Two Words Haunted College Football Fans On Saturday Night
There was an overwhelming consensus on Saturday night after Week 5 of the 2024 college football season.
The Georgia Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) arrived in Tuscaloosa as the No. 2 team in the nation and a one-point favorite over the Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0), but UGA left town after playing a part in one of the greatest college football games you'll ever see.
In the first half, Georgia was simply dominated. The Dawgs quickly fell into a 28-0 hole before finally sparking some life with a touchdown.
What followed was a rollercoaster of chaos: Georgia forced a turnover on downs, only to throw an interception moments later. The defense responded with another turnover, but disaster struck again when quarterback Carson Beck was flagged for intentional grounding in his own end zone, resulting in a safety. Alabama went into the locker room leading 30-7.
The second half was all Georgia – but not enough. UGA fought back as hard as you could imagine, eventually taking a 34-33 lead with 2:31 to go and shocking the 100,000 spectators inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. However, one play later, 17-year-old freshman Ryan Williams would score a 75 yard touchdown to retake the lead. A successful two-point conversion would make it 41-34, Alabama.
UGA marched down the field, and with 43 seconds left, the Dawgs found themselves at the Bama 20 yard line. Beck attempted a back-shoulder pass, which had been kind to him the entire second half, but this time Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown read it perfectly, intercepting the ball in the end zone and closing the chapter on another instant classic between the Dawgs and the Tide.
When the clock reached zeroes, the final score read Alabama 41, Georgia 34. Beck completed 27-of-50 passes for 439 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble. Alabama's Jalen Milroe threw for 374 yards on 27-of-33 passing. He also rushed for 117 yards and accounted for 4 total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing).
The Alabama dynasty was something we've never seen before in the history of the sport. Though it's unlikely to be replicated for a very long time, new head coach Kalen DeBoer, who left his position as head coach of the Washington Huskies to try to fill the massive shoes of Saban, is off to a solid start.
And for college football fans outside of Tuscaloosa, that's bad news.
No Saban, no problem. That was the general feeling on Saturday night. Just when fans around America thought maybe their school's path to glory was about to become a little bit easier, Bama did it again.
Nobody is going to take this news harder than Georgia, though. Not only did they lose in Week 5, but they found out the hard way that 'Alabama is still Alabama.'
"Still Bama" made its way around social media late Saturday night.
Even Alabama itself said it.
"Still Bama," wrote the program's X account minutes after the victory.
"Alabama is still Alabama. Hell of a fight," posted UGA Football Live.
"This was Kalen Deboer's "I'm the captain now" game. Alabama is still Alabama without Nick Saban," posted Robert Griffin III.
"Alabama is still Alabama," one fan said .
The team that has prevented Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs from possibly having five national championships since 2017 is still just as dominant as ever.
And yes, I said five. Georgia won it all in 2021 and again in 2022, but Saban and the Tide foiled three other chances it had.
In 2017, Alabama defeated UGA in overtime of the national championship.
In 2018, Alabama crushed Georgia's hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff, edging out the No. 4 Bulldogs 35-28 in a dramatic SEC Championship showdown. That was a really good Georgia team that surely could have competed for a title.
And then there was last year, when Saban won his final game at Alabama: a 27-24 victory over UGA in the SEC Championship Game that again prevented Georgia from making the CFP.
But it's not just Georgia fans who should be punching air. There's LSU, which has lost 11 of its last 13 to the Tide.
There's also Tennessee, which Saban only lost to once in his 17 years, going 16-1 against the Vols.
Let's not forget SEC newcomer, the Texas Longhorns, who entered the league thinking things might be a bit breezier without Saban hovering over their shoulder.
And lastly, Auburn. Poor Auburn.
"Alabama is still the standard in the sec," said a fan.
This story was originally published September 28, 2024, 11:14 PM.
