INDIANAPOLIS — Let the record show for the history books that Georgia’s 41-year wait between national championships officially ended at 11:57 p.m. on Monday night.

The 2021 Bulldog football team sent a ravished fan base that had seen five different other SEC programs have their victory celebrations during that drought out of Lucas Oil Stadium into the frigid Midwest air to revel and raise a glass for finally finishing the season No. 1.

Coach Kirby Smart in his sixth season at long last knocked off mentor Nick Saban and his Alabama juggernaut 33-18 to win the program's first national title since 1980.

Georgia pulled away from the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter to snap a seven-game losing streak to them and denied Alabama a second straight national title. The coach of that team, Vince Dooley, was among those on the field for the postgame celebration, sharing a hug with Smart, who said both were in tears.

“I promise you this — there is going to be some property torn up in Indianapolis tonight," Smart said after kissing the national championship trophy, updating a classic Larry Munson call.

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Here are takeaways from the victory that gave Georgia a 14-1 final record:

Go-ahead play for the ages

Alabama had its second-and-26 to win the national title in 2017. Georgia four years later scored on a second-and-18 to change the complexion of the game after Alabama just went ahead.

The play came not in overtime but with 8:09 to go.

Stetson Bennett threw a 40-yard touchdown to Adonai “A.D. Mitchell” on the right side of the end zone. The freshman receiver won a physical battle for the ball with Kyree Jackson.

Bennett signaled a touchdown after the play and pumped his fist.

"I mean, AD went up and made it," Bennett said. "He ran a great route."

It gave Georgia the 19-18 lead that stood after James Cook’s two-point conversion run was stopped on outside. The Bulldogs added two more touchdowns in the final 3:33 to blow the game open.

"I’ve never been around a group of players that wouldn’t be denied," Smart said.

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Stetson Bennett a national champion QB

The question that persisted all season now has an answer.

Can Georgia win a national championship with Stetson Bennett as quarterback?

The answer it turned out at the end was yes.

Bennett completed 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns — both in the fourth quarter — with no interceptions. The second came on a short pass to the left side for a 15-yard touchdown to Brock Bowers.

Bennett, the former walk-on who returned on scholarship from junior college and fell to third string on the depth chart this offseason, completed an improbable journey.

Smart was asked what he would have thought five years ago about Bennett doing what he just did.

"I'd have thought, hell yeah, we won a National Championship," Smart said. "I'd have been pumped. Five years ago he was delivering passes like Baker Mayfield against the scout team. There's a lot of guys that saw him on that scout team make plays with his feet, his arm whip and decision making, and we were very impressed.

"But again, to think that it would come this far from that National Championship he was a part of there to this one, man, what a story."

“Just all the adversity, he has throughout his career," running back James Cook said. "You kept your head down, didn’t listen to the outside things and we did it.”

Georgia just had grabbed the lead for the first time.

On a third-and-8 at the Georgia 27, linebacker Christian Harris chased down Bennett, who tried to throw it but the ball came out and was ruled a fumble recovered by Brian Branch. The play with 11:35 to go gave Alabama the ball at the Georgia 16.

Georgia fans booed. A few beer cans were throw toward the end zone.

A Devonte Wyatt roughing the passer penalty — Georgia’s 10th of the day — gave the Tide the ball at the Georgia 11.

Bryce Young was pressured and threw across his body to hit tight end Cameron Latu for a 3-yard touchdown and an 18-13 Tide lead.

"I put my head down and say, 'That's not going to be how we lose this game,' " Bennett said.

The Bulldogs struggled for much of the game in pass protection. Bennett was sacked five times and the offensive line was shuffled when starting guard Warren Ericson left in the first half injured.

Bennett, who grew up a Georgia fan since he was a kid in south Georgia, was shown in tears on the sideline after the Kelee Ringo touchdown, knowing the game was sealed.

"I hadn't cried in, I don't know, years, but that just came over me," he said. "That's what – when you put as much time as we do into this thing, blood, sweat, tears, it means something."

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Bulldogs offense finds life when it needed it

Georgia averaged a measly 4.9 yards per play and 2.9 yards per carry before it found some life down 9-6 in the third quarter.

