Alabama had every reason to be livid late in the fourth quarter when Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden made contact with wide receiver Rico Scott before the ball got there and no flag was thrown. ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin said pass interference should have been called.
Was it a blown no-call? Absolutely.
That was pass interference. KJ Bolden got there early.
The flag should have come out. You have every reason to be upset, Alabama fans.
But Georgia fans have waited a long time to hear that kind of outrage directed back the other way.
For years, Georgia supporters have pointed to big moments against Alabama that went sideways on officiating. Nobody is claiming collusion or saying refs were “paid off”, but in those matchups, it often felt like the generous break landed in Alabama’s lap and swung the game with it.
And no, Georgia fans do not need to feel guilty about the win or slap an asterisk on it.
The best place to start the file of frustrations is the 2018 National Championship Game. Georgia was rolling when Tyler Simmons blocked an Alabama punt, only for an offsides penalty to wipe it away.
Simmons appeared to time the rush cleanly, but the flag still came out. Replays stirred up plenty of questions, and two years later the official who ran that crew admitted it was a mistake.
Georgia lost that title game in overtime. Could that blocked punt have changed everything? There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s hard not to think it would have.
That’s why Georgia fans still say, “Tyler Simmons was onside.”
The irritation goes back even farther. In the 2012 SEC Championship Game, Aaron Murray was blindsided by Alabama defensive tackle Quinton Dial after throwing an interception.
The unnecessary roughness - probably targeting - call never arrived. It would not have erased the pick, but it likely would have changed field position and maybe prevented the Alabama field goal that closed the half.
Alabama won that game by four, while Georgia was left trying to pull off a last-second touchdown just to survive. If the margin is trimmed to one, Georgia probably has a chance to kick a game-winner instead of chasing a miracle.
And those aren’t the only snaps Georgia fans have kept in the memory bank. Over the years, pass rushers like Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith have often seemed to get grabbed and held by Alabama linemen without a whistle. The same theme showed up in this 2026 matchup, when Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Hall was on the receiving end of obvious holding on multiple plays in full view of the camera.
That’s the heart of the gripe: when the bounce goes wrong for Alabama, it becomes a regular-season loss and a furious postgame argument. When it went wrong for Georgia in the biggest spots, it was happening with everything on the line.
So yes, Alabama fans can be angry. They can replay the missed pass interference a hundred times and wonder what might have happened if the flag had been thrown.
Georgia fans know that feeling better than most.
The difference is that Alabama still has the rest of the season ahead. Georgia didn’t get that in January 2018.
In Other News...
Georgias Win Was Just Overshadowed By An Ugly Alabama Tunnel Incident
Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama should have been remembered for what it meant on the field, with a strong rushing effort carrying the Bulldogs and Gunner Stockton adding to the offense through the air. Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker helped set the tone, giving Georgia enough balance to grind out a signature road-style victory in a game that stayed tight all the way through.
Instead, the postgame scene near the stadium tunnel drew the attention. Video captured an Alabama fan physically attacking Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson, slapping and shoving his helmet in a confrontation reporter Reggie Chatman Jr. called unusual, and witnesses said the fan used a racially degrading term during the encounter. For a game that had already packed in plenty of tension, the final image was a reminder that the emotions spilled well beyond the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Leak Puts Georgia's Biggest Win In A Different Light
Following Georgias win over Alabama, two videos purportedly showing Kirby Smart in pregame and postgame settings began circulating on social media, adding an unusual off-field wrinkle to one of the Bulldogs biggest victories. The clips appear to have been recorded secretly, include strong language and touch on what would normally be private team communication, which is part of why their appearance caught so many people by surprise.
Their authenticity has not been confirmed, but the fact that they surfaced at all gives the win a slightly different backdrop than the one Georgia expected. For a program that keeps so much of its internal business behind closed doors, the release of those videos is a reminder that even a landmark result can quickly be reframed by what leaks out afterward. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Defining Win Over Alabama Came With Late SEC Drama
Georgias win over Alabama did more than add another headline victory to the rsum. With Texas also taking a loss, the Bulldogs now sit in position to move into the No. 1 spot in the country, and the timing only adds to the sense that this was the kind of game that can shape a season. It was close, physical and tense throughout, the sort of SEC showdown where every call and every mistake feels magnified.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer left the game visibly frustrated, pointing to a missed pass interference call and a costly late penalty as turning points in the finish. Those moments became part of the larger story because they fed directly into the outcome, leaving Georgia with a defining win and Alabama with plenty to question about how the final stretch unfolded. [Read more 🡒]