The 2022 National Championship Game features the 13-1 Alabama Crimson Tide against the 13-1 Georgia Bulldogs. Here is the 2022 National Championship Game Preview.
Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1)
Alabama defeated Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the National Championship Game. They didn’t have too much trouble with the Bearcats, winning 27-6.
The Crimson Tide scored lower than their season average, which currently sits at 41.4 points per game, but it was still an impressive performance against Cincinnati’s bend, but don’t break defense.
Bryce Young had a mundane performance with 181 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 17/28 passing. Jameson Williams did leave the game and returned with an injury, but finished with seven receptions for 62. In the absence of John Metchie, who is out for the season, Ja’Corey Brooks stepped up to lead the team in receiving with 66 yards.
Brian Robinson had the best game of his season, as the Bearcats dared Alabama to run the ball with their three-man front. He carried the ball 26 times for 204 rushing yards against Cincinnati. He will have a much tougher matchup against Georgia in the National Championship Game. Trey Sanders also helped run the ball effectively with 14 carries for 67 yards.
The defense played incredibly well in the Cotton Bowl, keeping Cincinnati to just six points scored. Will Anderson proved why he should have been invited to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony with two sacks. Defensive lineman Brian Branch also had a big day with eight total tackles, 0.5 sacks and two passes swatted down at the line of scrimmage.
Georgia Bulldogs (13-1)
Georgia rebounded from their only loss of the season to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, by dismantling Michigan. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolverines 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the National Championship Game.
The Bulldogs scored lower than their season average of 39 points per game, but put up enough points against a stout Michigan defense. They also controlled the game and didn’t need to score more after dominating the first half of the game.
Stetson Bennett has been highly-criticized, but had a very impressive game. He passed for 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 20/30 passing. Bennett has kept pretty clean most of the game as well, which helped him expose the Michigan pass defense. The ball was spread out a decent amount, but running back James Cook led the team in receiving with four catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Jermaine Burton, Brock Bowers and Adonai Mitchell each caught a touchdown pass as well (running back Kenny McIntosh throw a touchdown on a trick play as well).
Georgia changed running backs frequently against the Wolverines, but they found success. They rushed for 190 total yards, with Zamir White being their leading rusher. He finished the game with 12 carries for 54 yards. Six other players ran the ball for the Bulldogs, which shows off their elite depth at the position.
Giving up just 11 points actually raised the average of points allowed per game for the Bulldogs to 9.5 per game. Nolan Smith had a big game as an edge rusher for Georgia, finishing the game with eight total tackles, one sack and a pass defended. Linebacker Nakobe Dean has had a great season and played well with seven total tackles and two tackles for loss. Cornerback Derion Kendrick had two interceptions in the game to help out the Bulldogs.
Prediction
Georgia is favored by three points in this game, but the last time these teams played, Alabama won 41-24. The difference in the game will once again be the quarterback position. Young has had a fantastic season for the Crimson Tide and will be able to do enough against Georgia to help his team get the win. Bennett has been solid for the Bulldogs at quarterback, but he will have to make some phenomenal plays against Alabama for his team to win. Nick Saban will have his team well-prepared for another National Championship victory.
Alabama Crimson Tide 31 Georgia Bulldogs 27
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