Bellamy ignites Georgia with game-changing turnover

It was déjà vu all over again inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday in the SEC Championship game — until Davin Bellamy decided it wasn’t.

Through one quarter, No. 2 Auburn looked like it was en route to blowing out No. 6 Georgia for the second time in four weeks. This time, with a playoff berth on the line. Then, Bellamy changed the course of the game in the second quarter. A few hours later, Georgia captured its first SEC title since 2005 with a 28-7 win.

A neutral site and the emotional boost of a rematch had no effect on the game’s beginning. Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham completed all eight of his passes in the first quarter. Penalties plagued the Bulldogs, just as they had in the regular season match up between these teams. Georgia’s offense looked anemic. The game was in danger of slipping away.

Already leading by a touchdown, Auburn drove inside Georgia’s red zone on its third possession. On third-and-6 from the 14-yard line, the Tigers called a pass play.

As Stidham reached the end of his drop, Bellamy ripped past left tackle Austin Golson.

“That's the same move I've been doing for five years, man,” Bellamy said.

A push from Golson forced Bellamy to widen his route, but when he came back around, Stidham had moved up in the pocket. Stidham’s back was right in front of Bellamy’s face and the senior accelerated.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Bellamy hadn’t recorded a full sack in seven weeks. He sealed Georgia’s week-two win over Notre Dame with a strip-sack, then recorded another sack a week later. Since then, the stat line was sparse.

“I'll make the play when it's time to,” Bellamy said.

Bellamy flattened Auburn’s quarterback. The ball came loose and inside linebacker Roquan Smith recovered the fumbled football.

“I was fixing to get the ball,” Bellamy said. “A sack, they probably would have still had three (points) on the board. I knew I had to get the ball out.”

Georgia scored on its next possession. The sack awakened the Bulldogs, and they took a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Georgia’s defense shut down Auburn’s offense in the second half. DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle blocked a field goal that would have tied the game. Lorenzo Carter forced a fumble that Smith recovered. Rodrigo Blankenship hit two field goals.

Slowly but surely, Georgia took over the game.

When Terry Godwin caught a touchdown and two-point conversion to start the fourth quarter, Georgia’s fans erupted. Momentum had completely shifted to Georgia’s side, and one play started it all.

Bellamy’s name wasn’t called the rest of the game. It didn’t need to be. That one tackle propelled the Bulldogs to what comes next, a likely berth in the College Football Playoff. In the locker room, Bellamy wore a championship T-shirt for the first time in his career. That is why Bellamy came back for his senior year. It may give him a shot at the biggest game of his life. It’s already given hm an SEC title.

This story was originally published December 2, 2017 at 9:10 PM with the headline "Bellamy ignites Georgia with game-changing turnover."