Alabama Forced A Wild Fumble By Georgia QB Stetson Bennett And Barely Recovered It Inbounds

After a high-scoring SEC Championship game that Alabama won running away, the rematch in the College Football Playoff title game was a defensive struggle, locked up at 13-12 in the fourth quarter, with the Dawgs clinging narrowly to a lead.

Georgia’s defense got a crucial stand inside the five to force an Alabama field goal that kept them ahead by one, but on the ensuing drive the Tide were able to get after the Bulldogs offense. A reverse got blown up on second down, creating a third and long that put Stetson Bennett in the crosshairs of the Alabama pass rush, and as he got wrapped up well behind the line of scrimmage he tried to throw the ball away. However, what looked initially like an incomplete pass got ruled a fumble on the field, recovered by Alabama, and a lengthy review began.

The closer angle shows the ball slip out of the back of Bennett’s hand before he throws it, meaning it was a fumble.

The fumble itself was only part of the review process, though, as they had to determine if Alabama’s player recovered the ball inbounds as he nonchalantly grabbed it as it bounced out of bounds. Somehow, despite not really trying to, he kept his toe in by less than an inch for the recovery.

The best part of the review process (for non Georgia fans) happened over on the Coaches Film Room simulcast, where the Texas A&M coaches got to laugh at the shots of sad Georgia fans in the stands.

Alabama finally punched it into the end zone on the ensuing drive, their first TD of the game, taking an 18-13 lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.