Freshman sensation Ryan Williams saved No. 4 Alabama from an epic collapse against No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night.
Williams made an incredible 75-yard TD with 2:18 to go, giving Alabama a 41-34 win over the Bulldogs. Look at his ability to adjust to the football while it was in the air, the awareness to stay in bounds and the spin move to make Georgia defenders miss.
The TD came as Alabama was about to take a 28-0 lead in the first half. Georgia had taken the lead 34-33 – its first lead of the game – just 13 seconds before Williams crossed the goal line when Carson Beck hit Dillon Bell for a 67-yard TD pass after Bell got behind Alabama’s secondary.
The Bulldogs still had plenty of time after Williams’ TD and reached the Alabama 20. This time, another freshman sealed the game. Zabien Brown picked off Beck in the end zone with 43 seconds left as Beck tried to beat him one-on-one.
It was the second straight time Georgia targeted Brown in single coverage with a bigger receiver in Colbie Young.
“I knew he’s a smart kid and sooner or later he was going to read what was going on and make a move,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game on ABC.
Georgia scored 19 straight points after Alabama went up 33-15 with 1:23 left in the third quarter. That Crimson Tide field goal was set up by another improbable catch by 17-year-old Williams.
Aside from Williams’ heroics, Alabama’s offense was in disarray in the second half. It was a stark contrast to the first half, when Georgia was helpless to stop the Crimson Tide.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was responsible for three of Alabama’s first four TDs and, along with Jam Miller, provided a highlight that shouldn’t be lost on what Williams did. While DeBoer made the smart decision to go for it on a fourth-and-short in Georgia, Milroe took a shotgun snap with Miller next to him in the backfield.
Miller made a block that knocked Jalon Walker’s helmet off. The hit allowed Milroe to get to the rim and he turned upfield down the sideline for a 36-yard TD run.
Milroe finished the game 27 of 33 passing for 374 yards and four total touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed 16 times for 117 yards as he assumed status as a clear Heisman favorite in late September. With 18 combined passing and rushing TDs over four games, Milroe leads the nation in touchdowns per game.
Carson Beck’s rough night
While Milroe shined in the first half, Beck never really got on track. He found his rhythm in the second half as Georgia mounted a furious comeback, but his struggles in the first half left the Bulldogs in a serious hole.
Beck threw three interceptions and also fumbled early in the fourth quarter when Alabama led by 18. Beck’s first interception set up a short field for Alabama’s third TD of the night and he looked bewildered by the Crimson Tide’s coverage throughout the first 30 minutes.
Beck finished the game 27 of 50 passing for 439 yards and three touchdowns.
Alabama’s second-half drought
Georgia opened the second half with a punt, but Alabama quickly got three-and-out. The Bulldogs followed with a long touchdown drive before Alabama needed Williams’ catch to set up a field goal to restore the three-possession lead.
In the three drives between Williams’ field goal and TD, Alabama ran a total of 14 plays for 41 yards. Outside of Williams’ two catches (and excluding the team’s final drive of the game when Milroe knelt out the clock), Alabama had just 62 yards of offense in the second half.
It was a bout of offensive futility that would have lived in infamy in DeBoer’s first SEC game if Bell’s TD had kept the game-winning score or if Beck had thrown his final pass to a spot where Young could have played over Brown.
Ryan Williams has been great all season
Williams has been Alabama’s top receiver as a true freshman since the start of the season. He reclassified in the class of 2024 to sign with the Crimson Tide in January and was the No. 4 player in the country despite being younger than most of the players in his recruiting class at 17.
Williams finished Saturday night’s game with six catches for 177 yards. It’s his second 100-yard game of 2024 and he has five touchdown catches. On the season, Williams has 16 catches for 462 yards, for an absurd 28.9 yards per catch. Williams and Ohio State freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith are already two of the best wide receivers in the country in their first month of college.
