No. 4 Alabama holds off No. 2 Georgia in prime-time thriller

At the tail end of September Alabama and Georgia met in a defining SEC battle. Maybe it was a preview of what is to come in December or January. Regardless, the heaviest of heavyweights met in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and this game lived up to all the hype.

It was a sight to behold at Bryant-Denny Stadium as the red and white lights flicked symbolizing the biggest win of Alabama’s season. The screams of Jalen Milroe as the star quarterback ran to high-five every fan in sight would tell you everything you needed to know. 

As anticipated, it was a nail-biter that came down to the very final play. In the end, Alabama secured a 41-34 victory to hold off the Georgia Bulldogs. Although, if anything that score could not encapsulate the entire story. It was one heck of a rollercoaster ride that got us to that conclusion. 

Ultimately, it was a tale of two halves. Alabama owned the first half, and Georgia owned the second. Let me paint the picture… 

It all starts with No. 15 and No. 4. For starters, that is Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe. From the start of the game, all the energy was fed off the backs of these two quarterbacks. However, for Carson Beck, it was tough sledding. 

It was just a very rough first half for Carson Beck. I mean a very rough half. Out of the gate, things were seemingly off with him. He certainly was uncomfortable and dismayed, and it took a while for him to get settled in.

It seemed as if every time Georgia caught momentum with Beck, Alabama had an answer. Georgia’s first few possessions all consisted of three-and-outs which allowed Alabama to ‘pour it on’ early. Beck had an early long ball which was dropped by Arian Smith. This was probably his best pass of the entire first. Soon after that, Beck would experience a multitude of different looks that had him playing the guessing game. 

Disaster struck for the first time at the end of the first quarter when Beck nearly threw an interception. The next play Alabama brought pressure and Beck’s quick decision ended up being costly. Beck’s first interception directly led to a touchdown cashed in by Jalen Milroe, and before you could even blink the score was 21-0. 

Beck was certainly rattled following this interception. He led Georgia’s first scoring drive capped off by Trevor Etienne. It seemed as if every throw was a desperation throw and almost like he was depending on luck just not to be intercepted. 

On the other side, it was a Heisman half for Jalen Milroe. Alabama’s 28-0 start was completely led by Jalen Milroe. Georgia simply had no answer for the duel-threat veteran quarterback. More than anything, Georgia truly suffered in the run game. Kirby Smart has not nearly played this level of competition since December of last year, and it showed.

Alabama’s scheme was quite simple. Offensive coordinator, Nick Sheridan saw holes in Georgia's defense that could be utilized. Alabama planned to get the ball to the outside. Once they did that there was no stopping them. 

Again, each time the Bulldogs got any glance of hope, the Tide shadowed it. Carson Beck threw another interception which was followed by a Jalen Milroe interception. As soon as Kirk Herbstreit announced that Georgia could score before the half and catch momentum, the disaster struck again. Carson Beck ended up taking a safety after an intentional grounding call, leading to a 30-7 advantage at the half

Alabama finished the first half with over 300 yards of offense and 3 touchdowns (all from Jalen Milroe). Compared to the Bulldogs, this was an overwhelming differential that most, including me, did not see Georgia coming back from. The Bulldogs finished the first half with under 100 yards of offense and only one touchdown.  

There was nothing that pointed to a Georgia comeback as the same mistakes continued to haunt the Bulldogs. However, as Kirby Smart stated before the half, “We need to get some stops.” That statement came true. Alabama’s offense went cold in the third quarter. 

It took a long sustained drive for Carson Beck to find Arian Smith in the end zone and convert on a two-point conversion to cut the lead in half. Add in a few more stops on defense, and one field goal at the end of the third quarter, and we had a game.

Well, not quite. Georgia did not establish their true form of offense until the fourth quarterback when Carson Beck finally connected some passes and cashed a few touchdowns. Moreover, Georgia’s defense was the biggest factor in the comeback as they held Alabama to just 3 points throughout the entire second half.  

So how did we reach the conclusion we did? Ultimately, Carson Beck was Georgia's benefactor in completing the comeback and taking the lead. After a 67-yard bomb to Dillion Bell Georgia had taken an unforeseen 34-33 lead. This overcame the largest deficit for a top-5 team since 2012 in the first half. 

Although the Bulldogs gave too much time to Jalen Milroe and the stylish number 4 answered back almost immediately with a 75-yard bomb to freshman Ryan Williams. Carson Beck had two minutes to determine the fate of the game. We were either going to overtime or calling it a night. 

For the regular college football lover, everyone was mounting for an extra portion of football. Just as Georgia knocked on the doorstep, disaster struck one last time. Beck overthrew his man by just a little bit, enough for Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown to intercept. And that was all she wrote. 

It was one heck of a battle. Enough to undoubtedly call this prime-time matchup the best game of the season. Chris Fowler himself asked if the Monday night game would be able to surpass this one in terms of entertainment. To me, that is a big fat no. This one was pure cinema folks. 

Regardless of the outcome, it was a win for both sides. Both Georgia and Alabama look like true contenders who are bound to meet again at some point this season. Stay alert for another encore of the SEC Championship. If tonight was a preview of what is to come, we should start preparing our popcorn now. 

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