ESPN’s Laura Rutledge Remains Confident in Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama After Georgia Loss: "I Believe"

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Georgia ended a long wait in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. It beat Alabama 20-17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. A first win for head coach Kirby Smart in that building and the first time in almost two decades in a regular season. Not so long ago, this dynamic was called a “problem” by analyst Paul Finebaum. Well, for now, it appears to be solved.

Alabama dropped to 5-1, but an opinion from the broadcast side says they still have trust in the Bulldogs. ESPN’s Laura Rutledge reposted journalist Brooks Austin’s clip of Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell waiting to shake hands with Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton.

“I love this,” Rutledge wrote on X. “Two GREAT QBs who I believe will be in the playoff… and could very well meet again!”

Her belief makes more sense when you look at how close the game was. Russell went 16-of-30 for 185 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 41 more. Alabama did not fall apart and lost by three points to a Georgia team that came into the day without its leading rusher, Nate Frazier, and backup Chauncey Bowens, both injured.

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But the finish is where the argument starts. Late in the game, Russell threw toward Rico Scott in the end zone. Georgia safety KJ Bolden was involved in a play that appeared to be pass interference, but there was no flag.

Bama head coach Kalen DeBoer said in the postgame presser that he did not get a satisfactory explanation for the no-call, but he did not hang the loss on it.

“We can’t put the game in that situation where the officials come into play,” DeBoer said. “We just got to control the things we can control.”

Dijon Lee Jr. was a problem for Alabama in the second half because he first got flagged for pass interference, and that helped Georgia set up Gunner Stockton’s 14-yard touchdown run. Then, with Georgia trying to run out the last three minutes, he shoved a Georgia receiver after the whistle. That cost Alabama 15 yards and handed the Bulldogs a first down, so the clock kept moving.

“We preach emotional maturity, and I really felt strong across the board that we had that with our team,” said DeBoer. “We never expected that to happen.”

Georgia earned the win as the Bulldogs rushed for 206 yards, including Junior Dwight Phillips Jr., who had 120, and Bo Walker added 69. Stockton finished 18-of-22 for 249 yards.

DeBoer also said Georgia’s pass rush disrupted Alabama’s passing game for much of the afternoon. Smart said, “I didn’t come here to lose.”

However, not everything after the game looked like the handshake Rutledge reposted. Reporter Alison Mastrangelo revealed that the two quarterbacks showing respect and the scene in the stands were polar opposites.

“Georgia players were being told by coaches to put their helmets on as they were leaving the field,” wrote Mastrangelo on X. “Upset Alabama fans were throwing bottles and cans at the players and on the field. #godawgs”

Alabama also has some health concerns heading into the next game. DeBoer said receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams has a head injury after leaving the game twice, while Racin Delgatty has a lower-leg injury, and Terrance Green aggravated an old one. No return timelines were given for any of them.

The Crimson Tide get no easy week, and they travel to No. 15 Tennessee on October 17. Rutledge’s belief rests on what the box score shows: a 5-1 team, a quarterback who played well enough, and a loss decided by three points.

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