Alabama walked into its own stadium on October 10 with a reputation as one of the most dangerous offenses in college football. Georgia walked out with a 20-17 win, and the numbers from that night explain why a former Heisman winner is still talking about it nearly a week later.
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Asked by Grete Griffin on the Outta Pocket with RGIII Podcast whether Georgia is the bully of the SEC, former NFL star Robert Griffin III did not hold back.
“They’re still the bullies of the SEC. They’re the kings of the SEC, and Georgia destroyed Alabama’s Death Star,” Griffin said.
The “Death Star” line needs a little unpacking. It is a popular nickname in college football media for the Alabama program, built to be elite and efficient. Griffin used it to describe the offense, saying it had looked ready to flatten everybody in the sport. But his point was that Georgia flattened it first.
Interestingly, though, Alabama has historically done better than Georgia, at least in the recent past. In their last ten games, Alabama has a 7-3 record over Georgia.
“This weekend, Kirby Smart walked into Tuscaloosa and reminded the entire country of something,” Griffin added. “There’s a difference between being explosive and being elite, all right?”
The box score backs up part of his case as Georgia finished with 455 yards to Alabama’s 346 against a Crimson Tide defense that had to deal with a lot of ground pressure as they rushed for 206 yards.
Keelon Russell finished with 185 passing yards, one touchdown and 41 rushing yards on 16-of-30 passing. But the numbers told only part of the story. Alabama’s offense struggled to find the explosive rhythm Griffin had called for.
“That’s what happens when you go from playing defenses that give you answers to playing a defense that makes you earn every single answer you’re gonna get,” Griffin continued, framing it as a gap in opposition.
Alabama did lead at the half, 14-10, and that mattered. Georgia had not trailed in a single game this season until then. The Bulldogs answered by scoring a touchdown on their opening drive of the third quarter. After that, the defense took over, and Georgia allowed only three second-half points and shut Alabama out in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and he ran in a 14-yard score.
Peyton Woodring’s 23-yard field goal with 5:25 left supplied the final margin. Alabama’s night also had its own setbacks. Receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams left the game twice with injuries and finished with three catches for 39 yards.
Cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. was flagged for pass interference in the second half, which helped set up Stockton’s touchdown run. Late in the game, Lee drew a personal foul for pushing a receiver after the whistle, which let Georgia run out the clock.
Officiating was a big talking point afterward as Georgia safety KJ Bolden was not flagged on an end-zone pass that Alabama fans felt should have drawn pass interference. Georgia then sacked Russell and forced a punt. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer chose to look inward.
“We can’t put the game in that situation where the officials come into play,” he said postgame. “We just got to control the things we can control.”
The win carried real history for Kirby Smart. It was Georgia’s first regular-season victory over Alabama since 2007 and his first in Tuscaloosa. It followed a 28-7 win over the Crimson Tide in a December 2025 SEC Championship Game. Georgia moved to 6-0. Alabama fell to 5-1.
Both teams now turn to rivalry games. Georgia hosts Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, while Alabama travels to face Tennessee. Griffin has already made his call on who owns the SEC. The next few weeks will show whether the rest of the league agrees.