Alabama passed its first SEC test of the season, taking down the Georgia Bulldogs 41-34.
The Crimson Tide executed many things well during the game but also fell short in certain aspects. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of the team’s victory.
The good
Jalen Milroe was exceptional, completing 27 of 33 passing attempts for 374 yards and two touchdowns. He added 117 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“He’s a weapon out there,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “He’s doing it all through the air and with his feet. He’s tough to game plan against when you’re on the other side.”
Receiver Ryan Williams showed during the game why his nickname is “Hollywood.” The true freshman receiver had six catches for 177 yards and a touchdown, including a highlight-reel 75-yard touchdown reception to win the game.
“I think the thing I’m more impressed with is what he’s doing after the catch,” DeBoer said. “It’s not surprising but it’s certainly impressive.”
The offensive line was terrific. The group allowed no sacks and helped lead the rushing attack to 173 yards, three touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry.
Kane Wommack’s defense was able to record four turnovers, all coming from Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. Qua Russaw strip-sacked Beck in the third quarter, and Domani Jackson, Jihaad Campbell and Zabien Brown all had interceptions, including Brown’s game-sealing takeaway.
“[Beck] threw three picks, right?” Jackson said. “That says something about our defense. We just showed it.”
Linebackers Keanu Koht and Que Robinson combined to bull rush Beck in the end zone and forced a throwaway that landed in-bounds, which resulted in an intentional grounding call and therefore a safety.
Kicker Graham Nicholson made his first field goal of the season, converting from 28 yards out.
The bad
Alabama had 10 penalties for 90 yards, with two more penalties being declined. The penalties proved costly, as two happened when Alabama stopped Georgia on fourth down, further extending the drives for the Bulldog offense.
The receivers let Milroe down at times. Germie Bernard had two drops on the day, and CJ Dippre couldn’t hold onto the football after a hit, a muff that went right into a Georgia defender’s hands for an interception. DeBoer also mentioned a couple of problems with route running.
“There was a couple of times where we actually let [Milroe] down,” DeBoer said. “We let him down and didn’t have a couple guys run exactly what they were supposed to do.”
Running backs Justice Haynes and Jam Miller were unable to find a groove in the game, as the two combined for only 11 carries for 43 yards.
The ugly
The second half left much to be desired for the Crimson Tide. The team allowed Georgia to amass 366 yards of total offense in the half.
Alabama’s defense frequently failed to get off the field, allowing Beck and the Bulldogs to convert all five of their fourth-down tries, including three on a single drive that resulted in a touchdown.
“I think that was really the story in the second half,” DeBoer said. “It was those fourth-down calls, fourth-down plays.”
The offense couldn’t extend drives during the second half, going 1-6 on third-down attempts and only having 17 rushing yards.
The defense allowed Georgia’s Dillon Bell and Arian Smith to both reach 100 yards receiving, including a 67-yard touchdown reception by Bell to give Georgia the lead in the fourth quarter.
In an especially uncoordinated play amid the Bulldogs’ scoring run, Williams and Cole Adams bumped into each other while trying to catch a kickoff, and the Crimson Tide had to start the drive from its own 4-yard line.
Alabama ultimately had a bunch of things go right in the first half and wrong in the second half. But at the end of the day, the team is 4-0 in the DeBoer era and just defeated the No. 2 team in the country.
“We expect to win these games,” DeBoer said. “Of course the locker room is full of excitement, but I also want to make sure we understand that’s the expectation.”
