Alabama hangs on for the win after Georgia mounts a massive comeback

For much of the past decade, who rules college football has largely alternated between two schools: Alabama and Georgia.

When the rivals that have combined to win five of the last nine national titles met Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, they took turns controlling the game again — while producing the wildest outcome of the season, one that wasn’t decided until the final minute, when Alabama intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in the end zone to seal a 41-34 win by the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide.

The loss snapped second-ranked Georgia’s 42-game winning streak in the regular season.

Alabama (4-0) led 28-0 by the end of the first quarter in a start that suggested the Crimson Tide hadn’t lost a step under new coach Kalen DeBoer, even with legendary coach Nick Saban watching from the stands.

Yet behind a composed second half from Georgia’s defense and Beck, the Bulldogs (3-1) came all the way back to lead 34-33 with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter.

Here’s what we learned:

• For a pair of teams led by established quarterbacks in their second seasons as starters, both showed their nerves. Georgia hadn’t turned the ball over once, and hadn’t allowed a single touchdown either, in its three previous games. Yet it committed two turnovers in the first half and watched as Alabama needed all of eight plays to score on its opening drive, and only six plays on its second to go 84 yards for a 14-0 lead. That start emboldened Alabama and appeared to rattle Georgia, because on the very next possession Beck threw his season’s first interception. Only seconds later, Alabama added its third touchdown. Georgia’s 23-point halftime deficit was its biggest in eight years.
• Alabama now boasts the country’s most impressive win of the young season. Still, a playoff bid should not be considered a lock. For as dominant as the Tide appeared while jumping out to a 30-7 halftime lead, they also never put away the game and were unable to match Georgia’s second-half adjustments.
• The expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams this season was set up to help the losers of high-profile matchups in the country’s four most powerful conferences. One loss, then, won’t end Georgia’s path toward a playoff berth. But a second could, and with road games still coming against top-ranked Texas on Oct. 19, Mississippi on Nov. 9 and Tennessee on Nov. 16, this will not be Georgia’s last challenge this fall.
• Georgia has a third-down problem. The best team in the country last year on third downs, when they converted 55.1% of their chances, the Bulldogs had converted only 39% of those opportunities entering Saturday, then started 0-9 against Alabama. Ultimately, they finished 3 of 15. They were able to mount a comeback despite that, because they were 5 for 5 on fourth down.
• If not for the exploits and pure production of Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Alabama’s Ryan Williams might be talked about as college football’s best receiver. Only a 17-year-old freshman, Williams entered Saturday averaging 28.5 yards per catch, with four touchdowns. Against Georgia, he caught six passes for 177 yards and produced two highlights notable not only for their degree of difficulty, but also for their timing.
• Williams initially bobbled a deep pass in the third quarter but had enough presence of mind to tip it with his right hand to keep it in the air, spin around to locate the ball, and then catch it for a 54-yard gain. It came at a critical time, during a drive that ended with an Alabama field goal that pushed its lead to 18 points. It was Alabama’s only scoring drive of the second half until, with 2:18 to play and Georgia leading by 1, Williams caught the go-ahead touchdown, a 75-yard grab that started with a leaping catch and ended in the end zone after two spin moves to get away from a pair of defenders. Did we mention he is only 17?

• Who is the real Beck? And for that matter, Jalen Milroe? The quarterback counterparts played far differently depending on the half. By halftime, Alabama’s Milroe had accounted for more yards by himself than Georgia’s entire offense. He finished an efficient 27 of 33, passing for 374 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but was bottled up as a passer and a runner in the second half. Beck, meanwhile, had completed just eight of his 17 attempts, with two interceptions in the first half. He finished with 439 passing yards, and his three second-half touchdowns kept the Bulldogs in the game — until this third and final interception ended it.