Georgia, previously unbeaten just like the high riding Crimson Tide, came out of the tunnel fired up with the black jerseys on their proud chests for just the third time in modern history. Yet that pride and that energy quickly got lost in what turned into one of the worst played halfs by a Georgia football team in recent years. Not to take anything away from Alabama, who came in with an excellent gameplan and a boatload of confidence. They outplayed Georgia on both sides of the ball in the first 30 minutes, yet the game could have been much closer if the Dawgs wouldn't have self destructed completely. But, sadly for Bulldog Nation, they shot themselves in the foot numerous times. And it wasn't just some little graze shot, it as more like bomb crater everytime they made a mistake. They served Alabama over 50 free yards on penalties on the Crimson Tide's first three drives. One of those miscues even neglected an Alabama fumble on their opening possession. Georgia fumbled the ball on a first down play on their side of the 50 yard line. And if that wouldn't have been enough, punter Brian Mimbs experienced propably one of the most horrible nights in his early football career. On his first two kicks he averaged 24 yards, including an 18 yarder that gave Alabama great field position. After all these errors added up and the Crimson Tide had seen how vulnerable their opponent was on that night, the first half was over. So was the game as Alabama led 31-0 at the break. With the huge lead, Bama could execute their gameplan to perfection, handing the ball off to their strong running backs behind their gigantic offensive line. Georgia had to play catch up and their young line's problems in pass protection got exposed numerous times. Star running back Knowshon Moreno only carried the ball 9 times for 34 yards and a touchdown, basically taken out of the game by the lopsided score. Despite an inspired second half comeback, the Bulldogs lost in the end and took a huge blow to their confidence and their National Championship dreams. 
It was a painful loss, both because of the result and also because as Bulldogs coach Mark Richt put it because of "the self inflicted wounds". Not only did penalties and bad execution hurt Georgia right from the opening kickoff, the talented Alabama squad also showed the vulnerability of the Bulldogs team that has yet ot figure out how to get rid of some of their own shortcomings. There is the defense that in recent games is playing way too passive under coordinator Willie Martinez. Blessed with one of the fastest linebacking corps in the nation, Martinez at times just refuses to bring more pressure through blitz packages and different formations. Last night a more aggressive approach might have helped against a big offensive line and a quarterback in John Parker Wilson who can be rattled by pressure in his face. Georgia though rather sat back in their zone, continued to play way off the wide receivers and only rushed four, giving Wilson easy pitch and catch throws all night long. Another problem with the Bulldogs right now is their lack of a short passing game. When they land in obvious passing situations, quarterback Matthew Stafford almost exclusively goes down the field. That might work against average defenses like Arizona State but not in the SEC. The long throws and plays also take time to develop, making it even harder for the inexperienced offensive line. Mark Richt and Mike Bobo have to find a way to include more crossing routes, more slants and more screens into the gameplan or they will never be able to move the ball consistently against a good defense that takes away the long ball. Now another problem that is slowly but surely developing for Georgia is an unwelcomed visitor in their locker room: The injury bug. Already without starting left tackle Trindon Sturdivant, star defensive tackle Jeff Owens and hardnosed fullback Brannan Southerland, the Dawgs lost another leader yesterday to injury with All SEC middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe who left the game midway through the first drive with a knee injury. His status is uncertain as of now. No matter how talented or deep your team is, if you are losing key players on a weekly basis it's hard to really get rolling.Georgia now enters the bye week with a lot on their mind and Mark Richt will have his hands full to bring back the confidence in his players that carried them to a Sugar Bowl victory in 2007. Everything can change from week to week in college football and with Florida's loss to Ole Miss yesterday, the Bulldogs still have everything in their own hands in the SEC East. Even the National Championship is far from being out of reach. The top unbeaten teams will all face each other in one way or another and Georgia still has the possibility for redemption against the Tide if they make it to the SEC Championship. A lot of ifs, a lot of question marks, the bottom line is that the Bulldogs have a lot of work to do. Not only because of their brutal remaining schedule (including trips to Baton Rouge and Auburn) but also because of what they brought to the field on Saturday. Hope is clearly there, as Georgia was in the same position last year after early season losses to South Carolina and Tennessee and bounced back. "If we want to look at a bright spot, it's just the beginning of the season", said Knowshon Moreno. "You saw last year what can happen, it's not the downfall of our team. We still can bounce back." But to bounce back, the Bulldogs need to regroup first. In that case, the bye week couldn't have come at a better time...
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