TUSCALOOSA, Ala.—Kirby Smart huddled with the Georgia football defense after the first quarter of what looked like a bloodbath. There was plenty of blame to go all around.

Alabama led by three touchdowns early and outgained Georgia an unsightly 198-27 with 9 first downs for Alabama and 1 for Georgia.

It got worse before it got better on what became a topsy-turvy night that still left the No. 1 Bulldogs with their first regular season loss since 2020, 41-34 to the Crimson Tide.

“We just started slow and just had to bounce back from it,” linebacker Jalon Walker told reporters. “We had to get our game plan back right on set.”

Georgia football's defense exploited for the most points since 2020

Georgia pecked away at a 30-7 halftime deficit to go ahead 34-33 on a Dillon Bell 67-yard touchdown catch with 5:39 to go.

The Bulldogs gave up their most points in a regular season game by early in the second quarter since a 44-28 loss to Florida on Nov. 7, 2020.

They then limited Alabama to a field goal in five second-half drives until Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams connected on a 75-yard touchdown with 2:18 to go after Georgia had just taken its first lead of the game.

“It was one hell of a game,” said Smart, Georgia’s ninth-year coach. “Obviously we were not really prepared and that falls on me in the first half. We didn’t do a great job especially defensively. We also gave them short fields. With a quarterback like Milroe, it creates a lot of tough times.”

Smart told ABC at halftime that Alabama throwing out of empty formations was something new.

How Alabama stung Georgia's previously stingy defense right away

Georgia opponents had been kept out of the end zone the last four games and the last 42 drives going back to the fourth quarter of the SEC championship against Alabama on Dec. 2 in Atlanta.

Georgia entered third in the nation in scoring defense at 6.0 after yielding just six field goals in three games. It was the only FBS team not to allow a touchdown.

Alabama scored five touchdowns including on its first four drives with Milroe, the dynamic quarterback, the catalyst on a night he passed for 374 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-33 passing with one interception and rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Milroe hit running back Jam Miller on a 16-yard touchdown pass beating CJ Allen on a wheel route for Alabama’s second score. He scored on a 36-yard touchdown on the Crimson Tide’s fourth score on a fourth-and-1. He faked a handoff and got on the edge.

Walker’s helmet flew off as he was blocked out of the play and Milroe raced down left sideline for a touchdown.

“We wanted to compete as much as we can and in the fourth quarter we bounced back through the adversity in the first half,” Walker said. “We didn’t play our best first half of football. In the second half, we rose to the occasion.”

Smart said he was “extremely proud” of his team and thought his coaches made good adjustments.

“I told them look guys, I’ve been in this stadium down to Texas A&M just as bad and came back to make it a game and had a chance to win the game,” said Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator. “We didn’t make more plays than Alabama.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football defense fought back but ultimately it wasn't enough