TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 2 Georgia beat No. 6 Alabama 20-17 on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium, handing the Crimson Tide their first loss of the season and keeping the Bulldogs unbeaten at 6-0, 4-0 in the SEC, according to ESPN.
Georgia took the lead for good on a 23-yard field goal with 5:25 left, the Sporting News reported. With 3:28 to play, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell threw into the end zone for Rico Scott on second-and-10, and officials did not flag Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden for pass interference. On the next play Russell was sacked for a nine-yard loss, a stop credited half each to Bolden and Vladin Sone, and Alabama punted on fourth-and-19.
Stockton and the Ground Game
Gunner Stockton capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half with a 14-yard touchdown run, putting Georgia up 17-14, the Sporting News reported. Dwight Phillips Jr. ran for 120 yards and Bo Walker added 69 more, ESPN’s recap said.
Alabama tied the game at 17-17 with a late field goal. Russell completed 16 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown and ran for 41 yards, ESPN said, but the Crimson Tide never got the ball back after the punt.
The Late No-Call
Much of the postgame discussion centered on the officials. ESPN said Southeastern Conference officials declined to throw a flag after what appeared to be a clear pass-interference penalty, which would have moved Alabama safely into field-goal range. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said, “We can’t put the game in that situation,” referring to the role officials played, Pro Football Network reported.
After the no-call, Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. pushed a receiver to the ground after the whistle and drew a personal-foul penalty, which allowed Georgia to run out the clock, ESPN said.
What It Means
It was Georgia’s first regular-season win over Alabama since 2007 and coach Kirby Smart’s first victory in Tuscaloosa, CBS Sports reported. “I didn’t come here to lose,” Smart said.
No. 1 Texas lost 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma earlier Saturday, and Georgia is in line to replace the Longhorns at No. 1 when The Associated Press releases its Top 25 on Sunday afternoon, the AP reported. The poll had not been released at the time of writing.
