Freshman sensation Ryan Williams saved No. 4 Alabama from an epic collapse against No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night.

Williams made an incredible 75-yard touchdown run with 2:18 left to give Alabama a 41-34 victory over the Bulldogs. Check out his ability to adapt to the football while in the air, awareness of staying in bounds and the pivoting motion that causes Georgia defenders to miss their target.

The TD came as Alabama was on the verge of blowing a 28-0 first-half lead. Georgia took a 34-33 lead – its first lead of the game – just 13 seconds before Williams crossed the goal line when Carson Beck hit Dillon Bell for a 67-yard TD pass after Bell got behind Alabama’s secondary.

The Bulldogs still had plenty of time after Williams’ TD and reached the Alabama 20. This time another freshman sealed the game. Zabien Brown picked Beck off in the end zone with 43 seconds left as Beck tried to beat him one-on-one.

It was the second straight play that Georgia had targeted a bigger receiver in Colbie Young in single coverage.

“I knew he was a smart guy and sooner or later he was going to read what was going on and make a play,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game on ABC.

Georgia scored 19 straight points after Alabama took a 33-15 lead with 1:23 left in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide’s field goal was set up by another improbable catch by 17-year-old Williams.

Aside from Williams’ heroics, Alabama’s offense ran into trouble in the second half. It was a stark contrast to the first half, when Georgia was helpless to stop the Crimson Tide.

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was responsible for three of Alabama’s first four touchdowns and, together with Jam Miller, provided a highlight that should not be lost on Williams. When DeBoer made the smart decision to run a fourth-and-short in Georgia territory, Milroe took a shotgun shot while Miller stood next to him in the backfield.

Miller made a block that knocked Jalon Walker’s helmet off. The hit allowed Milroe to get to the rim and he spun up the sideline for a 36-yard TD run.

Milroe finished the game completing 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards and four total touchdowns with one interception. He also ran 16 times for 117 yards, making him the clear Heisman favorite at the end of September. With a total of 18 passing and rushing TDs in four games, Milroe leads the country in touchdowns per game.

Carson Beck’s rough night

While Milroe shone in the first half, Beck never really got on track. He found his rhythm in the second half as Georgia staged a furious comeback, but his first-half struggles helped put the Bulldogs in a serious hole.

Beck threw three interceptions and also fumbled early in the fourth quarter when Alabama had an 18-point lead. Beck’s first interception set up a short field for Alabama’s third touchdown of the night, and he appeared stunned by the Crimson Tide’s coverages for the first 30 minutes.

Beck finished the game completing 27 of 50 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns.

Alabama’s second half drought

Georgia opened the second half with a punt, but Alabama quickly went for a three-pointer. The Bulldogs followed with a long TD drive before Alabama needed Williams’ catch to make a field goal and restore the three-possession lead.

In the three drives between the field goal and Williams’ TD, Alabama completed a total of 14 plays for 41 yards. Excluding Williams’ two catches (and excluding the team’s final drive when Milroe ran out the clock), Alabama had just 62 yards of offense in the second half.

It was a series of offensive futility that would have lived in infamy in DeBoer’s first SEC game had Bell’s TD been the game-winning score or Beck had thrown his final pass to a spot where Young could have made a play over Brown.

Ryan Williams has been great all season

Williams has been Alabama’s top receiver since the start of the season as a true freshman. He moved up to the class of 2024 to sign with the Crimson Tide in January and was the No. 4 player in the country despite being younger than most players in his recruiting class at 17 years old.

Williams finished Saturday night’s game with six catches for 177 yards. It’s his second 100-yard game of 2024 and he has five touchdown catches. This season, Williams has 16 catches for 462 yards, an absurd 28.9 yards per catch. Williams and Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith are already two of the best wide receivers in the country in their first month of college football.