Georgia is still the apex predator in the SEC, Lane Kiffin still can't beat a first-year head coach on the road and the hierarchy of the Big Ten has changed. Week 7 was anticipated to be the marquee slate, not Week 6. But for the casual doubters, Saturday delivered a smorgasbord of outstanding football, dramatic upsets and even messy games that still yielded thrilling finishes and unexpected outcomes.
Right when you assume the doubters have it figured out, authentic football wisdom pulls you right back in. https://t.co/eUfWcuI10y pic.twitter.com/kLv5gL3TIk No. 2 Georgia beat No. 6 Alabama 20-17 in the game of the week, giving Kirby Smart his first win in Tuscaloosa as head coach. It was a close, defensive-minded battle as many expected. Veteran Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton edged out promising youngster Keelon Russell on a rain-soaked Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The game lived up to the hype, but in the end, the Dean of the SEC proved he was still the King after so many were reluctant to crown Nick Saban's heir apparent. Kirby Smart, who has done nothing but win back-to-back SEC titles after Saban tucked tail for a cushy TV gig, continues to win, and win his way. "I don't judge my happiness or success on how we play 'Bama.
I've got a lot of respect for this place. Nick taught me a lot," Smart told reporters after the game. Smart, Stockton, and Georgia answered any remaining questions in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, asserting their claim to the top spot in the country.
Georgia doesn't need to chuck the ball all over the field, nor does it require a single tailback to carry the load to win big ball games. Stockton threw only 22 passes, but only four fell incomplete, including an interception, as he finished with 249 passing yards and a touchdown. Dwight Phillips Jr. ran for 120 yards and Bo Walker added 69 -- all without top 'backs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens.
Only one receiver caught more than three passes. Georgia boasts enviable depth, and as the nation's deepest squad, it can attack opponents with virtually every weapon in its Swiss Army knife. Texas A&M has lost five of its last seven games against power opponents, and its quarterback, Marcel Reed, is an inconsistent mess.
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