the resilience of our defense.”
Late in the first quarter, Daylen Everett intercepted a pass from Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson that was deflected by KJ Bolden, giving the Bulldogs the ball near midfield. Stockton's 1-yard scoring pass to Dillon Bell gave Georgia a 14–0 lead.
Alabama Crimson Tide defensive end Ty Simpson plays against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday in Atlanta. (Kevin K. Cox/Getty Images)
London Humphries' block set up Nate Frazier's easy 9-yard score to cap Georgia's first possession of the second half, extending the lead to three touchdowns.
Alabama posted the biggest comeback in SEC championship game history when it beat Georgia 35-28 in 2018 from behind by 14 points.
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The latest CFP rankings and first-round pairings will be released on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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