Alabama's defense gave up far too many big plays on third down, and a controversial no-call pass interference late in the game helped Georgia win its first game at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2007 on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tdie, 20-17, in a top-10 showdown in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.
Georgia converted on seven of its 13 third-down opportunities and had two scoring drives of over 80 yards. Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 82 percent of his passes against Alabama's defense, which yielded 455 yards of total offense. Stockton was lethal on third downs and ended the night 18 of 22 for for 249 yards.
Officials either overturned, waved off of missed several calls that ended up favoring Georgia.
Those included
an interception by Alabama linebacker QB Reese deep in Bulldogs territory that was overturned on replay, a no-call for targeting after Ryan Coleman-Williams took a shot in the fourth quarter, and most controversially, a no-call on a pass that Rico Scott appeared to have more than a chance of making a play on during what would be the Tide's final drive.
The missed call on Scott had Kalen DeBoer as agitated and apoplectic as he's ever appeared in his three seasons at Alabama.
Officiating, however, had nothing to do with Keelon Russell taking a crucial sack for a 9-yard loss that knocked the Crimson Tide out of field goal range after the no-call on Scott, which forced Alabama to punt. It also had nothing to do with cornerback Dijon Lee's repeated attempts to punch a Georgia player until one of them was finally flagged for a personal foul that resulted in a game-clinching automatic first down. Still, the outsized role officiating played in Saturday's contest is something few will forget.
Russell looked out of sorts for a good part of the night and finished 16 of 30 for 185 yards with one touchdown against Georgia's elite defense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in fewest yards allowed per play.
The Bulldogs had tremendous success running the ball even without starting tailback Nate Frazier and backup Chauncey Bowens. Georgia rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries.
Alabama (5-0 overall, 3-1 SEC) will face the Tennessee Volunteers (5-1, 2-0) in the annual Third Saturday in October Rivalry at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville in Week 7.
In the meantime, here's where the Crimson Tide are ranked in Sunday's new US LBM Coaches Poll.
Social media reacts to Alabama's loss vs. Georgia in Top 10 matchup
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 11, 2026
📸 Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/v2UTy5xAUJ pic.twitter.com/oAACrB0ETB
New No. 1 in Coaches Poll after Texas falls in Red River Rivalry: How far did Alabama drop?
Alabama is ranked No. 7 in the Week 7 US LBM Coaches Poll, the same spot as last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Texas Longhorns, who fell five spots from No. 1, and are one spot ahead of the BYU Cougars, which stayed at No. 8.
Alabama remains the third highest-ranked team in the Coaches Poll entering Week 7.
UCLA (5-0) had the biggest rise of any team in the rankings, moving up 10 spots to No. 12 following the Bruins' 17-15 win at Oregon on Saturday. LSU (4-2) saw the biggest drop of any team ranked the previous week. The Tigers fell 11 spots to No. 21 following a 35-34 loss at Kentucky in overtime.
New Coaches Poll top 25 rankings after wild Week 7 causes top-five shakeup
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 7.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 15 Florida; No. 23 Duke; No. 24 Pittsburgh;
Others Receiving Votes
Northwestern 107; Arizona 92; Nebraska 74; Oklahoma 50; Wisconsin 39; Duke 35; James Madison 33; Florida 32; Pittsburgh 25; New Mexico 16; UTSA 10; Baylor 9; Memphis 6; Oregon State 2; North Carolina 1;
Kalen DeBoer updates Ryan Coleman-Williams' status after Georgia game
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 11, 2026
📸 Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/Z0UjmQTlXK pic.twitter.com/lrZY6QtIvS
Alabama football schedule 2026
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: How far did Alabama football fall in US LBM Coaches Poll after Georgia loss?
