TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Georgia and Alabama, Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck, placed on quite a show even with a special Crimson Tide coach prowling the sideline.
Ryan Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Milroe with 2:18 left and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 on Saturday night in a wild Southeastern Conference debut for Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.
Then, Alabama’s other freshman sporting a No. 2 jersey, defensive back Zabien Brown, intercepted Carson Beck’s pass ultimately zone to secure the victory.
“We pushed one another to the very end,” DeBoer said.
That’s no surprise with two teams which have battled for SEC and even national supremacy almost annually. It was DeBoer’s initiation right into a fascinating rivalry of SEC powers that added one other memorable chapter, even without Nick Saban on the sideline opposite protege Kirby Smart of Georgia.
The postgame message from DeBoer wasn’t all that different.
“We expect to win these games,” he said. “In fact the locker room is filled with excitement but I also wish to be sure they realize that’s the expectation. There’s a whole lot of season left.”
The dynamic 17-year-old Williams turned back to grab Milroe’s deep pass in tight coverage, did a fast spin and sprinted down the best sideline. Milroe then hit Germie Bernard for the two-point conversion for the Tide (4-0, 1-0).
“I did a spin move and it was like in slow motion,” Williams said. “It looked faster on the screen.”
It was fast enough.
The long TD pass got here one play and 13 seconds after Carson Beck’s 67-yard bomb to Dillon Bell gave the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) their first lead of the sport.
A rematch of last season’s SEC Championship Game, also won by Alabama, become a scintillating quarterback duel.
Milroe accomplished 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that bounced off the receiver.
He also ran for 117 yards and a pair of TDs.
Williams had six catches for 177 yards.
Beck was 27 of fifty passing for 439 yards with three touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions in the primary multi-interception game of his profession but placed on a show within the second half.
Beck is 16-2 as a starter with each losses coming to the Tide.
The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns over the ultimate 9:46. Alabama got the just one it needed.
Milroe led Alabama to touchdowns on its first 4 drives against a defense that stood because the just one in FBS not to permit one coming into the sport.
“Obviously, we were probably not prepared and that falls on me in the primary half,” said Smart, who’s just 1-6 against Alabama while dominating almost everyone else.
The Bulldogs were down 28-0 a number of minutes into the second quarter, their streaks of 42 consecutive regular-season victories and 28 straight regular-season SEC wins seemingly all but over by halftime.
Georgia and Beck fought way back as a substitute of folding.
“The primary half, we played terrible,” Beck said. “I don’t think we want to look at the film to go see that we didn’t play our greatest. You realize, that starts with me. I;ve got to be higher.
“But I’m pleased about how we fought, we brought all of it the way in which back and took the lead, just weren’t in a position to close it out.”
