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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama blew a 28-point lead against No. 2 Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night.
And then the No. 4 Crimson Tide broke the Bulldogs’ hearts again in a 41-34 victory in which the SEC heavyweights scored touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage late in the fourth quarter.
Alabama didn’t seal the victory until cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted quarterback Carson Beck‘s pass to receiver Colbie Young in the end zone with 43 seconds left to end Georgia’s furious rally.
“Yeah, when you face a really good football team, you know there’s going to be a strong push,” said Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who won his first SEC game. “We pushed each other to the very end.”
After the Bulldogs rallied from a 23-point deficit at halftime, they took their first lead on Beck’s 67-yard touchdown to Dillon Bell to make it 34-33 with 2:31 to go.
But Alabama scored on its very next play from scrimmage. On first-and-10 from the Crimson Tide 25, quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball down the right sideline for freshman Ryan Williams. The receiver spun out of cornerback Julian Humphrey‘s tackle at the 8-yard line and beat safety KJ Bolden for a 75-yard touchdown with 2:18 remaining.
Milroe threw a 2-point conversion to receiver Germie Bernard to give Alabama a 41-34 lead.
“You’ve got to keep fighting,” DeBoer said “When it comes to the concept, a lot of our plays have opportunities where you find that one-on-one. And if you like the matchup, you go after it. And so he liked what he saw, obviously, and delivered, and Ryan did the rest for 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 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and 2 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 winning streak in the regular season, which was the longest run by an FBS team since Oklahoma won 45 in a row from 1953 to 1957. It also ended Georgia’s 16-game winning streak on the road.
“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.”
It 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 led to the Bulldogs failing to make the College Football Playoff.
“It was one hell of a game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Obviously, we were not really prepared, and that falls on me in the first half. We didn’t do a great job, especially defensively. We also gave them short fields. With a quarterback like Milroe, it creates a lot of tough times.”
Smart fell to 1-6 against Alabama as Georgia’s coach.
The Bulldogs couldn’t have had a worse start. Georgia’s defense struggled to tackle Milroe on the opening possession. When a holding call backed up the Tide to first-and-20 from the Georgia 25, Milroe gained 16 yards on a keeper. On first-and-goal from the 7, he kept the ball again and beat everybody to the edge 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 punt.
Alabama gained 64 yards on its next three plays, then scored on Milroe’s perfect throw to running back Jam Miller, who beat linebacker CJ Allen for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
It would only get worse for Georgia from there. On its next possession, Tide cornerback Domani Jackson jumped Beck’s screen pass to tight end Oscar Delp for an interception at the Bulldogs’ 22. Three plays later, Bernard scored on a 7-yard end around for a 21-0 lead.
Georgia punted again on its next possession. On fourth-and-1 at the Georgia 36, Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker blitzed, and Miller hit him so hard Walker’s helmet fell off. Walker could only watch as Milroe scored on a 36-yard run down the right sideline to put Alabama ahead 28-0.
Alabama added a safety late in the first half when Beck was penalized for intentional grounding in Georgia’s end zone