TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Georgia and Alabama, Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck, put on quite a show even with a different 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 in the end zone to secure the victory.
“We pushed each other to the very end,” DeBoer said.
That's no surprise with two teams that have battled for SEC and even national supremacy almost annually. It was DeBoer’s initiation into a captivating rivalry of SEC powers that added another 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. “Of course the locker room is full of excitement but I also want to make sure they realize that’s the expectation. There’s a lot of season left."
The dynamic 17-year-old Williams turned back to grab Milroe's deep pass in tight coverage, did a quick spin and sprinted down the right 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 came 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 game.
A rematch of last season’s SEC Championship Game, also won by Alabama, turned into a scintillating quarterback duel.
Milroe completed 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 50 passing for 439 yards with three touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions in the first multi-interception game of his career but put on a show in the second half.
Beck is 16-2 as a starter with both losses coming to the Tide.
The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns over the final 9:46. Alabama got the only one it needed.
Milroe led Alabama to touchdowns on its first four drives against a defense that stood as the only one in FBS not to allow one coming into the game.
“Obviously, we were not really prepared and that falls on me in the first half,” said Smart, who is just 1-6 against Alabama while dominating almost everyone else.
The Bulldogs were down 28-0 a few 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 instead of folding.
“The first half, we played terrible," Beck said. "I don’t think we need to watch the film to go see that we didn’t play our best. You know, that starts with me. I;ve got to be better.
“But I’m happy about how we fought, we brought it all the way back and took the lead, just weren’t able to close it out.”
The takeaway
Georgia: Has looked vulnerable for a program that has won two of the last three national titles in the last two games, including a 13-12 victory over Kentucky. But the Bulldogs showed they haven’t gone anywhere with the dominant second half.
Alabama: The Tide have so far shown no signs of slippage under DeBoer, especially offensively, rolling on the road against Wisconsin and surviving at home against their recent SEC nemesis.
Poll implications
Alabama will jump at least one spot in the AP poll. The Bulldogs’ second-half play probably means they won’t fall far.
Trump’s visit
Former President Donald Trump, the current Republican candidate, was on hand for the game. Trump was introduced early in the second quarter, drawing chants of “USA! USA!” and waving to the crowd from a luxury box.
Fourth downs
Georgia went for it five times on fourth down and made them all. That helped make up from a 3-of-15 performance on third down.
Up next
Alabama: At Vanderbilt on Saturday in its first SEC road game.
Georgia: Hosts struggling Auburn on Saturday.