Current:Home > MarketsJalen Milroe, Ryan Williams uncork an Alabama football party, humble Georgia, Kirby Smart -FundPrime
Jalen Milroe, Ryan Williams uncork an Alabama football party, humble Georgia, Kirby Smart
View
Date:2025-04-13 23:12:11
- Alabama football's next great quarterback is born. Jalen Milroe becomes a hero while Alabama humbles Georgia.
- Kalen DeBoer coached circles around Kirby Smart until Georgia's furious rally.
- Who needs Nick Saban? Not Jalen Milroe. He's perfect for Kalen DeBoer.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Pandomonium filled the air, and Bryant-Denny swelled with so much energy it's a wonder it didn't burst.
Alabama fans hugged and chest bumped and high-fived and shook pompoms and generally lost their minds.
Amid all that euphoria, Jalen Milroe stood calmly on the turf and extended two fingers in the air.
Alabama's star quarterback had just completed the biggest pass of his career. More work to do, though. The 2-point conversion awaited.
Milroe completed that, too. Is there anything he can't do? Not on this night.
Milroe completed nearly every pass he threw. He juked and sprinted and turned corners with the speed of a track sprinter and the power of a fullback. He laid waste to Kirby Smart's defense in a way few have.
On a night of celebration here, No. 4 Alabama recaptured exalted status, Milroe ascended to superhero fame, and the Crimson Tide humbled No. 1 Georgia, 41-34.
Jalen Milroe to Ryan Williams sends Alabama football into euphoria
Even a premier quarterback needs a little help from his friends. Milroe threw so many pinpoint passes that led his receivers to the perfect spot on the field and left Georgia's defenders no hope.
But, Milroe's 75-yard touchdown pass that gave Kalen DeBoer a statement victory in his first SEC game? That was a jump ball into 1-on-1 coverage.
Who better to throw it to than than 17-year-old Ryan Williams, Alabama's wunderkind wide receiver?
"I just have so much trust in him," Milroe said.
Williams outdueled Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey to come down with the catch. Oh, but he wasn't finished.
Williams had 45 yards to go to the end zone. He spun and sprinted and stiff-armed his way across the goal line and provided Alabama with some sweet, sweet ecstasy after it frittered away every bit of its 23-point halftime lead.
Alabama makes a statement, before Georgia rallies
Who needs Nick Saban? Not Milroe. Not Alabama (4-0). Not anymore, anyway.
The GOAT passed this program into capable hands. He also left a great quarterback in the cupboard. DeBoer and Milroe are cooking. Together, they roasted Georgia.
"We had a solution to everything they were going to present to us," Milroe said.
Billed as a showdown, this became a beatdown – for three quarters, anyway.
Georgia mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally and captured the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining before Milroe responded with his final haymaker.
Milroe finished with 491 combined yards and enough highlights to fill a Heisman reel.
Milroe played like a complete package, while Georgia’s Carson Beck threw two interceptions and lost a fumble before carving up Alabama's secondary throughout a furious finish. His third interception of the game ended the Bulldogs' hopes for good.
Georgia (3-1) looked overmatched, outwitted and outmuscled from the opening drive, when Milroe steered the Crimson Tide 70 yards with such ease that you could’ve mistaken Georgia for pushovers. Never mind that Georgia had not allowed a touchdown throughout its first three games.
Smart built a fierce defense while winning consecutive national titles. That unit’s long gone.
Jalen Milroe takes flight after Nick Saban retires, hands reins to Kalen DeBoer
Jan. 10 became a mournful day for Alabama fans. They grieved Saban’s retirement and laid Coca-Colas, Little Debbie oatmeal pies and pompoms at the foot of Saban’s statue.
He’s alive, folks. Saban just hung up his whistle – and, for Milroe, how fortunate that he did.
Tommy Rees, Saban’s final offensive coordinator, proved a poor choice. Liberated from Rees and Saban, Milroe looks like a different quarterback, an elite quarterback, as he stars for DeBoer.
DMX’s “Party Up” blared on the stadium sound system after Alabama reached a crisp 30 points in the second quarter after scoring a safety. The DJ chose the right tune for the moment. The party was, indeed, on, and it stayed that way, right up until Georgia's fourth-quarter stampede nearly spoiled the moment.
Georgia's rally gave Milroe one final grand stage. He seized the moment.
While Williams celebrated his touchdown to cap a 177-yard receiving night, Milroe held those two fingers in the air.
"I think it's so important at the quarterback position to be calm, cool, collected," Milroe said.
Unflappable 'til the end.
Alabama's next star quarterback is born.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
Subscribe to read all of his columns.
veryGood! (44626)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Devastating losses: Economic toll from fires in Maui at least $4B, according to Moody's
- A CIA-backed 1953 coup in Iran haunts the country with people still trying to make sense of it
- Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. Here's how to deal with them.
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Schutz Seasonal Sale: Save Up to 60% On Ankle Boots, Lace-Up Boots & More Fall Must-Haves
- 'It's go time:' With Bruce Bochy as manager, all's quiet in midst of Rangers losing streak
- A woman abandoned her dog at a Pennsylvania airport before flying to a resort, officials say
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- T-Mobile is laying off 5,000 employees
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Takeaways from first GOP debate, Prigozhin presumed dead after plane crash: 5 Things podcast
- Artist loses bid to remove panels covering anti-slavery murals at Vermont school
- Danny Trejo shares he's 55-years sober: 'One day at a time'
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- At least 3 killed in shooting at historic Southern California biker bar
- 3 small Palestinian villages emptied out this summer. Residents blame Israeli settler attacks
- BTK serial killer is in the news again. Here’s why and some background about his case
Recommendation
Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
Prosecutors seek plea hearings for 2 West Virginia jail officers accused in inmate’s death
See you on Copacabana? Unusually balmy weather hits Brazil in a rare winter heat wave
Judge OKs updated Great Lakes fishing agreement between native tribes, state and federal agencies
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Current mortgage rates are the highest they've been since 2001. Is there an end in sight?
Virginia school boards must adhere to Gov. Youngkin’s new policies on transgender students, AG says
Is olive oil healthy? Everything you need to know about the benefits.