It wasn’t the rain from Hurricane Isaias falling in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, but rather, bottles and cans being thrown by furious Alabama fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium following a controversial 20-17 loss to rival Georgia.
Things turned ugly when officials declined to throw a flag on Georgia safety JK Bolden after what appeared to be a clear pass-interference penalty with three minutes remaining to play. Bolden sacked Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell on the next play, knocking Alabama out of field-goal range.
The Tide (5-1, 3-1) hoped to get the ball back, but cornerback Dijon Lee drew a personal foul penalty for a shoving match with Georgia’s Craig Dandridge, thereby allowing the Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0) to run out the clock.
‘Yeah, we just we preach emotional maturity,’ Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters, adding he ‘would have never expected that to happen.’
Fans in Tuscaloosa did not share DeBoer’s calm demeanor following the loss. Instead, the Tide faithful began showering the field with bottles, cans and other trash, prompting Georgia coaches to encourage Bulldogs players to put their helmets on as they left for the tunnel.
Saturday’s game was played despite Hurricane Isaias coming ashore Friday night. Bryant-Denny Stadium was packed, although President Donald Trump ultimately opted against attending, and the result should vault Georgia to the top spot in the AP Top 25 after top-ranked Texas lost to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
It wasn’t the rain from Hurricane Isaias falling in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, but rather, bottles and cans being thrown by furious Alabama fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Debris is seen surrounding the end zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday
Georgia’s KJ Bolden (4) collides with Alabama wide receiver Rico Scott, but avoids a PI flag
Dwight Phillips Jr. ran for 120 yards, Bo Walker added 69 more and Georgia staked its claim to a No. 1 ranking with a 20-17 victory at No. 6 Alabama on Saturday night.
Gunnar Stockton accounted for both of Georgia’s touchdowns, one passing and another rushing.
The second-ranked Bulldogs finished with 206 yards on the ground — despite playing without leading rusher Nate Frazier — in the latest showdown between the two Southeastern Conference heavyweights. It was Georgia’s third win over Alabama in their last 11 meetings — and first in the regular season since 2007.
Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Russell completed 16 of 30 passes for 185 yards, with a touchdown. He also ran for 41 yards.
Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. (5) is called for a pass interference against Georgia wide receiver Talyn Taylor (1) – one of several costly penalties for Lee on the night
Alabama star receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams was knocked out of the game twice, first with an apparent left leg injury and then to be evaluated for a concussion.
Russell targeted Coleman-Williams in the end zone from Georgia’s 16-yard line late in the second quarter. The pass was broken up, and when Coleman-Williams tried to stand up, he could not put any weight on his leg. Alabama’s training staff helped him off the field.
Coleman-Williams returned after the break, spent time on an exercise bike and was back on the field to start the third quarter.
But he was injured again when his head appeared to hit the ground late in the game while trying to make a catch. Team trainers took his helmet and escorted him to the locker room. He finished with three receptions for 39 yards.
