Tyler ButlerDALLAS (FWAA) – The Alabama Crimson Tide was electric at the start and the finish in toppling No. 2 Georgia, 41-34, in a prime-time SEC classic in Tuscaloosa last Saturday. For ending Georgia’s 42-game regular-season and 28-game regular-season conference win streaks, Alabama (4-0) has earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games played the weekend of Sept. 28, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the sixth time for Alabama to earn the national team of the week honor and the first since 2018 when the then-top-ranked Crimson Tide won at No. 3 LSU, 29-0, in the weekend of Nov. 3.
Alabama shot out to a 28-0 lead shortly into the second quarter as quarterback Jalen Milroe completed his first 11 passes. His 36-yard touchdown run on a read option keeper at 12:24 of the the second quarter gave the Crimson Tide a four-score lead, bringing the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd to a deafening roar. Alabama’s defense even got into the scoring mix in the first half as it forced an intentional grounding call in the Georgia end zone for a safety and a 30-7 edge at the half.
The Crimson Tide led 33-15 at the end of the third quarter before Georgia (3-1) rallied with a flurry of big plays, the last a 67-yard catch-and-run that brought it all the way back to a 34-33 lead, silencing the home crowd with 2:31 left.
But Milroe, who finished 27-of-33 for a career-high 374 passing yards, had one more big play left. On the next play following the kickoff, Milroe connected with Ryan Williams down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown pass, with Williams leaping for the catch, spinning away from the defender, and then sprinting into the end zone on what will surely be one of the full season’s highlight plays. Williams was one of 11 receivers to catch a Milroe pass in the game.
Georgia rallied again to move into scoring position, but Alabama freshman defensive back Zabien Brown intercepted Carson Beck’s pass in the end zone to secure the victory.
“We pushed each other to the very end,” said first-year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, who won his SEC opener. “We expect to win these games. Of course, the locker room is full of excitement but I also want to make sure they realize that’s the expectation. There’s a lot of season left.”
Alabama’s defense produced four total turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) to aid the winning effort. The win improves Alabama to 16-1 (.941) in SEC home openers since 2008, and the Crimson Tide have scored 40 or more points in the first four games of season for the first time since 2019.
The Crimson Tide go to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday on the SEC Network.
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2023 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It “care package” along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation’s leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 28 were:
- Arizona (3-1): The Wildcats’ defense stifled No. 10 Utah four times on fourth down, winning in Salt Lake City for the first time since 2014, 23-10. Noah Fifita threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona handed Utah its first loss to an unranked team at home since 2018. It was also the first win over an AP Top 25 program for first-year Arizona head coach Brent Brennan.
- Kentucky (3-2): The Wildcats held No. 6 Ole Miss to a season low in points and yards to pull off a 20-17 win on the road. It was just the fifth time for Kentucky to beat a team ranked in the nation’s top six. The ‘Cats scored the game-winner with 2:25 to play as quarterback Gavin Wimsatt rushed toward the goal line but fumbled, with the ball falling directly into the arms of tight end Josh Kattus, who fell forward into the end zone for the score. Ole Miss came into the game averaging 55 points and 670 yards per contest but Kentucky held it to 17 points and just 353 total yards.
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AKellanova (NYSE: K) is a leader in global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods with a legacy stretching back more than 100 years. Powered by differentiated brands including Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s ® Rice Krispies Treats®, RXBAR®, Eggo®, MorningStar Farms®, Special K®, Coco Pops®, and more, Kellanova’s vision is to become the world’s best-performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full potential of our differentiated brands and our passionate people. Our net sales for 2023 were $13 billion. At Kellanova, our purpose is to create better days and ensure everyone has a seat at the table through our trusted food brands. We are committed to promoting sustainable and equitable food access by tackling the crossroads of hunger, sustainability, wellbeing, and equity, diversity & inclusion. Our goal is to create Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030 (from a 2015 baseline). For more detailed information about our commitments, our approach to achieving these goals, and methodology, please visit our website at kellanova.com.
ABOUT FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Camping World Kickoff, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic and the Florida Cup & FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
For more information, follow @CheezIt and @CitrusBowl on your favorite social media platform, and stay tuned to see what absurdly satisfying antics Cheez-It has in store this season.
2024 FWAA All-America Committee
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle (Chair)
Frank Bonner, Daily Memphian
Travis Brown, KBTX.com
Ken Capps, Freelance
Angelique Chengelis, Detroit News
Brett Ciancia, Pick Six Previews
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic
Bryan Fischer, FOX Sports
John Hoover, All Sooners
Mike Huguenin, Freelance
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
Emily Leiker, Syracuse.com
Ben Portnoy, Sports Business Journal
Sean Reider, Albuquerque Journal
Tony Siracusa, Last Word on College Football
Phil Steele, Phil Steele Magazine
Dusty Thibodeaux, Rivals: Warhawk Report
John Wagner, Country News Review (Minn.)
Jon Wilner, Bay Area News Group
