Georgia found a larger dose of obnoxious sorcery late on its next trip. Bennett, a few paces past 50, unleashed a throw with enough bow for George Pickens, a wide receiver, to turn back towards the thicket he had escaped from and look for the ball. He jumped, grabbed and then landed on his back, the ball 37 yards closer to an intermediate price.
A 5-yard touchdown catch two games later by Darnell Washington gave Georgia a 10-point lead – the kind of deficit Nick Saban’s Alabama only faced sporadically.
Still, Jameson Williams lurked from the tide, and his terrifying speed spiked just a week after he was ejected from targeting a punt during the Auburn rivalry game. In third place, 33 with Alabama alone, he raced toward midfield, into the arch of the “C” on the SEC logo.
Bryce Young, the quarterback and contender for the Heisman Trophy, looked for an option and a hope.
Williams’ eyes traveled from the backcourt to the end zone as the ball hit. He crossed the lawn and headed for the left pylon of the goal line. One defensive attorney gave up the chase, but it was forgivable that he came to the conclusion around the 15 and possibly earlier that it was going to be a fruitless pursuit.
He was a few yards back when Williams rolled in for a touchdown. Williams had covered 67 yards in the game, more than Alabama’s offensive production for the entire first quarter. The entire possession had lasted 44 seconds.
The game of two points had shrunk to one.
Georgia responded with a three-and-off.
And so, less than 90 seconds after it began silencing much of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, about 70 miles from Georgia’s campus, Alabama’s offensive strutted back to the field under the bright lights.
Alabama took 63 yards in a short space of time. Georgia’s defense fortress tried to regroup, although it crumbled again after a single attack.
