[ad_1]
-
Mark Schlabach, ESPN senior writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama blew a 28-point lead against No. 2 Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night.
Then the No. 4 Crimson Tide broke the Bulldogs’ hearts again in a 41-34 win as the SEC heavyweights scored touchdowns on back-to-back plays from scrimmage late in the fourth quarter.
Alabama didn’t seal the victory until cornerback Zabian Brown intercepted quarterback Carson Beck’s pass to receiver Colby Young in the end zone with 43 seconds left to end Georgia’s furious drive.
“Yeah, when you go up against a really good football team, you know there’s going to be a big push,” said Alabama coach Calen DeBoer, who won his first SEC game. “We pushed each other to the end.”
After the Bulldogs rallied from a 23-point deficit in the first half, they took their first lead on Beck’s 67-yard touchdown run to Dillon Bell to make it 34-33 with 2:31 remaining.
But Alabama scored on its next play from scrimmage. On first-and-10 from the Crimson Tide 25, quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball down the right sideline to freshman Ryan Williams. The wide receiver took off corner tackle Julian Humphrey at the 35-yard line and beat safety KJ Bolden for a 75-yard touchdown with 2:18 remaining.
Melroe threw a two-point conversion to receiver Jeremy Bernard to give Alabama a 41-34 lead.
“You’ve got to keep fighting,” DeBoer said. “When it comes to concept, a lot of our plays have opportunities where you find that head-to-head. And if you like the game, go for it. And so he liked what he saw, and obviously he delivered, and Ryan did the rest for me.” “about him.”
Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 117 yards and two more scores. He is the first player in FBS history with 300 rushing yards, 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against an Associated Press top-five opponent, according to ESPN research.
Williams, a 17-year-old freshman, had six catches for 177 yards with one score.
Beck recovered from a slow start to complete 27 of 50 passes for 439 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble and was sacked three times.
The loss ended Georgia’s 42-game regular season winning streak, which was the longest winning streak for an FBS team since Oklahoma won 45 straight games from 1953 to 1957. It also ended Georgia’s 16-game winning streak on the road.
“In the first half we played poorly,” Beck said. “I don’t think we need to watch the film to see that we didn’t play our best. You know, this starts with me. I have to be better.”
This was DeBoer’s first meeting with Georgia, but the results were the same for Alabama. It has won nine of its past 10 games against Georgia, including a 27-24 victory in last year’s SEC Championship game, which held the Bulldogs just short of making the College Football Playoff.
“It was a hell of a game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Obviously we weren’t really prepared, and that’s on me in the first half. We didn’t do a great job, especially defensively. We also gave them short spaces. With a midfielder like Milroe, it creates a lot of difficult attacking times.”
Smart fell to 1-6 against Alabama as Georgia’s coach.
The Bulldogs’ start couldn’t have been worse. Georgia’s defense struggled to hold off Melroe on the opening possession. When a holding call backed the Tide to first-and-20 from the Georgia 25, Milroe gained 16 yards on the keeper. On first-and-goal from the 7th minute, he held the ball again and beat everyone to the rim for a 7-0 lead.
On Georgia’s next possession, Beck threw a good deep ball down the left sideline to Arian Smith, who dropped the pass. An offensive pass interference penalty two plays later forced a penalty.
Alabama gained 64 yards on its next three plays, then scored on a perfect Melroe throw to running back Jam Miller, who beat linebacker C.J. Allen for a 16-yard touchdown to make the score 14-0.
And it will get worse for Georgia. On its next possession, Tide cornerback Domani Jackson jumped off a Beck screen pass to tight end Oscar Delp for an interception at the Bulldogs’ 22. Three plays later, Bernard scored on a 7-yard end for a 21-0 lead.
Georgia gambled again on its next possession. On fourth-and-1 at the Georgia 36, Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker took off, and Miller hit him so hard that Walker’s helmet came off. Walker could only watch as Melroe scored from 36 yards down the right sideline to put Alabama up 28-0.
Alabama added a safety late in the first half when Beck was penalized for intentional grounding in the Georgia end zone.
[ad_2]
