Alabama Crimson Tide Football

It seemed as if Alabama was on the verge of losing Saturday's high-profile showdown against Georgia at home despite going into halftime with a 30-7 lead.

Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, "four plus two equals six."

With just more than two minutes remaining and facing a one-point deficit, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball to wide receiver Ryan Williams. All Williams did was come down with the contested catch, spin past two defenders and sprint the rest of the way to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

"Nah, I ain't got to be a mailbox, he knows what's up," Williams, who is No. 2, said when discussing whether he had to signal to Milroe, who is No. 4, to throw him the ball, per ESPN's Chris Low. "He knows four plus two equals six. I know four plus two equals six. The ball's just got to go in the air."

If the ball continues to go up in the air between Milroe and Williams, one of them might just walk away with a Heisman Trophy this season.

The long connection to defeat Georgia was the moment of the college football season to this point and the biggest highlight from a game that was filled with them. Georgia overcame an early 28-0 deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to three straight touchdowns, but the Milroe-Williams combination responded in incredible fashion.

That the 75-yard touchdown came on the first play from scrimmage after the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game made it all the more dramatic.

It didn't clinch the win, though, as that honor went to defensive back Zabien Brown.

Brown, who is a freshman like Williams, picked off Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in the end zone on the ensuing possession. It clinched Alabama's ninth win in the last 10 meetings against Georgia and gave the program a marquee victory ahead of the eventual College Football Playoff discussions.

And the Milroe-Williams combination should lead to plenty more of those victories.

Williams is just 17 years old and put up six catches for 177 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Milroe was similarly unstoppable and went 27-of-33 passing for 374 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while adding 117 yards and two scores on the ground.

It surely won't be the last time that two plus four equals six for the Crimson Tide.

Playing EA Sports College Football 25 brought some clairvoyance to Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown.

Following the Crimson Tide's dramatic 41-34 victory over Georgia on Saturday, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams revealed that Brown called what proved to be his game-winning interception when they were playing the video game Friday.

"So this morning I was like, 'Bro, you're going to catch a pick?'" Williams said, per ESPN's Chris Low. "And he was like, 'Of course that's what I'm going to try to do.' Next thing you know, he's got the game-winning interception. I was like, 'Man, we called it.' I was screaming. That's how I lost my voice, because I was screaming."

It was Williams' incredible 75-yard touchdown that put the Crimson Tide ahead with just more than two minutes remaining, and Brown then clinched the win by picking off Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in the end zone on the ensuing possession.

It is a testament to Alabama's recruiting and program as a whole that two freshmen in Williams and Brown made the biggest plays of what was the game of the year to this point.

Williams is just 17 years old, but that didn't stop him from tallying six catches for 177 yards and the game-winning touchdown. And Brown posted six tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection and the interception that sealed the dramatic victory.

It didn't seem like the Crimson Tide were going to need those clutch plays for much of the game.

They jumped out to a commanding 28-0 lead early in the second quarter and took a 30-7 advantage into the halftime locker room following a safety. Yet Carson Beck threw three touchdowns in the second half, the last of which went for 67 yards to Dillon Bell and put the Bulldogs ahead with just more than two minutes remaining.

Just like that, it looked as if the Bulldogs were going to walk away from the SEC clash with a road win that would resonate for the rest of the season.

Until Williams happened.

On the first play from scrimmage following Bell's go-ahead touchdown, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball to Williams. The talented freshman made a jumping and contested catch and then spun past two Bulldogs defenders and ran the rest of the way for the memorable touchdown.

Brown then clinched the win with the pick as Georgia was marching down the field to potentially force overtime.

Just like they drew it up playing the video game.

Time slowed down for Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams as he scored the game-winning touchdown in a 41-34 win over Georgia on Saturday night.

The freshman told reporters after the game he felt like he was moving "in slow motion" when he eluded a pair of Bulldogs defenders with a spin move.

"I just had to do my part in helping us finish that game," he said. "We'd come too far. Somebody had to make a play."

This is insane! Kid is only 17. https://t.co/LDG41mQAve

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) September 29, 2024

Toughhhh

— Josh Jacobs (@iAM_JoshJacobs) September 29, 2024

This Young kid cold for Bama!!

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) September 29, 2024

Young boy the truth !

— Patrick Surtain (@PatSurtainll) September 29, 2024

The young fella Ryan Williams is different sheeeesh

— Kareem Jackson (@ReemBoi25) September 29, 2024

A subset of college football fans knew of Williams before he debuted with Alabama. He was the No. 4 overall recruit in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2024 recruiting class.

Saturday's game represented a breakout on a national stage.

Williams finished with six catches for 177 yards and the one score, and his late heroics weren't even his most impressive play on the night. In the third quarter, he reacted quickly to haul in a deep throw that bounced up off his hands.

