Gunner Stockton threw for 249 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score to help No. 2 Georgia earn a 20-17 victory over No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday.
Dwight Phillips Jr. rushed for a career-high 120 yards for Georgia (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), which posted its first regular-season win over Alabama since 2007 — also the last victory for the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa.
Keelon Russell completed 16 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (5-1, 3-1), which was outgained 455-346.
Trailing by four at halftime, Georgia went 75 yards in eight plays to begin the second half and scored on Stockton’s 14-yard rushing touchdown.
Conor Talty evened the score at 17 apiece with a 39-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
Georgia kicker Peyton Woodring missed a 39-yard attempt on the ensuing drive, but drilled a 23-yarder with 5:25 remaining in the fourth to give the visitors a 20-17 edge.
On the next Alabama drive, Russell threw an incomplete pass that appeared to be a candidate for defensive pass interference on safety KJ Bolden. Instead, the play went unflagged, drawing the ire of Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Bolden then combined with Valdin Sone to sack Russell on the next play and force a punt.
Georgia faced a second-and-3 on the ensuing possession but was awarded a first down after Dijon Lee’s penalty for a slap to the face of wide receiver Craig Dandridge. From there, the Bulldogs were able to kneel out the clock and ice the victory.
Alabama’s first drive ended in a turnover, as Russell fumbled on a strip-sack by Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.
The Bulldogs then struck first on Woodring’s 43-yard field goal with 3:25 left in the first quarter to cap Georgia’s first drive.
Two drives later, Stockton hit Jaden Reddell for 53 yards before connecting with London Humphreys on a 20-yard touchdown strike to extend the lead to 10-0 with 7:09 remaining in the first half.
Alabama answered in just over a minute. Russell threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Marshall Pritchett for the Crimson Tide’s first score.
Georgia committed its first turnover on the next play from scrimmage, as Stockton was picked off by Bray Hubbard at the Bulldogs’ 29.
On the final drive of the first half, Russell threw for completions of 23 and 28 yards before connecting with Daniel Hill for 15 yards to Georgia’s 1-yard line with eight seconds left.
EJ Crowell rushed for a touchdown as time expired to give the Crimson Tide a 14-10 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
