TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ryan Williams doesn’t need to tell Jalen Milroe before the snap to get him the ball. There’s an unspoken connection between the Alabama freshman receiver and his quarterback.
“(Milroe) knows four plus two (their jersey numbers) equals six. I know four plus two equals six,” Williams said. “So the ball just goes in the air, and I have to do what it does.”
With 2:31 remaining in Saturday’s game against Georgia, Alabama called a play that Williams believes could’ve produced a big play across the board. His job was to win his route and capitalize if needed.
The result was the first signature play of Williams’ young career and another legendary highlight for Milroe, as the two connected on a 75-yard touchdown that propelled the Tide past Georgia in the game of the year to date.
Alabama identified a one-on-one matchup with Williams on Georgia cornerback Julian Humphrey and took its shot. Milroe threw the ball with great rhythm, taking a three-step drop, planting his foot and throwing it all smoothly. It was a tough throw to the sideline, but he gave Williams a chance to high-point the ball and make a play. Then Williams took over. The balance in this play is incredible, from making a spinning catch to planting both feet and then turning upfield without losing any speed.
Do the math ✍️ @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/mQxJ334YUN
— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Milroe put himself at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation, with 491 total yards and four touchdowns. It was a showcase of his progression as a player and a glimpse at what he can look like in Kalen DeBoer’s system when everything is humming.
The throw of the season for Milroe so far might be this beautifully placed ball to Jam Miller for a touchdown in the second quarter. Milroe’s improvement in decisiveness and anticipation has taken his passing to another level.
In August, Alabama received its lowest preseason ranking since 2009 (No. 5). On Sunday, it became the new No. 1 team in the AP poll. The excitement for this team is building into October, and there’s still much more room for improvement.
This week’s Alabama film study dives into the good, bad and ugly of an instant classic against Georgia.
Good: Perimeter runs
Alabama gained control early on by attacking the perimeter of Georgia’s defense with a variety of run plays. It started with Milroe, who contributed to all 70 yards of the first touchdown drive. But Alabama fans should be most excited by the commitment of the entire offense to the running game.
Milroe’s first touchdown featured a motion by tight end CJ Dippre who blocked down on the outside linebacker. Guard Tyler Booker pulled around and Milroe followed. In another situation, Milroe could’ve used Booker to spring him loose, but there was no need: Dippre and receivers Germie Bernard and Kendrick Law created a huge lane.
On the next drive, Justice Haynes took this first down run for 23 yards. The right side of the offensive line pulled and did their job, but the receiver combination of Law and Williams blocking downfield deserves the most praise.
The previous two plays set up the touchdown on Alabama’s third possession. Bernard came in motion for what could either be a sweep or a QB run. Conflicted, Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon (No. 2) hesitated on where to go. Milroe saw it and gave the ball to Bernard, who wouldn’t have scored without a great block by Haynes on the perimeter.
Bad: Situational offense
A brilliant first-half game plan gave way to a stagnant second half until the final drive. Alabama didn’t need to score at the same clip it did in the first half, just extend drives to bleed out the clock. But the offense went 1 for 6 on third down and ran 22 fewer plays than Georgia in the second half, after running 11 more plays than Georgia in the first half. You would like to have seen a continuation of the motions and eye candy that put Georgia in conflict in the first half and more of an effort to get the running backs downhill between the tackles.
Give Georgia credit for adjusting — the Bulldogs added a third linebacker and put more speed on the field — but the Crimson Tide offense didn’t execute well enough.
Additionally, the Crimson Tide didn’t make enough of an effort to bleed the game out. Of their 26 second-half plays, only six stopped the clock. When the clock was running, the offense snapped the ball on average at the 14-second mark of the play clock. On five occasions, the ball was snapped with 20-plus seconds remaining.
And the offense didn’t make Georgia truly pay for its turnovers. Alabama scored once off of Georgia’s four giveaways, after Domani Jackson’s first-quarter interception. The next two led to drives that started in Georgia territory but ended with an interception and a punt, and Carson Beck’s final interception allowed the Tide to run out the clock.
