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 receptions, 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.
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.
Milroe was 13-of-23 passing for 192 yards for the Crimson Tide.
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.
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 an 18-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.
–Field Level Media