By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Not long after many turned the page on the Bulldogs potentially being one of the greatest defenses of a generation, Georgia suddenly flipped the script.

The SEC Championship Game was, in the minds of some, the end of any discussions about Georgia’s defense being one of the best in modern history. Against Alabama in Atlanta, the Bulldogs allowed 536 total yards, with Bryce Young setting a new title game record with 421 passing yards. Monday night’s national championship game was an entirely different story; it proved to be one for the ages. The Georgia defense promptly scored as many touchdowns as the Crimson Tide offense in a dominant, defining, title-winning performance.

Consider those conversations back on.

Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, now off to be the head coach at Oregon, had a different gameplan for the rematch, one that produced dynamic results. Led by Nolan Smith off the edge, the Bulldogs compiled four total tacks and nine total tackles for loss. Georgia, with Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith both recording interceptions, became the first team ever to pick off Young multiple times in the same game. The Bulldogs held the Heisman Trophy winner to just 6.5 yards per pass attempt and Alabama to merely 30 rushing yards on 28 attempts.

This time, it was Georgia’s defense that completely and consistently controlled the tempo and, thus, set the tone. It was a four-quarter championship performance from the Bulldogs, one that came with an exclamation point at the very end. The longest play of the night came when Kelee Ringo intercepted a Young pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown with 54 seconds remaining. It was a fitting finish for a defense that has been one of the stories of the year in college football.

Fresh off a vintage effort in the national title game, Georgia’s defense certainly has the resume of an all-time great unit. Just one team scored more than 18 points on the Bulldogs all season and Alabama’s SEC Championship Game exception was later addressed and accounted for in the biggest game of the year. Georgia just became the first team in the playoff era to hold an opponent to just one touchdown in the final. Alabama is the 12th foe the Bulldogs limited to one touchdown or less this season.

In all, Georgia gave up just two total touchdowns in College Football Playoff games against Michigan and Alabama, with both of those scores coming in the fourth quarter.

Not long after many turned the page on the Bulldogs potentially being one of the greatest defenses of a generation, Georgia suddenly flipped the script. The Bulldogs have earned such consideration. With the ink still drying, the considerations continue.