RYAN WILLIAMS WITH THE TIP-DRILL CATCH TO HIMSELF FOR THE LONG GAIN 🔥

The 17-year-old continues to step up for the Crimson Tide 👏 pic.twitter.com/N7ao3Jr4jf

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024

If they weren't tracking him already, then NFL talent evaluators probably took note of the 17-year-old's showing. Beyond the danger he posed down the field, he displayed an ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces that will serve him well at the next level.

*Insert Chris Berman WHOOP* pic.twitter.com/5jQNH1WSQm

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 29, 2024

Under Nick Saban, Alabama built an assembly line of receivers who went on to be drafted by NFL teams. Jermaine Burton, a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, was the most recent example and followed the likes of Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley among others.

You don't want to get too ahead of yourself with Williams because he's still so young and only four games into his college career. But he nonetheless looks like a pro-ready pass-catcher with the potential to be the best the Tide have produced in a long time.

Alabama arguably cemented itself as the best team in college football on Saturday as it downed Georgia 41-34.

The game seemed out of hand before the first half was over. No. 4 Alabama piled on 21 points in the first quarter and added another touchdown early in the second. After the No. 2 Bulldogs finally got on the board, the Tide forced a safety to take a 30-7 lead into the second half.

But then Georgia came storming back, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter while holding Alabama to a field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered points, taking a 34-33 lead with two and a half minutes to play.

HERE COME THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS 😱

UGA MAKES IT A ONE-POSSESSION GAME LATE IN THE 4TH 👀 pic.twitter.com/2JUZlQFLJ8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024

Alabama needed just one play to regain the lead as Jalen Milroe connected with 17-year-old freshman receiver Ryan Williams for a 75-yard touchdown to make it 41-34 after converting the two-point try.

ABSOLUTE SCENES IN TUSCALOOSA!!!

RYAN WILLIAMS WITH A 75-YARD TD TO RETAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/pvc9ML7E7G

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024

Though it allowed Georgia to make a massive comeback, Alabama's defense stepped up in the most critical moment of the game. Freshman cornerback Zabien Brown picked off Carson Beck in the end zone to seal the win for the Tide.

A GAME-SEALING INTERCEPTION AT THE GOAL LINE FOR BAMA 🥶 pic.twitter.com/66KprVHVEk

— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2024

With the win, Milroe further established himself as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, picking up 374 passing yards, 117 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.

Jalen Milroe is starting to make quite the Heisman push

— Big Game Bengal (@BengalYouTube) September 29, 2024

https://twitter.com/PILOT_VOL24/status/1840233745313370368

Jalen Milroe put on a clinic in the first half 💪

18/21, 305 TOTAL YDS, 3 TOTAL TDS pic.twitter.com/DPgEWut8X7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 29, 2024

Ryan Williams and Jalen Milroe can share the Heisman Trophy as far as I'm concerned.

The best two players on the field in the biggest, best game in college football so far this year.

— Alabama Crimson Tide (@forevercrimson_) September 29, 2024

https://twitter.com/BodiedByZion/status/1840233676279357859

RYAN WILLIAMS AND JALEN MILROE ARE MY GOATTSSSSSS🐐🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/63VRJFsrbI

— London🎾🤸🏾💋 (@simoneismommy) September 29, 2024

Beck gets greedy and is picked off in the end zone! What a ball game! Zabian Brown. True freshman ices it for the Tide!

— Steve Tannen (@SportsTalk953) September 29, 2024

JALEN MILROE WILL BE THE HEISMAN WINNER AND RYAN WILLIAMS IS A PHENOMENON, ROLL TIDE BABY

— AyyCarti (@CartiIsKing123) September 29, 2024

Jalen Milroe is your Heisman winner folks

— Colin (@ColinCashFlow) September 29, 2024

Jalen Milroe should go top 5 in the draft

— Jamal Gumo (@jamalgumo) September 29, 2024

If Jalen Milroe isn’t the front runner for Heisman then everything is rigged.
374 yards passing, 117 Rushing yards & 3 TDS 😂.

— ®️ (@AlenThaPlug) September 29, 2024

Had Georgia completed the comeback, it would have been the largest comeback in school history and the biggest comeback in a top-five win in NCAA history. Instead, Kalen DeBoer has the biggest win in his early career at Alabama.

While the Bulldogs couldn't leave Tuscaloosa with a win on Saturday, it's clear Georgia is once again going to be a national title contender.

And fans could get another matchup like Saturday's, whether that be in the SEC Championship game or the College Football Playoff.

Terry Saban, the wife of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, will serve as the celebrity guest picker for ESPN's Saturday College GameDay coverage of Alabama vs. Georgia.

