Alabama’s frustration boiled over in the closing moments of Saturday’s 20-17 loss to Georgia, and it wasn’t just on the field.
After the game ended at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama fans started hurling garbage onto the playing surface. Water bottles and beer cans ended up scattered through the end zone as Georgia players made their way off the field. The mess briefly eased, then picked back up after the stadium’s public address announcer told fans to stop, with more debris coming down and drawing even closer to the Bulldogs.
UGA staffers responded by telling players to put their helmets on as they exited, and at least one Georgia player exchanged words with fans on the way out.
The outburst came after a chaotic finish in which Alabama had chances to steal the game late but couldn’t cash in. The Crimson Tide were left unhappy with a pass interference no-call on Rico Scott on their final drive, a play that looked fairly obvious to them. On the next down, Keelon Russell was sacked, and Alabama punted the ball back to Georgia without getting another touch.
There was still one more chance to get a stop, but Dijon Lee was flagged for a late hit. Kalen DeBoer appeared heated with the Crimson Tide DB as he headed off the field.
Georgia walked away with the 20-17 win, dropping Alabama to 4-1 on the season. The Crimson Tide will try to bounce back next Saturday in Knoxville against Tennessee.
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But the postgame scene near the stadium tunnel turned ugly fast. An Alabama fan physically attacked Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson, slapping and shoving his helmet in an incident recorded by reporter Reggie Chatman Jr., and witnesses said the fan used a racially degrading term during the encounter. It was an unsettling flashpoint after a rivalry game that had already been decided on the field. [Read more 🡒]
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Kalen DeBoer also came out of the game with some praise attached to his response in the moment, with Finebaum commending the Alabama coach for how he handled the calls as the pressure mounted. For a program that expected a measuring-stick game and got a painful ending instead, the focus now sits on both the officiating controversy and the way DeBoer carried himself through it. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Georgia Loss Turned On One Infuriating Late Sequence
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Alabama still had a chance to escape with a signature win before the finish turned messy. Instead, the closing sequence left the Tide staring at a controversial no-call on potential pass interference and a personal foul on Dijon Lee Jr. that kept Georgias final drive alive, a brutal ending in a game decided by the smallest margins. [Read more 🡒]