Georgia streak ends, Bama rolls

Published 12:04 pm Monday, September 30, 2024

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After an absolutely terrible first half, Georgia somehow found a way to claw back into Saturday’s game at Alabama, only to be upset at the end by a score of 41-34.

The Tide extended their record against Kirby Smart to 6-1, and new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer got his first SEC win.

Georgia beat Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game, but aside from that, the last Georgia win came in 2007 when Mikey Henderson caught an over-the-shoulder pass from Matthew Stafford.

Everyone knew Georgia would have a difficult task ahead in the matchup. But no one expected Georgia’s bad first-half performance. Two interceptions, multiple dropped passes, blown assignments, you name it. The defense was unable to stop Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe as he torched the Dawgs for 374 yards passing, 117 yards rushing, and four touchdowns.

The scoring happened fast. 7-0. 14-0. 21-0. Then 28-0. In the first 14 minutes of the game, Alabama outgained Georgia 243 yards to 24. Bama averaged 11 yards a play in that timespan. It was a blowout, and early in the first most fans had given up.

Georgia finally got on the scoreboard after Trevor Etienne’s 7-yard touchdown, and after an exchange of interceptions, Beck was pressured in the end zone leading to a safety after an intentional grounding penalty, making it 30-7 at half. It was only the second time in Kirby Smart’s career as a head coach that his team gave up 30 points in one half (2016 against Ole Miss).

But then, somehow, Georgia started coming back. In the third quarter, Beck found Arian Smith for a touchdown and Lawson Luckie on a two-point conversion. After an Alabama field goal the quarter ended with the Dawgs down 15-33. Beck then found Luckie in the end zone again in the fourth, but the two-point conversion failed making it 21-33.

In the fourth, Dillon Bell reached the end zone twice, first on a 3-yard run, and then on a 67-yard pass from Beck to give Georgia its first lead at 34-33. The tide had shifted and Georgia’s comeback was complete.

…Until the very next snap when Milroe hit freshman phenom Ryan Williams for a 75-yard touchdown, putting Bama up again 41-34. Georgia was unable to score on their last drive as Zabien Brown intercepted Beck in the end zone.

It was a heartbreaker for the Dawgs, but Smart remained optimistic after the game.

“I am extremely proud of our team,” he said. “At halftime our coaches made good adjustments. Everyone was positive… for us, humility is always a week away.”

He also took responsibility for the poor first-half performance for not getting his players ready to play.

In the end, it was a resilient effort from the Dawgs. When everyone else had given up, when fans called for backup QB Gunner Stockton to play the second half, when TVs were turned of, the players and coaches kept fighting. But, regardless, Georgia’s 42-game regular season win streak is over.

UGA will look to bounce back at home against Auburn Saturday. Kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m. inside Sanford Stadium.