Georgia Football Wins With Stout Defense, Clutch Quarterback Play Against Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The No. 2-ranked Georgia football team scrapped and clawed its way to a hard-fought 20-17 win over No. 6 Alabama on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both defenses kept explosive offenses out of the end zone for much of the night, but the Bulldogs made some big plays late to pull out the win. Kicker Peyton Woodring’s 23-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining putting Georgia ahead for good.
Georgia and Alabama have each claimed the conference title three times in the past six seasons. The teams split a pair of games in 2025, with the Crimson Tide winning in Athens during the regular season and the Bulldogs prevailing in the SEC Championship Game. Saturday’s game was befitting the battles these teams have waged in recent years. Georgia came in ranked first in the country in scoring at 51.4 points per game, while Alabama was second at 49.6.
Bulldog quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown, while running back Dwight Phillips, Jr., ran 17 times for 120 yards. Georgia (6-0, 4-0, SEC) out-gained the Tide 455-346, and the Bulldog defense got key stops late to seal the win.
Georgia’s defense made the game’s first big play when defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye sacked and stripped Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell on the game’s opening drive, and linebacker Quintavius Johnson recovered the loose ball at the Bulldog 37-yard line and returned it to the 39.
The Bulldog offense moved the ball inside the Alabama 20 thanks to a pair of runs by Phillips and a 26-yard reception by tight end Lawson Luckie, but two penalties, one of them negating a 17-yard touchdown run by Phillips, pushed Georgia back to the 36. Woodring kicked a 43-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs ahead 3-0 with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, after the Tide (5-1, 3-1) had punted twice and Georgia once, the Bulldogs went ahead 10-0 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stockton to wideout London Humphreys. On the previous play, a second-and-17 at the Bulldog 27, Stockton found tight end Jaden Reddell open down the middle for a 53-yard gain. Humphreys also had a 9-yard catch on third-and-3 earlier in the 93-yard drive.
Alabama answered quickly, scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Russell to tight end Marshall Pritchett on the third play of the ensuing drive to make it 10-7 with 5:49 left in the half. The Tide then got the ball back on the first play of Georgia’s drive when linebacker Bray Hubbard intercepted a Stockton pass at the Bulldog 29.
The Bulldog defense rose to the challenge after the turnover, including a 9-yard tackle for loss, and forced a punt. The Crimson Tide defense stopped Georgia on its next drive and went ahead 14-10 on the final play of the half when EJ Crowell ran the ball in from the 1. The score marked the first time the Bulldogs have trailed all season.
Georgia got the ball to start the second half and hit several big plays on the way to a 14-yard Stockton touchdown run. Stockton hit wideout Talyn Taylor for 15 yards, Bo Walker ran for 17, Stockton connected with receiver Craig Dandridge Jr. for 30 on the right side, and then Stockton put Georgia back in front, 17-14, on the run into the end zone.
Alabama tied the game on the ensuing drive, with kicker Conor Talty hitting a 39-yard field goal to make it 17-17 with 5:07 to go in the third quarter. Heading into the fourth, Georgia had the ball at the Tide 25 after converting a couple of big plays, including a 14-yard completion to Taylor, a 31-yard run by Phillips, and a pass interference call on Alabama on third-and-21. Forced to try a field goal, Woodring’s 39-yard attempt missed wide left. It was his first miss of the season.
Georgia’s defense forced a punt on the Tide’s next drive, and the Bulldogs took over at their 11 with 10:44 left in the game. A 22-yard rush by Phillips and a 37-yarder by Bo Walker moved Georgia inside the Tide 10, but the Bulldogs had to settle for a 23-yard Woodring field goal and a 20-17 lead with 5:25 remaining.
The Bulldog defense forced Alabama to punt after the Tide drove down to the UGA 34, and the offense took the field with 3:14 to play. A 17-yard completion to tight end Elyiss Williams on third-and-7 at the Georgia 10 kept the drive going, and then the Bulldogs benefitted from a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Alabama later in the drive to close out the win, Georgia’s first in Tuscaloosa since 2007.
The Bulldogs are back between the hedges next Saturday when they host Auburn at 3:30 p.m. Georgia has won nine in a row against the Tigers and leads the all-time series 66-56-8.