Senior James Cook found room to run up the middle, broke a tackle at the Georgia 45 and went down the left sideline 67 yards to set up the game’s first touchdown for either team.

Georgia brought in the big boys — including defensive lineman Jalen Carter — as Zamir White went in on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 13-9 lead two minutes into the third quarter. It came on a play where the snap was bobbled.

Georgia had reason to feel a bit fortunate to be trailing only 9-6 at the half considering the Bulldogs had seven penalties for 49 yards in the first two quarters. It finished with 10 for 70.

That tied for the most since 10 for 94 yards in the season opener against Clemson.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” Smart on radio.” We’re backwards on every drive.”

That changed in the second half.

"It's the thing that Coach Smart and the whole team has been preaching all year, resiliency, toughness, composure, connection," Bennett said. "I knew that those guys beside me had my back, and I had their back, too."

Bryce Young can't get it done vs. Georgia defense

Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young threw for 205 yards in the first half, but Georgia kept the Crimson Tide out of the end zone. His pass with 54 seconds to go in the game was picked off and returned 79 yards for a touchdown by redshirt freshman Ringo.

Alabama outgained Georgia 399-364. Young was 35 of 57 for 367 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Tide mustered just 30 rushing yards on 28 carries with the Bulldogs getting to Young for three sacks after having none in the 41-24 loss in the SEC championship game.

Alabama went to the locker room up by three despite losing star receiver Jameson Williams to a knee injury with 12:28 left in the second quarter after a 40- yard deep ball.

“They lost one of their best players in the game and kept battling," Smart said.

Georgia held Alabama to a 45-yard Will Reichard field goal on that drive.

Alabama still hit a big pass play to Latu good for 61 yards on its next drive.

Georgia's defense did well in the red zone by forcing field goals. Alabama scored just one touchdown with three field goals on four red zone trips.

“Every time we got to the red area, we knew we were going to bow our necks," inside linebacker Nakobe Dean said.

Said Smart: "We've got some grown men up front that don't let you run it, we force you to throw it, and then we stop you throwing it."

The Crimson Tide had second-and-6 at the Georgia 6, but forced a 37-yard field goal after a Channing Tindall sack on one trip. Jalen Carter blocked a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Georgia gets over hump against Alabama

The Bulldogs vanquished their Alabama demons once and for all.

It lost to Alabama on a walk-off touchdown pass in overtime to end the 2017 season, lost a rematch in the 2018 SEC championship game when Jalen Hurts came off the bench to rally the Tide and won the rematch of this year’s 41-24 SEC championship game loss on Dec. 4.

Maybe this one was in part for Chris Conley who caught that deflected pass in 2012 at the 5-yard line when time ran out at the Georgia Dome in another SEC title game loss to the Tide.

Or for Dominick Sanders and Malkom Parrish who had fingers pointed in their direction after Tua Tagovailoa 41-yard touchdown pass gave Alabama a 26-23 overtime victory to win the 2017 national title.

Mark Richt was here for this one. The former Georgia coach beat Alabama in 2007, the last time the Bulldogs turned back the Tide. His 2012 team would have reached the national title game but fell five yards short in the SEC championship.

“Just never beating them, it was special for me," Cook said. "So many games we had them down to the wire and they came back. Just beating Alabama is special for me. They’ve got a great coach, great team.”

Smart was a part of four of those before leaving to run a program of his own at his alma mater after the 2015 season.

Only time will tell if this was a changing of the guard.

Smart won in his fifth meeting against Saban, becoming just the second former Saban assistant to beat him along with Jimbo Fisher. Saban is now 25-2 against head coaches who were on his staff.

"I love Kirby," Saban said. "If we had to lose a national championship, I'd rather lose one to one of the former assistants who certainly did a great job for us and has done a great job for his program and his team."

Nose guard Jordan Davis and running backs Cook and White were among those seniors who decided to return for a final year.

“We took a gamble and we cashed out," Davis said. "To see this season come to fruition...and achieve everything that we wanted, it makes it super special."

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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA beats Alabama: Takeaways from the College Football Championship