Even weeks after that “blackout” statement win in Athens, Alabama, hasn’t stopped tossing playful jabs at Georgia. The Bulldogs’ 33-game home winning streak ended that night, and so did their sense of invincibility. Grubb’s disciplined execution was a sight to sore eyes.

So when Ryan Grubb was recently asked about his thoughts on Alabama’s storied rivalry with Tennessee, the famed “Third Saturday in October,” his reply surprised everyone. “I thought Georgia was a rival too, so I thought that was a big game,” Grubb said, admitting he’s still figuring out how Alabama’s rivalries actually line up. But was it genuine confusion, or is he still savoring that sweet memory of toppling Georgia between the hedges? After all, just a year ago to the day, Alabama stunned the Bulldogs in Athens during the iconic blackout game. Fast forward twelve months, and the Tide’s offensive architect still can’t seem to shake the afterglow.

In a recent post, reporter Wyatt Fulton summed it up perfectly in his post: “Ryan Grubb says he thought Georgia was a rivalry when asked about what he’s learned or knows about the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry”. Alabama fans laughed; Georgia fans rolled their eyes; and the rest of the SEC couldn’t help but admire the innocence.

In that win against Georgia, Grubb’s fingerprints were all over Alabama’s offense had coaches and experts buzzing about it. Josh Pate said on his podcast, “I kid you not, during the game, I am getting texts from other coaches… talking about Ryan Grubb just putting Kirby and his staff in a blender.” It’s the kind of skill that makes opposition defenses tense while other coaches take notes.

That’s what keeps Kirby Smart up at night. “Part one of the Bama problem was Nick Saban. Then part two of the Bama problem is they bring in a guy that just gives you fits schematically,” Pate stated. Grubb, whose contract expires in 2026, is also not leaving Alabama anytime soon. And his orchestrated chaos is all Alabama needs; they no longer need to light up scoreboards anymore. His witty jabs may make headlines, but his systematic, silent approach to play-calling has become Kirby Smart’s worst nightmare.

Alabama fixed the penalty problem in its big Georgia win

It is one of the very few games that Alabama ended with fewer penalties than its opponent for the first time since Kalen DeBoer took charge in Tuscaloosa back in 2024. Georgia got six flags, but the Tide only had four. Now it may not seem like much, but for a program that had been struggling with penalties for almost a year, it represented huge progress.

Considering how awful things looked back then, this improvement was impressive. Alabama has had one of the worst penalty totals in the FBS after Week 3, with 108 penalties. Now they are 112, which places them at 43rd place in the nation, which was a significant jump from their previous ranking of 77th. Following the ULM game, DeBoer had stated, “Our guys, believe me, they don’t want to have penalties. It’s just going to be a matter of time where they get comfortable out there.” After the win over Georgia, he added, “You’re going to get punches thrown at you…Our response was to punch back and punch back harder. Even when there wasn’t perfect execution, I just felt like there was an attitude and energy that our guys had and there was going to be no regrets when we walked off the field.”

Quarterback Ty Simpson gave credit to the communication and composure. “We knew it was going to be loud. That was a hostile environment….I made sure communication was key,” Simpson said. “We only had what, one pre-snap penalty? One false start. That’s huge.” Such discipline can be challenging in the chaotic atmosphere of Sanford Stadium. Georgia had 68 penalty yards in the end, but Alabama only had 16, suggesting that this squad may finally be flipping the turnaround. That was more than just another victory for DeBoer, who has been balancing a tightrope in the SEC since the FSU defeat.