TUSCALOOSA – With less than a minute left in Saturday’s top-10 matchup against Alabama, Georgia’s Carson Beck tossed an interception in the end zone, sealing a 41-34 win for the Crimson Tide.
The Bulldogs quarterback wasn’t sharp at times against Alabama, turning the ball over four times in the loss. However, Beck also was a big part of the comeback effort, helping to lead the offense in the second half.
“I am really proud of our guys and how we fought,” Beck said after the game. “Obviously, I am upset. I am not big on moral victories. I believe in winning and losing, and we lost. But we fought hard.”
Alabama came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 28-0 lead due to the abilities of quarterback Jalen Milroe. Georgia had no answer for Milroe, who made plays with his arm and his feet.
Milroe rushed for a seven-yard touchdown and tossed a 16-yard scoring strike to Jamarion Miller in the first 10 minutes of the game. Germie Bernard rushed for a seven-yard touchdown, followed by a 39-yard scoring run by Milroe on fourth-and-short before the Bulldogs put together a scoring drive.
Beck and the offensive unit eventually drove 75 yards in 11 plays, capped off by a seven-yard rushing touchdown by running back Trevor Etienne. The Bulldogs trailed the Crimson Tide 30-7 at the half.
After a sluggish first-half start, Georgia played a much better game in the final 30 minutes. The Dawgs’ defense managed to contain Milroe, while Beck led a more up-tempo offensive attack.
The Bulldogs got back on the board at the 6:44 mark of the third quarter when Beck tossed a touchdown pass to Arian Smith, ending an 18-play, 80-yard possession. They were successful in their two-point conversion attempt, cutting into the deficit, although Alabama still held a 30-15 lead.
Going into the fourth quarter, Alabama led 33-15 after Graham Nicholson nailed a 28-yard field goal.
But Georgia kicked it into high gear, scoring on its next three possessions. Beck found tight end Lawson Luckie in the end zone, and on the next drive, the Bulldog defense forced a turnover on downs.
Beck, again, wasted no time, completing a 47-yard strike to Smith, setting up wide receiver Dillon Bell to score on a three-yard rush. With 5:39 left in the game, Georgia trailed the Crimson Tide 33-28.
The Georgia defense rose to the occasion once more, forcing Alabama to punt. On the first play from scrimmage, Beck completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Bell, giving the Bulldogs a 34-33 lead, their first of the day.
However, Georgia’s lead was short-lived as Milroe fired a strike with freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams on the next play from scrimmage. Williams caught the ball in stride and raced to the end zone.
After the game, Beck was disappointed in his performance, especially after throwing three interceptions, losing a fumble at a critical time, and giving Alabama two free points on a safety.
“I don’t think we need to rewatch the first half of that to know that we didn’t play our best, myself included,” Beck said. “I’ve got to do better.”
Georgia’s offense sputtered in the first half, and the Bulldog defense also took too long to adjust schematically to stop Milroe, who stepped up and made a big-time play when it was needed.
“He’s hard to defend,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Milroe after the game. “So, you have to pick your poison. Do you want the guy to take off and beat you running? Do you want him to play loose coverage and try to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t take off? He ran the ball well on the perimeter, and we lost containment, and then he also threw the ball well, which made it tough.”
With the win on Sunday, Alabama moved up to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, while Georgia dropped to No. 5. The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) will next face Auburn (2-3, 0-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday at home in Athens.