TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 2 Alabama football team moved to 4-0 on the season after downing No. 3 Georgia, 41-24, Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
After trailing 24-20 at the half, the Crimson Tide blanked the Bulldogs in the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points. The victory gave UA head coach Nick Saban his third win in the past four games over a former assistant coach and moved him to 22-0 against his protégés during his time as the Crimson Tide’s head coach.
Mac Jones notched his third-consecutive game with 400-plus yards passing, going 24-for-32 for 417 yards on the night, tallying four touchdowns through the air and one interception. Jones connected with DeVonta Smith for a pair of scores and Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie Jr. III for one each. Smith had 11 catches for 167, while Waddle had six catches for a career-best 161 yards. Saturday marked the second game in a row that both Smith and Waddle went over 100 yards receiving. Waddle has topped 100 yards in all four games this season. Najee Harris led all rushers with 152 yards on a career-best 31 carries. With his third quarter score, Harris has now posted at least one rushing TD in each of his last 11 games.
The Alabama defense came away with a trio of interceptions, including two in back-to-back third-quarter drives which contributed to Alabama shutting down the Bulldogs in the second half. Malachi Moore (1-42), Daniel Wright (1-18) and Justin Eboigbe (1-4) all recorded interceptions. DeMarcco Hellams (11) and Dylan Moses (10) both recorded double-digit tackles, while Moses (-12 yards) and Christian Barmore (-2 yards) each collected a sack.
How It Happened
FIRST QUARTER
- 13:16 – UA | Alabama was first to strike with Mac Jones finding John Metchie III deep for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
- 01:53 – UGA | A 10-yard rush by Zamir White evened the score up heading into the second quarter of play.
SECOND QUARTER
- 14:49 – UGA | James Cook got beyond the Crimson Tide’s coverage, taking the pass from Stetson Bennett into the endzone for an 82-yard score to put the Bulldogs in front.
- 09:00 – UA | Will Reichard put the Tide within four on a 33-yard field goal.
- 05:42 – UGA | Georgia made it a touchdown game as Jake Podlesny was good from 50 yards out.
- 03:06 – UA | Alabama set the score at 21 apiece thanks to a six-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a 17-yard pitch and catch from Jones to Smith.
- 00:23 – UGA | The Bulldogs capped their first-half scoring with a completion to Jermaine Burton in the back of the end zone from Bennett, moving the UGA lead back to seven.
- 00:00 – UA | Reichard connected on his second field goal of the day, making the kick from a career-long 52 yards as time expired.
THIRD QUARTER
- 04:00 – UA | Jones connected with Waddle for a 90-yard pass to put Alabama in front for good, 27-24.
- 00:51 – UA | Harris extended his streak to 11 games with a rushing score, thanks to a two-yard plunge into the end zone.
FOURTH QUARTER
- 09:32 – UA | Smith toe-tapped the back of the end zone for a 13-yard scoring strike from Jones to give Alabama at 41-24 lead, which proved to be the final margin.
Up Next
Alabama heads to Knoxville for the annual ‘Third Saturday in October’ matchup with Tennessee on Oct. 24. The Crimson Tide and Volunteers are scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Neyland Stadium with the game airing on CBS. Alabama and Tennessee will meet for the 103rd time in the series with the Tide riding a 13-game winning streak against the Vols heading into Saturday’s contest.
