2024-09-29 15:05:04
There was no shortage of hype in the leadup to No. 4 Alabama’s game Saturday against No. 1 Georgia.
Somehow, those lofty expectations were exceeded.
In an instant classic in the lengthy and storied history of both programs, the Crimson Tide squandered a 23-point third-quarter lead over the Bulldogs only to regain it and hold on for a thrilling 41-34 victory Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
REQUIRED READING:Jalen Milroe, No. 4 Alabama football survive, beat No. 1 Georgia in SEC opener: Key takeaways
In coach Kalen DeBoer’s first SEC game, Alabama raced out to a 28-0 lead in the game’s first 18 minutes and maintained a 30-7 advantage with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
From there, what had been a listless Georgia offense came alive, with quarterback Carson Beck engineering four touchdown drives in the game’s final 25 minutes, each of which went for at least 67 yards. A 67-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Dillon Bell gave the Bulldogs a once-unthinkable 34-33 lead with 2:31 remaining.
Just when a historic collapse seemed like an increasingly likely outcome, Alabama responded quickly and forcefully, with Jalen Milroe finding Ryan Williams for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the Tide’s ensuing drive. Georgia got to the Alabama 20 with 47 seconds remaining, but a Beck pass to Colbie Young was intercepted by Tide freshman Zabien Brown in the end zone to secure the hard-earned win.
Milroe finished the night with 491 total yards (374 passing, 117 rushing) and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing), with Williams serving as his favorite target. The 17-year-old phenom caught six passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.
With the win, Alabama moved to 4-0 in its first season under DeBoer, who is now 30-3 as a power-conference coach.
Here’s a look at the score, updates, highlights and more from Alabama’s exhilarating victory:
Watch Alabama football vs Georgia with Fubo (free trial)
| TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
| ALABAMA | 21 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 41 |
| GEORGIA | 0 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 34 |
In an instant classic, Alabama and Georgia each surpass the 500-yard mark, with the Crimson Tide fighting off what would have been a historic comeback for the Bulldogs.
The game of the year in college football came down to a big play from a freshman. Zabien Brown, Alabama’s first-year defensive back, intercepts what would have been a game-tying touchdown pass from Carson Beck to Colbie Young and goes down in the end zone for a touchback with 43 seconds remaining.
With only two timeouts left for Georgia, the Tide can kneel it out for the massive win.
Facing a fourth-and-2, Georgia is able to continue its drive, with Carson Beck connecting with Colbie Young for an 11-yard completion to the Alabama 40 with 1:15 left.
Bulldogs still have all three timeouts left.
The budding Jalen Milroe connection with Ryan Williams comes up with its most important and thrilling play yet. On the first play of the Alabama drive after surrendering the lead, Milroe airs it out to Williams, who catches it at the Georgia 46 and runs past a pair of defenders for a 75-yard touchdown that gives the Tide a 41-34 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
Georgia will get the ball with 2:18 remaining and three timeouts, along with two-minute warning.
After forcing an Alabama punt, Georgia wastes no time doing what once seemed impossible: taking the lead on Alabama.
The Bulldogs took over at their own 33 and on first down, Carson Beck airs out a deep ball to Dillon Bell, who hauls it in and sheds a couple of tackles to make it to the end zone and give his team a 34-33 lead after a failed 2-point conversion.
Alabama will have 2:31 left and all three timeouts to try to reclaim the lead and avoid a total collapse.
Improbably, we’ve got a ballgame. Georgia goes 78 yards in just four plays and 1:35, with 77 of those yards coming on back-to-back deep passes from Carson Beck. Dillon Bell finishes off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to get the Bulldogs within five of Alabama, 33-28, with 5:39 remaining.
Alabama was able to avoid a three-and-out, but the Tide don’t get much further. A Jalen Milroe pass on third down is batted down and Alabama is forced to punt, with Georgia taking over at its own 22 with 7:14 left. Bulldogs are still very much in this.
After Georgia forces a three-and-out after the Carson Beck fumble, Beck tosses his second touchdown of the night, this one going to Lawson Luckie for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 9:46 remaining. The play capped off a six-play, 80-yard drive in just 1:46.
The Bulldogs miss the 2-point conversion, though, keeping the score at 33-21.
Qua Russaw, who was a game-time decision coming into the matchup, chases down Carson Beck and strips the ball from the Georgia quarterback, with Alabama falling on top of the ball at the Georgia 47 with about 14 minutes left to play.
