ATLANTA — UPDATE: The last time Georgia beat Alabama is now Jan. 10, 2022. The Dawgs are the champs!
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It's well-known that Georgia has an Alabama-sized monkey on its back going into the National Championship Game on Monday night. But it might be surprising just how far back the Dawgs' struggles go against the Tide.
In order to get their first national title in more than 40 years, the Bulldogs will need to beat the Crimson Tide for the first time since George W. Bush was president.
The last time Georgia beat Alabama was back on Sept. 22, 2007. The Dawgs pulled off an overtime victory in the early goings of what would be a huge season for UGA - they went 11-2, won the Sugar Bowl over Hawaii and finished No. 2 in the final AP rankings.
Alabama, on the other hand, was not the Alabama we know now - it was Nick Saban's first season in charge in Tuscaloosa, and the Tide went a middling 7-6.
It was arguably the peak of the Mark Richt era for UGA - Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno were among the stars of the team that beat Alabama that day in September.
It was a real close call for the Dawgs, though.
They went into halftime up 10-3, thanks to a first quarter touchdown pass from Stafford to Thomas Brown.
The teams traded TDs in the third quarter, and UGA went into the fourth up 17-10 thanks to a Moreno rushing touchdown. A quick field goal in the fourth made it 20-10.
Georgia would not keep the lead safe, though - Alabama got a field goal in the middle of the fourth and scored the tying touchdown with just more than a minute remaining.
In overtime, the Tide went up first with a field goal, 23-20. To that point they had scored 13 straight points against the Dawgs.
But Stafford responded, hitting Mikey Henderson for 25 yards on UGA's first play of the overtime drive for a game-winning touchdown, 26-23.
A delirious UGA team mobbed Henderson in the end zone.
Little did Bulldog fans know at that time that nearly 15 years later, the Dawgs would still be searching for a follow-up victory to that win over the Tide.
The close calls since then have included two SEC Championship Games and the National Championship Game in 2018 - which memorably went to overtime, and which Alabama won 26-23. The same score UGA won by back in 2007.
- Dec. 4, 2021, SEC Championship Game: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
- Oct. 17, 2020: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
- Dec. 1, 2018, SEC Championship Game: Alabama 35, Georgia 28
- Jan. 8, 2018, National Championship Game: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)
- Oct. 3, 2015: Alabama 38, Georgia 10
- Dec. 1, 2012, SEC Championship Game: Alabama 32, Georgia 28
- Sept. 27, 2008: Alabama 41, Georgia 30
- Last time the Dawgs won >>> Sept. 22, 2007: Georgia 26, Alabama 23 (OT)
Despite the heartache, a win Monday night in Indianapolis would erase a lot of those bad memories for the Bulldog faithful.