Georgia’s comeback bid falls short in 41-34 loss to Alabama

Georgia’s bid for the largest comeback in school history came up short on Saturday as Alabama rode first-half domination and two big plays late to a 41-34 victory. The Bulldogs trailed 28-0 and 30-7 before surging back to take a brief lead in the fourth quarter.

Carson Beck hit on 27 of 50 pass attempts for 439 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble. Both Arian Smith and Dillon Bell had over 100 yards receiving for the Bulldogs but it wasn’t enough as Jalen Milroe accounted for nearly 500 yards of total offense on his own.

The first quarter was a complete nightmare for Georgia as Alabama scored early and it scored often. That started with the Crimson Tide’s first possession of the game when Milroe took it in from seven yards out. The PAT staked Alabama to 7-0 lead that would quickly grow.

The Bulldogs didn’t do much with it when they touched the football for the first time but the Crimson Tide never slowed down. They got right back to work reached the end zone again, this time on a 16-yard pass from Milroe to running back Jam Miller. That pushed Bama’s lead to 14-0.

The Bulldog offense didn’t hold on to it for long but it was a turnover that ended this drive, Georgia’s first of the season. Beck tossed an interception on what appeared to be a miscommunication with a receiver and it gave the ball to Alabama at the UGA 22-yard line.

Alabama punched it in three plays later to take complete control of the game. Germie Bernarnd waltzed around left end for a seven-yard score and the PAT put Georgia in a 21-0 hole.

It didn’t stop there as Alabama put together another touchdown drive. Milroe punched it in again and this time it was from 36-yards out to convert a 4th and 1. Alabama’s lead grew to 28-0 after the PAT.

The Bulldogs were able to stop the bleeding on their next possession, using 11 plays to go 75 yards. Trevor Etienne ran it in from seven yards out and the PAT cut the Bama lead to 28-7.

The Georgia offense had its chances to get back in the game in the first half. It squandered a fourth-down stop with an immediate interception. The Bulldogs also got a red-zone deflection turned interception but that ended up helping Alabama put points on the board. The Bulldogs gave up two as Beck was flagged for intentional grounding out of his own end zone. That made the score 30 7 and that’s how the first half would end.

The Bulldogs had plenty to say in the second half but it didn’t start right away. The two teams traded punts to start the third quarter before Georgia cut the lead to 30-13 with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Arian Smith. The Bulldogs picked up the two-point try to make it 30-15.

Alabama added three points to make it 33-15 but Georgia would score the next 19 points. Beck got that run started with an 8-yard touchdown toss from Beck to Lawson Luckie. Georgia went for two and failed, making it 33-21

The Bulldogs drew closer with a three-yard touchdown run from Dillon Bell with the PAT making it 33-28. It was Bell crossing the goal line the next time UGA got it, this time on a 67-yard bomb from Beck where he broke a couple of tackles to get into the end zone. Georgia went for two again and failed, but it held a 34-33 lead.

That lead did not last long. Alabama got it back on its first play from scrimmage with Milroe hitting Ryan Williams for a 75-yard touchdown. The Crimson Tide converted the two-point try to take a 41-34 lead.

Georgia mounted a drive that got it into the red zone but the threat ended with 43 seconds left when Beck threw an interception trying to get the ball to Colbie Young. The pass was picked off by Zabien Brown and the Crimson Tide was able to kneel on the victory.

Next up for Georgia is a return to Sanford Stadium where it has played just one game this season. The Bulldogs will host Auburn in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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