Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and No. 8 Alabama notched a crucial upset by dispatching top-ranked Georgia 27-24 in the Southeastern Conference title game on Saturday in Atlanta.
Jermaine Burton and Jamarion Miller caught touchdown passes, and Roydell Williams scored on a run as the Crimson Tide (12-1) won their 11 consecutive game. The victory snapped Georgia’s SEC record 29-game winning streak and greatly bolsters Alabama’s hopes of crashing the four-team College Football Playoff field.
“That’s not really for me to say,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. “We did our part. We did what we had to do to have a chance.”
Kendall Milton rushed for two touchdowns and Carson Beck added one for Georgia (12-1). Beck completed 21 of 29 passes for 243 yards.
Bulldogs star Brock Bowers played despite an ankle injury but was largely ineffective, with five receptions for 53 yards.
The two-time defending national champion Bulldogs lost to Alabama for the eighth time in the past nine meetings.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said it shouldn’t be tough for the CFP selection committee to know that his club should be part of the playoffs.
“It’s not the most deserving, it’s the best four teams,” Smart said. “If (we’re) not one of the best four teams out there, I don’t believe any man or woman sitting on that committee doesn’t believe that’s not one of the best teams. It was No. 1 coming into (this game).”
Milroe was 13-of-23 passing for 192 yards for the Crimson Tide and was named MVP of the game. He said the team has been fueled by offseason chatter that the program wasn’t going to be as good as it was in past campaigns.
“The biggest thing was in the offseason when a lot of people doubted this team, I never gave up on this team,” Milroe said. “We had a purpose before anybody had an opinion of us. Our motto was, ‘Let all naysayers know.'”
A 28-yard punt return by Anthony Evans III provided life to the Bulldogs early in the fourth quarter and preceded a four-play, 35-yard drive. Beck scored from the 1 to bring Georgia within 20-17.
But the Crimson Tide answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Williams scored on a 1-yard plunge to restore the 10-point lead with 5:47 remaining.
Georgia responded with its own 75-yard drive. Milton scored from the 1 on the 10th play to cut Alabama’s lead to 27-24 with 2:52 left.
When the Crimson Tide got the ball back, Milroe twice ran for first downs as Alabama ran out the clock.
“I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys than these guys because Georgia has a really good team, a great team, with great coaches,” Saban said. “But our guys overcame it. They showed today and proved that they can win against anybody.”
Alabama spotted Georgia a touchdown and then scored 17 consecutive points for a 17-7 halftime lead.
After the Crimson Tide went three-and-out on their first possession, the Bulldogs traveled 83 yards on eight plays on their first excursion. Milton capped it with a 17-yard scoring burst with 9:31 left in the period.
Alabama got on the board on Will Reichard’s 43-yard field goal with 3:43 left in the quarter. That boot gave Reichard 533 career points and made him the NCAA’s all-time scorer, breaking a tie with former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds (530 points, 2012-15).
Reichard made three extra points and two field goals to finish the game with 539 points.
The Crimson Tide took a 10-7 lead when Milroe tossed a 28-yard scoring pass to Miller with 12:04 left in the second quarter. Later, Milroe teamed up with Burton — who played two seasons for Georgia — on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 48 seconds remaining in the half.
Georgia moved within 17-10 on Peyton’s Woodring’s 34-yard field goal with 8:51 left in the third quarter.
The Crimson Tide got the three points back on Reichard’s 28-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining in the period.
But there would be no comeback victory for the Bulldogs, who lost for just the second time in their past 47 games.
“We’re a resilient bunch, never say die attitude,” Smart said. “Great team, but a tough loss for us.”
–Field Level Media
