National Championship Game: Georgia vs. Alabama: Highlights, score and recap

It was a wild, all-SEC matchup in the 2018 National Championship Game.

On Monday night, it was an All-SEC matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, between Alabama and Georgia. Both schools won their respective College Football Playoff games to reach Atlanta, GA. So, who walked out with the 2018 National Championship?

The first half had shades of the 2012 Alabama vs. LSU game, which was a defensive battle that featured field goals. Georgia increased the tempo in the second quarter, however, and kept a 13-0 lead at halftime. This happened after the game’s first touchdown was scored in the half’s final minutes, via Mecole Hardman’s one-yard burst into the end zone.

The third quarter saw the game’s biggest change. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, in one of his boldest movies, replaced quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was his guy for two full seasons. That even went for the 2017 College Football National Championship Game. True freshman Tua Tagovailoa took over — a signal caller that was highly touted in high school but never played a meaningful college snap.

With Tagovailoa’s first drive, this changed. He opened the vertical passing game for Alabama, with lightning-quick passes that cut through the field. It was sharper than what Hurts delivered, along with a sub-50 percent completion mark. Plus, the Hawaiian-born quarterback used his legs to extend plays and give the offense new life. This combination pushed his team down the field and led to their first touchdown on a six-yard pass.

Freshmen quarterbacks, especially in a game like this, are prone to mistakes, though. On Tagovailoa’s next drive, he threw an interception, something that happened just once in Alabama’s season. While Georgia’s Jake Fromm did the same on the next play, it stunted the No. 4 team’s offense.

In the midst of this, the Bulldogs broke the game’s scoring open, rather than a field-goal fest. He tossed an 80-yarder to Mecole Hardma, who miraculously stayed in bounds and reach the end zone. It pushed head coach Kirby Smart’s team to a 20-7 lead.

The fourth quarter was not one-sided, however, as Alabama’s defense stepped up to limit Georgia. That included a field goal from Andy Pappanastos to make it a 20-13 game.

With just four minutes remaining, the Alabama offense moved down the field and delivered on crucial third-down plays. A defensive pass interference call on Georgia gave them an extra 15 yards, too, which set up a Tagovailoa touchdown to Calvin Ridley, evening the game at 20-20.

After Georgia burned just one minute off the clock, the game was in Alabama’s hands. It quickly moved down the field and methodically entered the red zone, as just under one minute remained on the clock.

With three seconds left, Alabama had the chance at the game-winner. Kicker Andy Pappanastos pushed it left, though, and brought this game to overtime.

Georgia first possessed the ball, but only walked out with a field goal. That allowed a touchdown to win it for Alabama, which it pulled off when the freshman sensation Tagovailoa fired a pass to a wide open DeVonta Smith for the National Championship-clinching score.

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What a game to close the college football season. Saban won his sixth championship, while Tagovailoa became a legend. Alabama is your 2018 National Champions!