"I've already been working on my picks, and I think I'm going to beat Nick," Terry Saban told fans in a Friday video.

Couldn’t ask for a better Guest Picker! 👏#RollTide pic.twitter.com/o4vsuzomgg

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 27, 2024

Nick Saban made his debut as a College GameDay analyst in August after retiring following 17 years with Alabama.

During that span, Saban led the Crimson Tide to a 201-29 overall record on the team's way to nine SEC championships and six national titles.

One month after Saban's January retirement, ESPN announced they had hired the former coach as a College GameDay analyst who would also make appearances during events like SEC media days and the NFL draft.

After making several guest appearances on the program during his college career, Saban made his debut as an analyst on Aug. 31 during Fresno State at Michigan.

Now, when he is joined for Week 5 by his wife of more than 50 years, the question will be whether the Sabans' allegiances to Alabama will influence this weekend's picks.

When asked after ESPN's hire whether he would automatically pick Alabama, Saban told Ryan Hennessy of WVTM 13 in Birmingham he didn't "know that you always have to pick the team that you think is gonna win."

"You're allowed to have a spiritual feeling about who you like and who you want to win. So I think it'll be a lot of fun," Saban said in February.

Fans will have to see if that sentiment sways either Saban as they make their picks ahead of Saturday's matchup between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama. The matchup will pit top quarterbacks against one another as Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe battle to for the chance to lead their respective teams to open the season with a 4-0 record.

ESPN's College Gameday will be on-site for the biggest game of this college football season so far when No. 4 Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia in a massive SEC showdown and potential national title game preview.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAMES OF THE YEAR 😤

See you next Saturday in Tuscaloosa for Georgia-Alabama 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XLJClt0UOT

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 21, 2024

When can viewers check out all that Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, and Kirk Herbstreit have to say about the matchup?

Find out with this preview of Saturday's festivities.

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Viewing Information

Date: Saturday, September 28

Time: 8:00 a.m. EST

TV: ESPN, ESPN U

Streaming: ESPN app

Location: Denny Chimes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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Predicting Georgia vs. Alabama

Despite two national championships, Kirby Smart is 1-4 against Alabama when the Crimson Tide is a Top-5 opponent. It is the one dark cloud hanging over his time at the helm of the Georgia program and a stat that he will look to improve on Saturday.

New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, formerly of the Washington Huskies, can secure the biggest win of his young stint with the team and establish the Tide as a legitimate national title contender.

He must establish a run game that can wear Georgia down and control the tempo to do so. Kentucky did that to the tune of 170 yards on the ground and nearly pulled off the most unlikely upset of the year. The Bulldogs won that game against the Wildcats, narrowly escaping with a 13-12 win in which they were never allowed to establish their tempo.

Kentucky gave opponents the game plan for throwing Georgia off and defeating them, but executing it after the Bulldogs have experienced it and survived to pull out the victory is easier said than done.

This is a two-time national championship-winning program under Smart, one that has played in every big-time game. Smart has proven himself to be, arguably, the best coach in the country. It is because of the resilience his teams have shown throughout his tenure.

If Georgia can resist the hype on Saturday and the defense prevents Alabama from establishing its run game, thus forcing quarterback Jalen Milroe to air it out, the Bulldogs can win.

It will be close, but Smart will narrowly out-coach DeBoer, his players will out-play Alabama's, and the Bulldogs will keep pace in the hunt for a third national title in four years.

Amid a fantastic start to the 2024 season, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is doing a lot to improve his NFL draft stock.

On the latest episode of the First Draft podcast (starts at 4:15 mark), ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted Milroe "glides when he runs" in a way that reminds him of Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson.

Jackson was one of the best dual-threat players in college football history during his three years at Louisville. He ran for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns in 38 games from 2015 to '17.

That running ability has carried over to the NFL. Jackson has averaged 787 rushing yards in his professional career, including back-to-back seasons with at least 1,000 yards in 2019 and 2020.

Kiper also praised Milroe for having high character, "wanting to be great" and being "willing to take coaching," but he admitted to not being totally sold on the 21-year-old as a top-tier draft prospect at this point.

In his latest rankings posted on Thursday, Kiper has Milroe as the No. 5 quarterback in the 2025 class. He is behind Shedeur Sanders, Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Cam Ward.

Saturday will mark a great opportunity for Milroe to move up that list when Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia. He played well against the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game last December, going 13-of-23 for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 win.

This game will also be the biggest test of the young season for the Crimson Tide. Their first three games were against Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin.

Milroe has thrown for 590 yards, run for 156 yards and accounted for 14 touchdowns with no turnovers in those three victories.

When evaluating Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, the obvious pro comparison is Jalen Hurts, a former starter for the Crimson Tide. The two have similar builds and playing styles, are both from the Houston area and both have led Alabama to the College Football Playoff, among other shared characteristics.

