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Alabama blows a 28-0 lead and escapes Georgia with a late touchdown


Alabama blows a 28-0 lead and escapes Georgia with a late touchdown

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama blew a 28-point lead against No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

And then the No. 4 Crimson Tide broke the Bulldogs' hearts again with a 41-34 win that saw the SEC heavyweights score touchdowns from scrimmage on consecutive plays late in the fourth quarter.

Alabama only secured the victory when cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted quarterback Carson Beck's pass to receiver Colbie Young in the end zone with 43 seconds left, ending Georgia's furious rally.

After recovering from a 23-point halftime deficit, the Bulldogs took their first lead on Beck's 67-yard touchdown to Dillon Bell to make the score 34-33 with 2:31 left.

But Alabama scored on the very next play. On first-and-10 at the Crimson Tide 25, quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball down the right sideline to freshman Ryan Williams. The receiver spun away from cornerback Julian Humphrey's tackle at the 8-yard line and hit safety KJ Bolden for a 75-yard touchdown with 2:18 remaining. Milroe threw a 2-point conversion pass to receiver Germie Bernard to give Alabama a 41-34 lead.

Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 117 yards with two scores. According to ESPN Research, he is the first player in FBS history with 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns against an AP Top 5 opponent.

Williams, a 17-year-old freshman, had six catches for 177 yards and a score.

Beck recovered from a slow start to complete 27 of 50 passes for 439 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble and was sacked three times.

The loss ended Georgia's 42-game regular-season winning streak, the longest streak by an FBS team since Oklahoma won 45 straight from 1953 to 1957. This also ended Georgia's 16-game road win streak.

It was new Tide coach Kalen DeBoer's first meeting with Georgia — but the results were the same for Alabama. It has won nine of its last 10 games against Georgia, including a 27-24 victory in last year's SEC championship game that resulted in the Bulldogs failing to make the College Football Playoff.

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