ATHENS, Ga. — (AP) — Ty Simpson passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as No. 17 Alabama held on late to beat No. 5 Georgia 24-21 on Saturday night and hand the Bulldogs their first home loss in six years.
Alabama (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) has won three straight since opening the season with a 31-17 loss at Florida State.
“It’s another step in the right direction for our team,” coach Kalen DeBoer said. “They’re already talking, you know, they’re not done with their improvement, and we’ve been really focusing on that ... not getting caught up in anything else other than what we could control. And I’m super proud of them for that.”
Georgia (3-1, 1-1) fell behind 17-7 in the first half and never led. The Bulldogs fell to 1-7 against Alabama under coach Kirby Smart, the Crimson Tide's former defensive coordinator.
Alabama ended Georgia's home winning streak at 33. It was the longest active streak among FBS schools and included 10 wins against Top 25 teams.
“I'm just so proud of the team and Alabama in general,” Simpson said. “I told them before the game, `It's Alabama against the world.'”
With the Crimson Tide leading 24-21 early in the fourth quarter, defensive lineman LT Overton dropped Georgia running back Cash Jones for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 run from the Alabama 8.
“That play has been really successful for us,” Smart said. “We missed a block that you’ve got to make and they ran through it and made a really good stop.”
After forcing a punt on Georgia's final possession, Alabama held the ball for the final 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
Georgia trailed 21-7 at halftime of its a 44-41 overtime win at Tennessee last week. After falling behind 17-7 against the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs couldn't complete another comeback.
Freshman Chauncey Bowens, who had 12 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown, took over as Georgia's go-to running back after starter Nate Frazier's lost fumble in the second quarter.
“It's not his first one,” said Smart of Frazier's fumble.
“It was more about Chauncey being the hot back than anything Nate was doing.”
Bowens and Dillon Bell each had 43-yard runs as Georgia ran for 227 yards but passed for only 130.
A booth-initiated review resulted in a targeting call against Alabama defensive tackle James Smith on a third-quarter hit on Bowens. Smith was disqualified.
The 33-game home winning streak was a school record. Georgia’s last home loss came on Oct. 12, 2019, a 20-17 loss to South Carolina in double overtime.
Alabama: Following its third consecutive win, Alabama likely will make a big move up in the AP Top 25. Led by Simpson, the Crimson Tide won the game on third downs on both sides of the ball. The offense converted 12 of 19 third downs while holding the Bulldogs to only two successful conversions on eight attempts.
“We did not play well on third down, and it pretty much showed all night,” Smart said.
Georgia: The home loss could send the Bulldogs down at least a few spots in the next Top 25. The Bulldogs struggled again with missed tackles in their first game after giving up 496 yards at Tennessee. The defense gave up 262 yards in the first half as Alabama scored on four of five possessions.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide will host No. 18 Vanderbilt next Saturday. The Commodores improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2008 by beating Utah State 55-35.
Georgia: The Bulldogs host Kentucky, which lost to South Carolina 35-13, in another SEC game next Saturday,
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football