When it came down to the final moments, it was A.J. McCarron with the touchdown pass to Amari Cooper that won the game for Alabama, winning them the SEC and sending them to another BCS National Championship game. The names who deserve to be first when this win is mentioned are running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, combining for 334 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

A.J. McCarron came up with the big play that won the game, but the quarterback didn’t have the kind of game he has been known for throughout this season, throwing his third interception in 2012. The other 2 came in the loss to A&M, and all three have come when Alabama were behind in a game.

With the Georgia pass rush bearing down on the Tide’s quarterback, Nick Saban was more than happy to turn and use the best rushing attack in College Football. Georgia have some great playmakers on defense, but they just couldn’t stop the rolling offensive line, as Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon carved them up time after time. Lacy, a Junior, enjoyed his biggest game of the season with 181 yards and two touchdowns, one which gave Alabama their first score of the after noon and another one that put them 25-21 ahead in the eventful fourth quarter.

Yeldon, who’s had his share of big moments this season, got to be the impressive freshman of the day, despite the presence of Todd Gurley on the other side. Yeldon finished with 153 yards on 25 carries, scoring one touchdown which put Alabama back in the game after falling 21-10 behind, also completing the 8 point play with a run on the conversion.

We can talk as much as we’d like about how this was Alabama’s destiny this season: winning the SEC and playing in their third BCS title game in the past four years. They were the most impressive team on both sides of the ball this season in College Football after all. But if comes down to two plays: McCarron forgetting about his rough day and finding Amari Cooper for a 43 yard touchdown, making it 32-28, and Georgia coming up short on the final play.

Nine second left, and the Bulldogs don’t spike the ball. Instead, Aaron Murray, on the Alabama 8 throws it to the corner, but the Bama defense deflect the pass. Instead of an incompletion  the ball falls into the hands of Chris Conley, who slides on the 5 yard line. No more timeouts. A few second too short, a few yards too short.

We mentioned yesterday that Aaron Murray needed the perfect game to give Georgia the win. He was far less than perfect, as expected, throwing a touchdown and an interception. A big day from Todd Gurley (122 yards, 2 touchdowns) was nearly enough to lead the way for an upset win for the Bulldogs, who will probably settle for a second tier bowl, but probably deserve more.

Alabama? They’re were they expected to be when the season began, with some problems to take care of, knowing the kind of defense they’re going to be up against. It doesn’t matter. These days, winning the SEC is more than half the job of being crowned national champions.

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