Basketball: Alabama falls to Cincinnati on buzzer-beater. 3C
S U N D A Y , D E C E M B E R 2 , 2012
Sports
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WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
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FINAL DESTINATION Alabama holds off Georgia to win SEC Championship Game; earns spot in second straight BCS national title game INSIDE
STAFF PHOTO | DUSTY COMPTON
Grinding it out Alabama turns to its running game to beat Georgia | 6C
PHOTO | JASON HARLESS
Just enough UA defense doesn’t play its best, but comes up big when it matters | 7C
Kicking themselves Alabama field goal attempt turns into a Georgia touchdown | 7C
PHOTO | JASON HARLESS
Alabama notebook UA wants to celebrate SEC title before looking ahead to Notre Dame | 8C
Alabama analysis Coaching decisions, good and bad, play big part in outcome | 8C
PHOTO | JASON HARLESS
Alabama running back Eddie Lacy (42) attempts to break the tackle of Georgia defensive backs Shawn Williams (36) and Sanders Commings (19) in the second half of Saturday’s SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Lacy rushed for 181 yards, including 91 in the second half, as Alabama beat Georgia 32-28.
Lacy, Yeldon run for 334 yards to lift Crimson Tide to title By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor
ATLANTA | For Alabama, the dream is in hand — again. For Georgia, it lay just 5 yards out of reach. In an epic game of momentum changes, great plays, head-scratching decisions, special teams miscues, more momentum changes, power running and powerful emotion, Alabama won its 23rd Southeastern Conference championship with a 32-28 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs. The victory will put Alabama into its third BCS National Championship Game in four years, with only today’s formal announcement of the Crimson Tide and Notre Dame remaining. It did not come easy, as Alabama needed every second of the 60 minutes and 95 of the 100-yard field to win.
For video and a photo gallery of Saturday’s game go to www.tidesports.com The Crimson Tide took a 32-28 lead with 3:15 to play when AJ McCarron found Amari Cooper running free behind a tired Georgia defense and hit him for a 45-yard score. But after the teams exchanged punts, Georgia got a fi nal possession with 1:08 remaining and moved from its own 15 to the Alabama 5. The drive included an overturned interception ruling and seemed to have lethal ramifications for Alabama’s hopes when Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray found tight end Arthur Lynch for a 26yard gain to the Crimson Tide 8. PHOTO | JASON HARLESS With 15 seconds remaining, Geor- Alabama coach Nick Saban stands with running gia opted against spiking the ball and back Eddie Lacy (42), who was named the SEC SEE T ITLE | 6C Championship Game’s Most Valuable Player.
SEC Championship Game was all about survival
“Hard pounding, gentlemen. Let’s see who will pound longest.” — The Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo
ATLANTA ometimes it comes down to just that. The politics don’t matter. The BCS ramifications don’t matter. The pregame chatter doesn’t matter. Not even the trophy at stake matters. Alabama and Georgia reached that point Saturday evening, playing a classic football game that finally seemed to transcend the fact a berth in the national championship game was on the line. By the fourth quarter, the game became a test of wills, each team throwing everything it could at the other side and then staring — bemused CECIL — when the opponent refused to topple. HURT Even at the very end, it seemed like there would be no end. Alabama appeared to have fi nally landed the blow with an interception. Replay reversed that verdict. This game was not destined to end that quietly. SEE HURT | 7C
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