The Tide carries a 33-15 lead into the fourth quarter, with Georgia on its own 42, facing a third down.
Alabama capitalizes on the big Milroe-to-Williams play and gets a Graham Nicholson 28-yard field goal that JUST sneaks inside the right upright. The kick extended the Tide’s lead over Georgia to 33-15 — or, more notably, from two possessions to three possessions.
With Alabama in need of a score to keep hold off Georgia’s comeback attempt, Jalen Milroe aired it out deep to freshman phenom Ryan Williams, who rose to catch the pass while closely marked. After initially bobbling it, Williams brought it in and ran all the way to the Georgia 13, where the Tide now have a first down.
At a time when Georgia desperately needed a touchdown, it got one. The Bulldogs march 80 yards in 15 plays, which culminates with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Carson Beck to Arian Smith. Kirby Smart opts to go for two and Georgia gets it to cut the Alabama lead to 15, 30-15, with five minutes remaining.
The good news for the Tide is that Georgia’s drive shaved a ton of time off the clock, nearly seven minutes. If the Bulldogs are going to mount the frantic comeback, they’re going to need to move a bit quicker.
The Tide only make it six yards on its ensuing possession and punt it back to the Bulldogs, who will take over at their own 20, with 11:50 left in the quarter.
Despite some excellent field position because of the penalty going into halftime, starting at its own 41, Georgia is unable to move the ball, going three-and-out after Carson Beck is sacked by Deontae Lawson for a loss of 11 yards on third down.
Alabama takes over at its own 26.
Here’s a look at where things stand statistically at halftime between Alabama and Georgia, with the Tide up big, 30-7.
Jalen Milroe has completed 18 of 21 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. Georgia’s Carson Beck, conversely, has completed only eight of his 17 passes for no touchdowns and two interceptions.
A scrap between Alabama and Georgia players ensued after the final play of the first half. The dust-up ended with Alabama OL Miles McVay getting whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that will be enforced on the second-half kickoff from the Tide to the Bulldogs.
The Tide moved up the field after getting the ball back from Georgia following the safety, advancing near midfield, but is forced to punt after an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-13 from Jalen Milroe. The play had the normally stoic Kalen DeBoer heated, arguing with the officials that it was defensive pass interference. Based on the replay, it looks as though he had a point.
Finally, some points — this time from the defense. Alabama dials up the pressure and, in a desperate attempt to avoid the sack, Carson Beck airmails it with no one in the vicinity. A delayed flag for intentional grounding gives Alabama two points from the safety and the ball with 1:39 left to play.
An unlucky bobble by Milroe’s intended receiver bounces perfectly into a Georgia defender’s hands, and the Bulldogs have it at their own 5-yard line. For those counting, that’s an Alabama turnover on downs, Georgia interception and Alabama interception on three consecutive drives.
One play later, Beck throws a disastrous interception to Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who returns it deep into Georgia territory. Alabama completely steals the momentum back, this time on the defensive side of the ball.
Alabama once again faces fourth-and-short deep in Georgia territory, but Jam Miller is stopped short of the line to gain. That gives Georgia the ball at its own 35-yard line with 2:59 left to score again before halftime.
The Bulldogs finally got on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run from running back Trevor Etienne. Georgia needed 11 plays, 75 yards and a fourth-down conversion to set up its first score of the night. Alabama still leads 28-7 and will have roughly half the quarter to score once more before halftime.
Alabama’s pouring it on now. Facing fourth-and-short from the Georgia 36-yard line, Milroe keeps it on the zone-read option, catches the corner and scampers for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 28-0. Alabama has scored on each of its first four offensive drives, with Milroe accounting for three.
The Bulldogs go three-and-out, gaining only six yards and punting again, with Alabama taking over at its own 33. Georgia has just 27 yards on its first three possessions.
Alabama makes the most of the Carson Beck interception, with Germie Bernard finishing off the Tide’s shortest touchdown drive of the day with a 7-yard scamper to the end zone.
Tide up 21-0 with only about two minutes left in the first quarter.
Carson Beck nearly threw an interception on the first play of Georgia’s second drive of the day, but Alabama couldn’t hold on. A couple of plays later, the Tide doesn’t have the same problem, with Domani Jackson picking off Beck and returning it to the Georgia 22.
It’s Georgia’s first turnover of the young season.
