Saturday, September 27, the Crimson Tide buses rolled into downtown Athens and unloaded the University of Alabama’s football team to play against the University of Georgia (UGA). Sanford Stadium was filled to capacity as the highly anticipated game kicked off at 7:30 p.m. in week five of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) college football league. Anticipation built up for the rivalry game, a battle between two dominant SEC teams.
Inside Sanford Stadium, the two teams faced off and decided whether UGA would keep its six-year, 33 home winning streak or if Alabama would abruptly end it. September 27, the teams played for the 75th time, and throughout history, Georgia has won 26 games, Alabama 44 and together, earned four ties. Since 2015, when Georgia signed Kirby Smart, the team has won only one out of eight games against Alabama.
“I was talking a lot of trash to all my Alabama friends, saying Georgia’s gonna win the game because Alabama lost to Florida State University (FSU) earlier in the season. Alabama’s roster also isn’t complete, and Georgia’s is. After kickoff, I was like we might lose cause we haven’t beaten Alabama since 2022,” junior Jaden Taylor said.
Students and fans filled the streets of Athens wearing crimson and bulldog red in support of their favored teams. Groups took to restaurants or bars, and others to parking lots, to indulge in the tradition of tailgating. The tailgate began hours early in various locations. One example, the Fiji House, a popular spot among alumni members of Phi Gamma Delta for tailgating due to the amusing environment and live music. People spread everywhere, eating, listening to music and hanging out with friends and families. Outside of tailgating, fans drop by sports bars to enjoy traditional American football foods, including burgers, wings and hot dogs while catching up on other college football games. Fans who do not care to engage in overindulgence of football foods walk through College Ave and explore the variety of UGA-based shops and restaurants.
Following the pre-game activities, fans walked to Stanford Stadium for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Alabama won the coin toss and chose to defer so they could decide whether to kick or receive the ball in the second half. In the first quarter of the game, Alabama set off on a quick start with a touchdown pass from Ty Simpson (15) to Germie Bernard (5) in the late seventh minute, creating a 7-0 lead for Alabama. In the second quarter, Georgia struggled defensively, allowing Alabama to score a second time with another touchdown pass from Simpson. Then, in the eighth minute, Georgia running back Nate Frazier (3) lost the ball, allowing for a fumble, creating a turnover and leading to an Alabama field goal. Georgia responded with a touchdown when quarterback Gunner Stockton (14)connected the ball to Colbie Young (8) for a touchdown pass in the 12th minute. By the end of the half, the score stood 24-14 with Alabama in control.
“I knew this was gonna be a big day, my whole house was pumped for the game. I started getting worried in the first quarter after Alabama scored so quickly. I had a gut feeling and knew it was wraps for Georgia. By halftime, I was upset because I knew Georgia could play better than this. It’s also the beginning of the season, so I know we can come back from this, and I don’t think this will be the end-all be-all of the Bulldogs this season,” magnet sophomore Chloe Darsey said.
After a seemingly extensive halftime break, the game started back up. Alabama started the third quarter on offense, failing to score and missing a 43-yard field goal attempt. After the missed field goal, Georgia took the opportunity to score from a short run by Josh McCray (2), narrowing the score difference in the third quarter to 24-21, with Alabama still in the lead. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Georgia possessed the opportunity to take or tie the game. With 13 minutes remaining, the Bulldogs faced a possibly game-changing fourth-in-one where Kirby attempted to run instead of kicking a field goal. This play caused a three-yard loss for Georgia. Alabama’s offense and defense worked to keep the game moving against Georgia by creating third-down opportunities and not allowing Georgia to move the ball past or through the midfield in the final moments of the match-up.
After one last punt from Georgia, Alabama used the remaining time, less than two minutes, to kneel and run the clock out. With the final whistle blown, the score ended Alabama 24, Georgia 21. The loss ended Georgia’s six-year home winning streak and caused outrage amongst groups of Georgia fans as the game held an abundance of pride for both teams. Fans took to social media to post about their team’s win or loss, as well as responding to past posts they created hyping their players up or tearing the opposing team down. Despite any posts, Georgia still lost their home winning streak and Alabama won the colossal and notably close rivalry game.
