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See Georgia DB Kelee Ringo’s pick-six that secured Bulldogs’ championship win over Alabama

First came a dagger from No. 3 Georgia in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game. Then came the nail in Alabama’s lingering championship hopes. The result? The Bulldogs won their first national title since 1980 with a 33-18 win over the Crimson Tide.

It was a one-point game for much of the fourth quarter in the championship matchup in Indianapolis. But with one impressive late touchdown and a perfect pick-six with less than a minute left, the Bulldogs shattered the Crimson Tide’s title hopes and claimed it for themselves.

After both teams got off to a slower-than-expected offensive start in the first half, things changed in the second half with both teams finally scoring their first touchdowns. And with a slight 19-18 lead, Georgia pulled away — thanks to a 15-yard touchdown catch from Brock Bowers — and jumped to a 26-18 advantage.

But then came the big-time play that all but sealed the national championship for the Bulldogs.

With about a minute left in the game, Alabama had the ball on 3rd-and-10 at Georgia’s 44-yard line, and it and quarterback Bryce Young were clearly feeling the pressure. And Young looked downfield but under-threw the ball, opening the door for defensive back Kelee Ringo to pick off the Heisman Trophy winner.

Ringo took off for the end zone, and thanks to some great blocking from his teammates, he had a mostly clear and easy path there. And that was it.

He scored off the interception, gave Georgia a 33-18 lead with the extra point and helped the Bulldogs secure their long-awaited championship victory.

When Georgia coach Kirby Smart was asked what he saw during that play, he said:

“Actually, I saw about 1,000 drills we did during the year, playing the ball with Kelee. And I knew he was going to catch it. I didn’t know he was going to run it back! But I knew he was going to catch it. And what a big play in a big moment.”

That was the second time the Bulldogs picked off Young in this game — the first happened early in the third quarter — but this one came at the perfect time for Ringo and his team.

The win was Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s first as a head coach against his former boss, Alabama’s Nick Saban.

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