Germie Bernard scores spectacular TD to narrow deficit against Georgia
By David Wasson
Published:
No. 9 Alabama finally found the end zone early in the fourth quarter Saturday against No. 3 Georgia in spectacular fashion, as Tide receiver Germie Bernard hauled in this 23-yard pass from Ty Simpson to narrow the deficit to 21-7 in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Simpson was forced to scramble out of the pocket by the Georgia defense on the 3rd-and-10 play before finding Bernard at the line of scrimmage. Bernard then broke a pair of Bulldog tackle attempts at the 15 before hitting the goal line with 12:33 to play.
Here’s a look at the big play:
Alabama’s passing game struggled throughout Saturday’s game, amassing just 53 yards in a scoreless first half. Bernard’s reception was his second of the game. He entered the SEC Championship Game as Alabama’s leading pass catcher with 51 receptions for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns – which trailed teammate Isaiah Horton’s team-high 8 TD catches.
Alabama entered Saturday having won a conference-record 11 SEC Championship Games since the matchup was born in 1992. The Crimson Tide were 11-4 in 15 all-time appearances in the game and have won their last 9 straight chances. Alabama was also 4-0 against Georgia in SEC Championship Game appearances entering Saturday’s game.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
