DeBoer on decision to go for TD at end of half vs. Georgia

Alabama FootballBryant-Denny Stadium just before kickoff between Alabama and Georgia on Oct. 10, 2026.Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.comWhen you are that close to the end zone, you just have to go for it, Kalen DeBoer.The gamble paid off for the Alabama coach as his No. 6-ranked Crimson Tide took a 14-10 lead over visiting No. 2 Georgia into halftime on Saturday night.As a result, the Bulldogs are trailing for the first time this season. “You get down that tight, you got to get points on the board,” DeBoer said of EJ Crowell’s 1-yard scoring run to end the first half. “We missed some opportunities with good field position, so we needed that. Just proud of guys executing at critical moments.”RELATED: Ryan Coleman Williams injured in first halfThe touchdown capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with 73 yards coming through the air over the final 1:42 left in the first half.Georgia opened the game with 10 straight points, but the Tide rallied with two touchdowns in the last six minutes of the half.“We’re so close on the execution,” DeBoer told ABC at halftime. “It’s not like we’re missing assignments. We just need to execute a little better.”Marshall Pritchett scored his first touchdown of the season when he hauled in a 22-yard reception from Keelon Russell with 5:49 left in the first half.The Tide defense got a stop before Russell led his team to the final score of the half.“We found a little bit of a groove here at the end of the half,” DeBoer told the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “It’s good to see. We have some good moment at the end.” Georgia Kirby Smart said his team just has to play better.“Effort and physicality,” Smart told ABC at halftime. “The same thing we’re seeing now. We gave them a 70-yard run on a missed hit, then we had a bust in a coverage. That’s really the two plays that hit back to back.”Russell finished the half 11 of 22 for 119 yards and touchdown.Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, who complete his first six passes, finished the half 9 of 11 for 143, a touchdown and interception.Mark Heim is a senior writer who provides sports, news and trending content. He co-hosts a daily sports radio show on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile. Heim has been recognized with awards for his writing, headlines and...