Alabama can strengthen its stranglehold on this game with another score here.
Another effortless drive for Alabama, this time without the penalties. Tide go 84 yards in just six plays and 3:11, capped off by a Jalen Milroe 16-yard touchdown pass to Jamarion Miller on a wheel route.
Alabama’s up 14-0 just 10:21 into the game. Tide is outgaining Georgia 169-19 and is averaging an absurd 12.1 yards per play.
That was a first drive to forget for Georgia, which had Arian Smith drop a gorgeous deep ball from Carson Beck that would have gotten the Bulldogs to the Alabama 13, a fumble from Trevor Etienne (which a teammate fell on) and an offensive pass interference call that wiped out a big completion.
Georgia punts, with Alabama taking over at its own 16.
Alabama’s opening possession wasn’t always pretty, with the Tide getting whistled for three penalties.
Otherwise, though, Kalen DeBoer’s team moved up the field with relative ease, with Jalen Milroe responsible for Alabama’s biggest plays — a 34-yard pass to Emmanuel Henderson, a 16-yard rush and, finally, a 7-yard touchdown run.
Tide go 70 yards in eight plays for the 7-0 lead.
Georgia wins the coin toss and elects to defer to the second half. Alabama will get the ball first.
Former president Donald Trump’s arrival at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia game has been delayed, according to Chase Goodbread of The Tuscaloosa News, who added that the reason it is “unclear.”
All three players are listed as game-time decisions, but the fact they’re on the field warming up before the game might be an encouraging sign for the Tide.
The SEC availability report, which was updated at 5 p.m. CT has the following updates:
Though there was chatter that Georgia wide receiver London Humphreys might play for the Bulldogs today, despite being listed as out on the SEC availability the past three days, Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald reported that “nothing has changed” with Humphreys’ playing status.
Humphreys had two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s season-opening win against Clemson, the only game in which he has appeared this season.
Since it was revealed that Donald Trump would be attending Saturday’s game, there were warnings of how long it would take to get to Bryant-Denny Stadium, whether it was getting near the stadium via car or inside the stadium once parked.
A couple of hours before the game kicks off, the lines are extremely long, with extra security measures in place for the former president, who has been the subject of an assassination attempt and an assassination plot in the past three months.
The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will face off in a nationally televised game on ABC. Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will call the game from the booth while Holly Rowe will serve as the sideline reporter. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, ESPN+ and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
REQUIRED READING:Alabama football vs Georgia: Score prediction, scouting report, betting odds
Colin Gay, The Tuscaloosa News: Georgia 27, Alabama 24
“DeBoer’s first meeting with Georgia will look a lot like Nick Saban’s first game against the Bulldogs in 2007. Facing a bend-but-don’t-break defense that lives and dies by the turnover margin, Beck and Georgia won’t give the Crimson Tide many mistakes to take advantage of. And while Milroe and the offense will have their share of moments under the lights, it won’t be enough to give Alabama its first SEC win of 2024.”
Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald: Alabama 24, Georgia 23
“This game is essentially a toss-up. Georgia has the better defense, but the nod here goes to the Crimson Tide with the home field advantage and the two most dynamic offensive players on the field.”
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Georgia 24, Alabama 21
“A fantastic matchup. Why would Georgia be favored here? That might be influenced by Jalen Milroe and the fact the Crimson Tide have won eight of the last nine meetings. This is DeBoer’s chance to make a statement in a top-five showdown. Both teams had a bye week, and Georgia quarterback Carson Beck will not make the fatal mistake on the road. The Bulldogs’ defense — which still has not allowed a TD — will force that one turnover that makes the difference in the second half. Georgia is favored because they are the slightly better team, and Smart gets a memorable victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a game that absolutely could come down to a last-second field goal.”
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday, Sept. 27
According to The Weather Channel’s forecast, Saturday night will be partly cloudy in Tuscaloosa, with “a few clouds from time to time.” Wisconsin before shifting to overcast in the afternoon. The temperature is expected to be in the low-70s at the start of the game before dipping to the mid-60s by the end, with winds blowing WSW at four miles per hour.
Here’s a look at Alabama’s full 2024 football schedule, along with available kickoff times and television information:
All times Central.
* Denotes SEC game
Here’s a look at Georgia’s full 2024 football schedule, along with available kickoff times and television information:
All times Central
* Denotes SEC game
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