"If he keeps winning and getting better, he'll keep rising," an AFC area scout told The Athletic's Dane Brugler regarding Milroe. "He needs to keep working on some things. But watch Hurts on Sundays—why can't Milroe do that?"

Thus far in 2024, Milroe has thrown for 590 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions, completing 67.3 percent of his passes while taking five sacks. He's also rushed for 156 yards and six touchdowns, the sort of numbers that—if sustained—will have him firmly in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Granted, that production has come against Western Kentucky, USF and Wisconsin. The real test will come once the Crimson Tide enter the meat of their SEC schedule, with the first enormous test this Saturday against Georgia. Difficult matchups against Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma and Auburn also loom.

But if Milroe can get through that gauntlet with flying colors, he'll have the NFL on notice, and very well could be the first quarterback off the board in the 2025 draft. At the very least, he looks like a potential first-round prospect.

Seventeen NFL teams will send scouts to Tuscaloosa on Saturday evening for No. 4 Alabama's home game against No. 2 Georgia, ESPN's Marty Smith reported on SportsCenter Wednesday.

It's no surprise that NFL teams are flocking to this game. Alabama and Georgia routinely send players to the pros.

In the last five years, 46 Alabama players have been drafted into the NFL, including 18 first-rounders. Forty-nine Georgia Bulldogs have gone to the pros since 2020, including 13 first-rounders.

The latest consensus first-round mock draft from NFL Mock Draft Database has four UGA players: quarterback Carson Beck (No. 2), defensive lineman Mykel Williams (No. 10), safety Malaki Starks (No. 20) and linebacker Jalon Walker (No. 22).

No Alabama players made the cut, but 10 are in the top 150 of the consensus big board, including interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker (No. 39) and quarterback Jalen Milroe (No. 44).

The latest mock draft from the B/R NFL Scouting Department has four Bulldogs: Beck going seventh, Williams slotting at 10th, Starks sliding into 12th and interior offensive lineman Tate Ratledge capping Round 1 at No. 32. Only one Alabama player made the cut, with interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker going 28th.

The biggest name for scouts to watch is Beck, who is a strong contender to be QB1 in the upcoming draft. In Georgia's three wins, Beck has completed 56-of-82 passes (68.3 percent) for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.

But Georgia's defense, which has been stout to start the year, features multiple Round 1 prospects. The Bulldogs have allowed just six points per game thus far, third-best in Division I-FBS.

As for Alabama, Milroe may not be widely considered a first-round prospect right now, but he can sure change that opinion this season, especially with a big game against Georgia. Through three wins, Milroe has completed 35-of-52 passes for 590 yards and eight touchdowns (no interceptions) while rushing for 156 yards and six more scores.

Georgia and Alabama will kick off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama football may have opened the Kalen DeBoer era with three straight wins, but the Crimson Tide's new head coach believes his team still has improvements to make.

"There's just playcalling rhythms and taking the field and how we communicate, just so many nuances that the great teams have," DeBoer said, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "We're a work in progress."

No. 4 Alabama won 42-10 over Wisconsin on Saturday after opening the season with victories over Western Kentucky and South Florida.

DeBoer will now look to continue developing his team as the Crimson Tide prepare to begin SEC play next Saturday against No. 1 Georgia.

The coach credited Alabama's play during the Saturday win over Wisconsin, during which the Crimson Tide committed no turnovers, to that week's practice, per Rittenberg.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe also told reporters that he had focused on avoiding turnovers in practice leading up to Week 3, Rittenberg noted.

"It just takes time," DeBoer said, per Rittenberg. "It takes repetitions for everyone, and we were much more in sync this week, whether it was today or whether it was all week, through our game-planning. There's some recall with play calls from last week or the week before, and it isn't just us going against our defense. We're seeing different looks."

Alabama opened the season with a 63-0 blowout of Western Kentucky that saw the Crimson Tide rack up 600 total yards of offense.

DeBoer's program had a more difficult time the following week against South Florida, when a series of costly turnovers saw the Crimson Tide close out the third quarter with a one-point lead.

Alabama recovered to score a quartet of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and close out a 42-16 win in a resurgence DeBoer told reporters after the game highlighted what the team needed to work on.

"Going to be a lot to learn from and so excited about the challenge, the opportunity," DeBoer said after the win over South Florida. "Because that's what this. I think you need games like this. This isn't a wake up call or nothing like that. It's nothing like that. Just keep raising standard."

DeBoer joined the Crimson Tide in January following the retirement of former head coach Nick Saban. The currently undefeated Alabama coach is looking for a second straight trip to the CFP after compiling a 25-3 record, two bowl appearances and a trip to national championship game in two seasons with Washington.