NCAAF

Georgia Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide

· NCAA - Football
3-1, 1-1 Away
Final
34 - 41
4-0, 3-0 Home

Milroe-to-Williams TD connection helps No. 4 Alabama beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in DeBoer's SEC opener

Fowler relives his call of No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama

Ryan Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Milroe with 2:18 left and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 on Saturday night in a wild Southeastern Conference debut for Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.

Then, Alabama's other freshman sporting a No. 2 jersey, defensive back Zabien Brown, intercepted Carson Beck's pass in the end zone to secure the victory.

“We pushed each other to the very end,” DeBoer said.

That's no surprise with two teams that have battled for SEC and even national supremacy almost annually. It was DeBoer’s initiation into a captivating rivalry of SEC powers that added another memorable chapter, even without Nick Saban on the sideline opposite protege Kirby Smart of Georgia.

The postgame message from DeBoer wasn't all that different.

“We expect to win these games," he said. “Of course the locker room is full of excitement but I also want to make sure they realize that’s the expectation. There’s a lot of season left."

The dynamic 17-year-old Williams turned back to grab Milroe's deep pass in tight coverage, did a quick spin and sprinted down the right sideline. Milroe then hit Germie Bernard for the two-point conversion for the Tide (4-0, 1-0).

“I did a spin move and it was like in slow motion,” Williams said. “It looked faster on the screen.”

It was fast enough.

The long TD pass came one play and 13 seconds after Carson Beck’s 67-yard bomb to Dillon Bell gave the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) their first lead of the game.

A rematch of last season’s SEC Championship Game, also won by Alabama, turned into a scintillating quarterback duel.

Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that bounced off the receiver. He also ran for 117 yards and a pair of TDs. Williams had six catches for 177 yards.

Beck was 27 of 50 passing for 439 yards with three touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions in the first multi-interception game of his career but put on a show in the second half.

Beck is 16-2 as a starter with both losses coming to the Tide.

The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns over the final 9:46. Alabama got the only one it needed.

Milroe led Alabama to touchdowns on its first four drives against a defense that stood as the only one in FBS not to allow one coming into the game.

“Obviously, we were not really prepared and that falls on me in the first half,” said Smart, who is just 1-6 against Alabama while dominating almost everyone else.

The Bulldogs were down 28-0 a few minutes into the second quarter, their streaks of 42 consecutive regular-season victories and 28 straight regular-season SEC wins seemingly all but over by halftime.

Georgia and Beck fought way back instead of folding.

“The first half, we played terrible," Beck said. "I don’t think we need to watch the film to go see that we didn’t play our best. You know, that starts with me. I;ve got to be better.

“But I’m happy about how we fought, we brought it all the way back and took the lead, just weren’t able to close it out.”

The takeaway Georgia: Has looked vulnerable for a program that has won two of the last three national titles in the last two games, including a 13-12 victory over Kentucky. But the Bulldogs showed they haven’t gone anywhere with the dominant second half.

Alabama: The Tide have so far shown no signs of slippage under DeBoer, especially offensively, rolling on the road against Wisconsin and surviving at home against their recent SEC nemesis.

Poll implications Alabama will jump at least one spot in the AP poll. The Bulldogs’ second-half play probably means they won’t fall far.

Trump’s visit Former President Donald Trump, the current Republican candidate, was on hand for the game. Trump was introduced early in the second quarter, drawing chants of “USA! USA!” and waving to the crowd from a luxury box.

Fourth downs Georgia went for it five times on fourth down and made them all. That helped make up from a 3-of-15 performance on third down.

Up next Alabama: At Vanderbilt on Saturday in its first SEC road game.

Georgia: Hosts struggling Auburn on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Georgia Bulldogs vs. Alabama Crimson Tide?
  • TV Channel: Bulldogs at Crimson Tide 2021 College Football, week 5, is broadcasted on ABC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Crimson Tide: 65.5%
Bulldogs: 34.5%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

ALA TD 1st Period 10:11 Jalen Milroe 7 Yd Run (Graham Nicholson Kick)
ALA TD 1st Period 4:39 Jam Miller 16 Yd pass from Jalen Milroe (Graham Nicholson Kick)
ALA TD 1st Period 2:21 Germie Bernard 7 Yd Run (Graham Nicholson Kick)
ALA TD 2nd Period 12:32 Jalen Milroe 36 Yd Run (Graham Nicholson Kick)
UGA TD 2nd Period 6:43 Trevor Etienne 7 Yd Run (Peyton Woodring Kick)
ALA SF 2nd Period 1:39 Team Safety
UGA TD 3rd Period 5:06 Arian Smith 12 Yd pass from Carson Beck (Carson Beck Pass to Lawson Luckie for Two-Point Conversion)
ALA FG 3rd Period 1:23 Graham Nicholson 28 Yd Field Goal
UGA TD 4th Period 9:55 Lawson Luckie 8 Yd pass from Carson Beck (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
UGA TD 4th Period 5:39 Dillon Bell 3 Yd Run (Peyton Woodring Kick)
UGA TD 4th Period 2:31 Dillon Bell 67 Yd pass from Carson Beck (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)
ALA TD 4th Period 2:18 Ryan Williams 75 Yd pass from Jalen Milroe (Jalen Milroe Pass to Germie Bernard for Two-Point Conversion)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/61.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUGA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/333.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originALA
25 1st Downs 21
3-15 3rd down efficiency 3-11
5-5 4th down efficiency 1-2
519 Total Yards 551
439 Passing 374
27/50 Comp/Att 27/33
8.8 Yards per pass 11.3
80 Rushing 177
26 Rushing Attempts 30
3.1 Yards per rush 5.9
6-50 Penalties 10-90
4 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
3 Interceptions thrown 1
27:26 Possession 32:34

Game Information

Bryant-Denny Stadium

Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Attendance: 100,077 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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