Final
  for this game

Georgia stuns Alabama in OT

Sep 23, 2007 - 5:29 AM TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Ticker) -- John Parker Wilson forced overtime with his legs, but Matthew Stafford ended it with one flick of his arm.

Wilson ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but was left to watch helplessly as Stafford threw a 25-yard TD pass in overtime to lead No. 22 Georgia to a 26-23 victory over 16th-ranked Alabama on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference showdown.

"I am so excited for and proud of these guys," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "To come and play the way we did was a tremendous tribute to every player and coach on this team."

Alabama (3-1, 1-1 SEC West) trailed, 20-13, with 4:44 to play with the ball on its 12. The Crimson Tide marched 88 yards, with Parker capping the drive with a TD scamper with 1:09 to play.

Georgia got in position to win the game in regulation, but Brandon Coutu missed a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Alabama failed to pick up a yard on its first possession of overtime, settling for a 42-yard field goal by Leigh Tiffin for a 23-20 lead.

Georgia (3-1, 1-1 East) did not let it come down to another kick by Coutu, as Stafford lofted a perfect strike to Mikey Henderson in the left corner of the end zone for a 25-yard TD to end the game and hand Nick Saban his first loss as coach of the Crimson Tide.

"Obviously, we are very disappointed about the outcome of the game," Saban said. "I am very proud of the way the team responded and played in the second half."

Stafford completed 19-of-25 passes for 224 yards and two TDs with two interceptions.

"We had a chance to win at the end of regulation and we didn't," Stafford said. "But we kept our poise as a young team and we came back and won it."

The Bulldogs won it due to the first career TD catch for Henderson.

"I was just hoping that I'd catch it," Henderson said. "I dropped the last one and I didn't want to get down on myself for them to come back and call my number. They gave me a chance to make a play and I just caught it."

Wilson was 17-of-35 for 185 yards and also added a pair of rushing scores.

"We weren't executing in the first half," Wilson said. "We did better in the second half. We had a couple passes that we could have hit, but we just need to execute. That's the difference in the game."