The heavyweight fight between No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama was bound to come down to two or three plays.
Yet those critical plays that helped determine that outcome will be discussed for the wrong reasons. Yes, the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide 20-17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. That score also was expected given the wet track with the remnants of Hurricane Isaias hitting Tuscaloosa, Ala.
A field goal either way, right?
Here is the twist. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, known for his calm demeanor, showed more emotion in a loss that tilts the SEC race in the Bulldogs’ favor heading into the second half of the season. Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC) picked up its first regular-season win against Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC) since 2007. The Crimson Tide never got that game-tying field-goal attempt.
Alabama, and DeBoer, lost their cool in crunch time.
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Alabama took a 14-10 lead at halftime with a gutsy third-and-goal call with three seconds remaining. Instead of taking the field goal to tie the game, DeBoer opted for another play. EJ Crowell cashed in with a 1-yard TD. DeBoer, typically the picture of stoicism, was fired up. He pumped his fist.
That closed a first half that featured a series of 1-2 punches that set up the fourth quarter.
Gunner Stockton hit tight end Jaden Reddell for a 53-yard catch and run across the middle, which set up a 20-yard TD pass to London Humphreys on the next play. Alabama answered with a 58-yard run by Trae’Shawn Brown and a 22-yard TD pass from Russell to Marshall Pritchett to cut the lead to 10-7 with 5:49 left in the second quarter.
Georgia opened the second half with an 8-play, 75-yard TD drive to retake a 17-14 lead. Stockton hit freshman Craig Dandridge on a 30-yard pass on third-and-7 to keep the drive moving. Stockton then scored on a 14-yard TD run. Alabama tied the score on a 39-yard field goal by Conor Talty with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.
Then, those three plays led to the Crimson Tide’s unraveling.
Did officials miss a pass interference call?
Georgia running backs Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker threw another combo with runs of 22 and 37 yards, respectively, which set up a 23-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell answered with completions to Rico Scott and Derek Meadows of 23 and 18 yards, respectively to push to the Georgia 36-yard line.
We were set for an epic finish. Until it turned into controversy.
On second-and-10, Russell took a shot into the end zone to Scott, and it appeared Georgia safety KJ Bolden arrived early. Was it pass interference? Maybe, but it wasn’t called. DeBoer flipped out on the sideline – and on the next play Russell was sacked by Bolden and Vladin Sone for a nine-yard loss that knocked Alabama out of field-goal range.
THE REFS JUST SCREWED ALABAMA WITH ONE OF THE WORST NO-CALLS YOU WILL EVER SEE. 🤯🤯🤯 THIS IS THE TEXTBOOK DEFINITION OF PASS INTERFERENCE, AND THE OFFICIALS SOMEHOW DIDN’T THROW A FLAG. A CALL THIS EGREGIOUS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. https://t.co/GIANJ3ZvO6
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 11, 2026
Alabama punted instead of attempting a game-tying field goal.
Dijon Lee Jr.’s costly personal foul
Stockton, who impressed by finishing 18 of 22 for 249 yards, a TD and an interception, converted a third-and-8 to Eliyss Williams with a 17-yard pass to keep the final drive alive.
On second-and-3, Bo Walker was stopped for a 1-yard gain. But instead of third-and-2, the Bulldogs picked up a first down because of a personal foul on Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., who took a swing at Georgia freshman receiver Craig Dandridge.
This personal foul on Alabama won Georgia the game https://t.co/e9xYANc0SB
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 11, 2026
Smart bolted down the sideline signaling first down, which effectively ended the game. DeBoer yelled at Lee for a penalty that “cost the game.”
Imagine that. A heavyweight fight that ends with a sucker punch.
Who cost Alabama the game, though?
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama miss opportunity against Georgia
Isn’t this what Alabama fans wanted? Nick Saban – whose six-part documentary opened on ESPN this week – was famous for sideline rants, broken headsets and chewing out coaches and players during games. Yet Saban never let those emotions impact the outcome of the game.
The same could be said for Smart. Nobody is surprised when Smart is losing his mind on the sideline for the Bulldogs.
DeBoer got outside of himself after the no-call, jumping up and down, yelling, yanking off his headset and screaming at the officials. Instead of focusing on the next play after the missed pass interference call, the sack proved costly. That emotion might have carried over to the team, and Lee became the latest player in college football to commit an inexcusable penalty with the game on the line. Michigan cornerback Zeke Berry did the same in a 20-19 loss to Iowa on Sept. 26.
DeBoer has his most dynamic quarterback in three years in Russell, who finished 16 of 30 for 185 yards and a TD, and added nine carries for 41 yards. Stockton just made the plays when it mattered most. Georgia is in control of the SEC race now, especially after No. 1 Texas lost 27-24 to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Bulldogs will be No. 1 in the next AP Top 25 poll, and the Crimson Tide will have to traverse the rest of the nine-game SEC schedule with the hopes of getting a rematch in the SEC championship game. DeBoer now is 2-2 against Smart, but the Bulldogs have taken the last two rounds.
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Yet this will serve as a lesson for DeBoer and Alabama. The margin in this game – the best game college football has to offer in terms of top-10 heavyweights – will come down to one or two plays.
What do you always hear coaches say about those moments?
You have to control your emotions. Otherwise those emotions will control you.