Ugly: Penalties
Alabama ranks 96th in the FBS in total penalties (34) and 104th in penalty yards (309) after committing 10 more penalties for 90 yards on Saturday: five on offense, three on defense and two on special teams.
Good: Blitzing on defense
Alabama won the battle of who could affect the opposing quarterback most by a wide margin. And Saturday brought a different Kane Wommack defense than we’ve seen through three games. Alabama blitzed less often than any team in the FBS before Saturday (3.3 percent of snaps), then nearly quadrupled that rate to more than 12 percent on Saturday. The result was three sacks, four turnovers and a rattled Beck, who was off the mark for large stretches.
Jackson acknowledged after the game that the blitz that led to his interception hasn’t been shown on film this season.
“We haven’t shown anyone that coverage, so we knew he’d be freaked out and check (the play),” Jackson said. “Knew it’d be a (quick pass), and I just went with my instincts.”
The defensive pressure created a scoring chance for the defense before halftime. With Georgia backed up near its end zone on third down, Wommack sent an all-out blitz that Georgia couldn’t cover, and Keanu Koht (19) forced the safety on Beck. It was a nice moment for Koht, who played a season-high 27 snaps with Qua Russaw limited.
Alabama fans are fully aware of Deontae Lawson’s prowess as a pass rusher. It hasn’t shown up a lot this year, but it was utilized on Saturday. Wommack dialed up this delayed blitz for Lawson, who came sweeping behind Que Robinson untouched for the sack. Now that SEC play is here, expect a lot more creative looks from Wommack.
Bad: Inability to stop drives plus the big play
Georgia sustained drives by converting five fourth downs. The most frustrating part was that those were mostly the product of Alabama’s mistakes instead of Georgia’s execution.
The first conversion was a prime example. LT Overton had Trevor Etienne stopped but missed the tackle, extending a drive that resulted in a touchdown. Two other fourth-down conversions came via Alabama penalty: a pass interference by Lawson and a holding in the secondary.
Beck threw the ball 49 times, so to some degree it was expected, but Saturday was the first time we’ve seen a quarterback hurt Alabama down the field. Georgia finished with 10 completions of 15-plus yards and put up 339 total passing yards in the second half.
Georgia’s go-ahead touchdown saw receiver Dillon Bell get past Alabama’s secondary with a double move. These types of plays have been open often against Alabama in the season’s first month, but only Beck has been able to connect.
Ugly: Special teams
It was a rough day for Alabama’s special teams. A 33-yard kick return by Cole Adams to midfield early in the second quarter was called back by a holding penalty. With 5:36 to play, a dropped kickoff by Williams forced Alabama to start a drive on its 4-yard line, a possession that resulted in a quick punt.
Early in the fourth quarter, Alabama had a chance to pin Georgia inside its 5 on a James Burnip punt, but the ball eluded Emmanuel Henderson and went for a touchback. Georgia drove 15 plays for 80 yards and a touchdown to cut the lead to 33-21.
And Saturday saw transfer kicker Graham Nicholson make his first field goal at Alabama, but it was a close call. Nicholson’s 28-yard attempt barely squeezed through the uprights. His only attempts so far being a miss at Wisconsin and a close call from short range are not a great start to the season.
One more good: Pass protection
It was a solid outing for Alabama’s offensive line, which held Georgia without a sack and largely kept Milroe comfortable in the pocket. That’s an encouraging sign for a group only making its second start together. According to TruMedia, the lineup of Kadyn Proctor-Booker-Parker Brailsford–Jaeden Roberts–Elijah Pritchett played all 65 offensive snaps on Saturday. This will be the full-time group moving forward.
This quick snapshot shows the growth in a few weeks. South Florida caused headaches all night with pressures and stunts along the front. Georgia tried to bring pressure throughout the night, only to find an offensive line communicating and executing protections at a high level. Milroe was given clean pockets and wasn’t forcing anything downfield. He took what was given underneath, and it led to a lot of positive yardage.
(Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / Imagn Images)
