The Georgia Bulldogs suffered another disappointing loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia fell 24-21 to Alabama in a game where the Dawgs had plenty of opportunities to win, but could not get the job done.

Georgia fell into a 14-0 hole against Alabama and was never able to take the lead. The Crimson Tide used two 14-play drives in the first quarter to open up a two-touchdown lead.

"We got to do a better job as coaches to help those players start better," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the game. Georgia also fell behind 21-7 against Tennessee in the Dawgs' SEC opener. Georgia was fortunate to climb back against Tennessee, but the mountain proved to be too big to climb against Alabama.

Georgia had plenty of opportunities to take the lead in the second half, but the Bulldogs missed on a few key plays including a fourth down conversion and a dropped deep pass. The loss drops Georgia to 3-1 (1-1 in SEC) and gives the Bulldogs a much smaller margin of error for the rest of the season.

Who are Georgia football's biggest winners and losers from the Alabama game?

Loser: Kirby Smart

There's no way around it. Kirby Smart can't beat Alabama. He's 1-7 against the Crimson Tide and has found quite a few different ways to lose games to Alabama. Smart beats just about everybody else, so he still should remain in good graces for Georgia fans.

Winner: Chauncey Bowens

Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens may be the Dawgs' top option in the backfield. Bowens had a game-high 12 carries for 119 rushing yards and caught a team-high four passes for 22 yards. Bowens capitalized on the extra reps after another Nate Frazier fumble.

"He ran hard," Kirby Smart said on Bowens. "He ran physical. He got yards after contact. He protected the ball. He was tough. He was getting better with his pass pro, catching the ball. I was proud of the way he ran, but it's not all him. There was a lot of good run scheme in that game that helped us run the ball."

Loser: Georgia's pass rush

Georgia recorded one sack against Alabama, but let's be honest Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson had all day to pick apart the Georgia secondary. Simpson rarely faced pressure despite Georgia's crowd generating plenty of noise to force a silent count. That bad news is Georgia simply lacks talent at pass rusher positions.

One player that must step up is First-Team All-SEC pick Christen Miller. He has just three tackles this season and has not been disruptive as a pass rusher.

Winner; Georgia's rushing offense

Georgia ran for 227 yards against Alabama! That's a big number and Georgia consistently moved the ball on the ground despite a modest day from the passing attack (130 passing yards).

"We know what our identity is," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "We know who we are. The problem is to do that, you've got to play better defensively. And to be a hard-nosed, run team, physical, grind it out and be able to hit some shots."

Loser: Georgia's third down defense

Georgia allowed Alabama to convert eight straight third downs to start the game. The Crimson Tide finished the game 13 of 19 on third down and opened with pair of 14-play drives that resulted in touchdowns. Alabama was in the driver's seat all game because Georgia could not get a stop on third down.

"I've coached a lot of years and we've never been 13 of 19 on third down, and that tells the tale of the game," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "We controlled the line of scrimmage and held the run down for them, which was the goal, and then we got win on third down, and we did not play well on third down, and it showed pretty much all night. So, I hate it. They controlled the tempo of the game outside of maybe the third quarter. They controlled the time of possession."

Georgia's third down struggles go hand-in-hand with a lack of a pass rush and not forcing Alabama into third and long.

Winner: Defensive lineman Jordan Hall

Hall, a former five-star recruit, is finally healthy. He played one the best games of his career against Alabama. Hall posted four tackles including a tackle for a loss. His highlight came when he read an Alabama screen and made a tackle that may have saved a touchdown.

Loser: Running back Nate Frazier

Another fumble for Georgia running back Nate Frazier. Georgia benched Frazier after his fifth fumble (three fumbles lost) over the past 10 games. Frazier's 30 rushing yards were his lowest total since Oct. 2024.

His ball security, not talent, is the issue. If you can't trust a running back to hold on to the ball, then why play them? Frazier's fumble came inside Georgia's own red zone and led to an Alabama field goal.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia football's biggest winners, losers from 24-21 loss to Alabama