No. 2 Georgia beat No. 6 Alabama 20-17 on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. It's Alabama's first loss of the season and Georgia's first regular-season win over Alabama since 2007. With Georgia up 3 and 3:28 left, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell threw into the end zone for receiver Rico Scott. Georgia safety KJ Bolden ran into Scott with his back to the ball, and the pass hit Bolden. No flag came out. On the next play, Bolden sacked Russell and pushed Alabama out of field-goal range. Alabama punted. On Georgia's last drive, Alabama stopped a run short of a first down. Then officials flagged cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. for a personal foul after the play. That gave Georgia a first down, and it knelt out the clock. After the game, fans threw bottles and cans as Georgia's players left the field.

The Officials Took This Game

Alabama fans, former players and the TV rules analyst say the no-call was plainly wrong.

The broadcast's own rules expert said it should have been a flag. Matt Austin is the rules analyst for ABC and ESPN. On the air, he said Bolden wasn't playing the ball. "He gets there early. The ball hits him in the back. It should have been a pass interference," Austin said. Announcers Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler also sounded doubtful about the no-call.

Former Alabama stars said the officials cost them. Mark Ingram, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, wrote on X that Alabama "got f---ed by the @SECOfficiating." Former quarterback Jake Coker posted that it was "hard to put into words how bad tonight has been." Former defensive back Will Lowery called it "one of the most egregious missed calls I've ever seen." Fans were also angry about a replay that took away an apparent Alabama interception. They also wanted a targeting call on a hit that knocked receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams out with a head injury.

Some fans took that anger onto the field. Dozens of bottles and cans landed in the end zone. Georgia's coaches told players to put their helmets back on as they walked off. More trash came down after the stadium announcer asked fans to stop. Reports said neither the SEC nor Alabama had made a public statement as of Sunday morning. In 2024, the SEC fined Texas and LSU $250,000 each after fans threw debris.

But Alabama Put Itself in That Spot

Alabama's coach, its players and a local columnist say the no-call didn't decide the game.

Even Alabama's own coach won't blame the officials. Kalen DeBoer is Alabama's head coach. "We can't put the game in that situation, where the officials come into play," he said. He said the officials told him only that "they didn't feel it was pass interference." Quarterback Keelon Russell blamed himself. "I just got to do my job better," he said. Safety Bray Hubbard said, "You can't control the refs."

A local columnist says the no-call hurt Alabama but didn't cost it the game. Chase Goodbread writes a sports column for The Tuscaloosa News. He called it "a brutally bad no-call" and said pass interference "was clearly the proper call." A flag would have given Alabama first-and-10 at the Georgia 19. But he wrote, "A stolen win? No, it wasn't that." He pointed to the sack on the very next play, a weak pass rush, and the 206 rushing yards Georgia piled up. Hunter De Siver of BamaCentral wrote that Alabama made "numerous physical and mental miscues." Georgia converted 7 of 13 third downs, five of them in the fourth quarter.

And Lee's Penalty Hurt More Than the Missing Flag

Some say the personal foul ended the game. They split over how DeBoer handled it.

The foul took away Alabama's last chance. Without it, Georgia would have faced third down, and a stop could have given Alabama the ball back. Former Alabama receiver Marquis Maze said Lee "should've been pulled" and "has single handily cost us this game." Lee had also drawn a pass-interference flag on a Georgia third-and-21 earlier in the second half. Teammates were blunt. Safety Keon Sabb said, "It wasn't our standard, and it will be addressed."

People split over how the coach chewed out his player on the sideline. ESPN cameras caught DeBoer yelling at Lee. According to Larry Brown Sports, he appeared to shout, "You just cost us the damn game!" After the game, DeBoer said, "We preach emotional maturity," and he "would have never expected that to happen." Alex Byington, an On3 writer, posted that this "isn't what a coach should tell one of his players in public." He added that Alabama fans would probably "love seeing this fire from him." One fan called it "way out of line" and said DeBoer "was acting like a toddler then berates his player for doing the same."

Still, Georgia Earned It

Georgia's coach says every game like this has critical calls, and his quarterback and play-caller won it.

The winning coach says games like this are full of critical calls. Kirby Smart is Georgia's head coach. He said the game had "critical calls, critical situations," and added, "You can go back and look at hundreds of them on there." "Our quarterback played well enough for us to win," he said. He credited offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's third-down call from deep in Georgia's own end, saying it "won the game."

The winning offense put up big numbers. Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards. Running back Dwight Phillips Jr. ran for 120 yards. Georgia's leading rusher, Nate Frazier, was out. Georgia's defense didn't allow a completion longer than 30 yards. Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports said the game showed Georgia's depth "is still impeccable."

Where This Lands

Austin, Ingram and Alabama's former players say the officials blew the call. Goodbread says the call was bad but blames Alabama's own mistakes for the loss. DeBoer says Alabama shouldn't have let the officials come into play. Maze puts the most weight on Lee's late foul, and Sabb says it will be addressed. Byington and some fans question how DeBoer handled it on the sideline. Smart credits his quarterback and his play-caller. Georgia should move to No. 1 when the AP poll comes out Sunday. Alabama plays at Tennessee next Saturday.

Sources