While Georgia safety KJ Bolden said his controversial no-call flag against Alabama wasn't a penalty, he said he wouldn't have felt the same if he were on the opposite side of the play.
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell attempted a deep pass to Rico Scott with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter, but Bolden flew in and stopped the potential touchdown, hitting Scott before Scott had a chance to make a play on the ball. No pass interference was called, and Alabama ultimately failed to score on its final drive before Georgia milked the final few minutes of the game to secure the 20-17 win on the ensuing drive.
Scott had beaten Georgia cornerback Braylon Conley in man coverage, but Bolden came in with safety help.
"I'm not going to lie, if that were to happen
to them, and they were to do that to us, I would want them to call pass interference, for sure," Bolden told local TV station WSB in Atlanta.
Bolden said he was trying to save a touchdown in a crucial moment. He said he felt like a penalty flag could have been thrown, but it was close.
"I feel like I got there close, but I felt like it could go either way," Bolden said. "I get to looking around (and) there's a lot of refs on the field. If none of the refs threw a flag, then it's not a flag to me."
The win marked Georgia coach Kirby Smart's first against Alabama during the regular season, after having been 0-2 against Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer before postseason play. Georgia has now won its past two games against Alabama, incliuding last season's SEC championship game.
A flag on Bolden would've at least moved Alabama into field-goal range, which could have tied the game. A touchdown would have given Alabama a 24-20 lead, which would have also forced Georgia to score a go-ahead touchdown on its final drive.
“We can’t put the game in that situation where the officials come into play," DeBoer said after the game. “We just got to control the things we can control.”
Both teams looked like the best the SEC has to offer this season. Perhaps a rematch later in the season if both teams reach the SEC championship game again will have Alabama looking to avenge its loss and that pass interference call it wanted.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: KJ Bolden on no-call vs. Alabama: 'I would want them to call pass interference'
