KJ Bolden didn’t duck the obvious question after Georgia’s 20-17 win at Alabama. He said exactly what plenty of people were thinking about the game’s most debated moment.
On Monday, while speaking with WSB’s Zach Klein, the Georgia safety addressed the non-pass-interference call that came in the closing stretch of Saturday’s matchup. Bolden was the defender on the play that would have given Alabama a fresh set of downs in Georgia territory, but the officials let it go. One snap later, Georgia buried Alabama QB Keelon Russell with a sack and pushed the Crimson Tide out of field-goal range.
Bolden didn’t pretend he would have loved that outcome if the jerseys were flipped.
“I’m not going to lie… if they did that to us, I’d want them to call pass interference,” Bolden said.
The final minutes already had the game teetering on the edge before that sequence. Georgia ultimately finished the job by running out the clock after Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. was flagged for a personal foul, a penalty that helped the Bulldogs close out the road win.
The result left Georgia sitting at No. 1 in college football after another tight chapter in the rivalry.
Bolden has been a major part of that success from the moment he arrived on campus. Through five games, he has 22 tackles and one interception, production that has helped anchor a Georgia defense that has been one of the Bulldogs’ biggest strengths.
Georgia returns in Week 7 with a home game against Auburn.
In Other News...
Auburn Just Got A Preseason SEC Message Fans Will Debate
Auburn got its first noteworthy league read on the upcoming season when the SEC preseason media poll slotted the Tigers ninth in the conference. It is the kind of early judgment that gets fans talking before a game is even played, especially for a program that has learned how quickly a ranking can become bulletin-board fuel once league play gets rolling.
One encouraging sign did come Auburns way in the same round of preseason buzz: junior point guard Tahaad Pettiford landed on the preseason All-SEC third team. Auburn also checks in at No. 25 in the preseason KenPom rankings, a reminder that the Tigers are still being viewed as a team with real potential even as expectations remain middling on paper. The next chance to shape that narrative arrives soon enough with SEC Tipoff events in Hoover, Alabama. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Gets A Week 8 Setup Fans Will Be Watching Closely
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For Auburn, the timing matters because the next stretch is going to reveal a lot about where the Tigers fit in the SEC hierarchy after the latest round of results. The broader league picture already has Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and others positioned in games with real College Football Playoff implications, so every week now comes with extra scrutiny and very little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Run Game Problem Feels Bigger With Georgia Up Next
Auburns rushing attack has not given the offense the kind of dependable edge it needs through the first five games, and the issue has become impossible to ignore as the schedule stiffens. Quarterback Byrum Brown has led the team in rushing yards, a sign of both his versatility and the lack of consistent push from the backs, while offensive coordinator Joel Gordon has made it clear he wants more from the ground game even as the Tigers keep leaning into their identity.
Several running backs have taken turns trying to stabilize the production, but none has yet turned the backfield into a true strength. With Georgia next, the pressure only grows for Auburn to find something more reliable on the ground, because against a defense like that, the margin for a one-dimensional offense gets very thin very quickly. [Read more 🡒]