Like last December, Georgia walked away from a game against Alabama with another win streak snapped. And while the 41-34 final score may not show it, the game was exactly as Georgia coach Kirby Smart described it: a “tale of two halves.”

In the first 30 minutes, it was all Alabama. The Crimson Tide dominated the game early, taking a 30-7 lead into the locker room. Georgia’s offense managed just 153 total yards as quarterback Carson Beck’s two interceptions loomed large.

Beck, who returned to Georgia for a senior season partly because of last season’s loss to Alabama, struggled out of the gate. He completed just eight of his 17 first-half passes in a game that seemed to be trending toward a blowout.

Yet in the second half, Beck performed more like many expected coming into the season. The Mandarin, Florida, native threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns while completing 19 of his 33 passes, helping Georgia come back from a 23-point deficit. Still, Beck had a fumble and an interception at the end of the game.

“Well, I don't know that there was a huge difference, …” Smart said of Beck’s performance in the second half. “When you got four downs, you got a couple of wastes in there. We got to the point where we had to be aggressive and go fast, which opens some things up. I was really proud of the way he played.”

Beck joined Stetson Bennett as the second straight Georgia quarterback to suffer from three turnovers on the road versus Alabama. However, unlike that 41-24 loss in 2020, Georgia and Beck overcame the turnovers and gave themselves a chance to win the game.

“I am really proud of our guys and how we fought,” Beck said. “Obviously I am upset. I am not big on moral victories. I believe in winning and losing, and we lost. But we fought hard.”

Beck’s 439 yards and three touchdowns certainly gave Georgia a chance to find its way in a fourth-quarter game. But the three interceptions plus a fumble proved too much in the end to pull out the comeback.

So, for the first time since the 2020 season, Georgia will look to bounce back from a regular season loss. Beck and the Bulldogs will return home to Sanford Stadium on Saturday, where they’ll host the Auburn Tigers. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST.