Former Georgia Players Make Huge Plays in Alabama's SEC Championship Win
ATLANTA — It was a team effort for No. 8 Alabama to give No. 1 Georgia its first loss in nearly two calendar years, but that team had a couple key players on it with backgrounds that made this game particularly meaningful.
Linebacker Trezmen Marshall and wide receiver Jermaine Burton are both former Georgia players, who transferred to the Crimson Tide and have been starters all season.
"Man, I didn't want to lose," Marshall said with a smile after Alabama's 27-24 win. "I would've had to deal with so much trash talk from UGA fans. [...] It was just great to be out there, man."
After Georgia took its opening drive for a touchdown and with it, a 7-0 lead, Alabama responded over the rest of the half with 17 straight points. Just before half, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a strike to Burton for a touchdown, one of Burton's two catches on the day.
In the third quarter, it was Marshall who made the big play.
With Georgia only having a touchdown deficit, the Bulldogs looked to drive down the field and tie the game, but a fumbled on a missed handoff exchange was recovered deep in Georgia territory by Marshall.
"I was actually closing on the counter, and I'd seen the handoff," Marshall said. "I was fixing to take off running, then I saw the ball. I wanted to scoop and score it, but I was like nah, I'll just dive on it. There was somebody right there, and I really kind of took it from him."
The turnover led to an Alabama field goal, which was the cushion the Crimson Tide needed to ice the game. Marshall said he wasn't concerned at the time with how big the play was, though.
"I was just stuck in the moment," Marshall said. "I was worried about the next play. Like, what do we got to do next?"
After the game, Marshall made sure to speak to his former teammates, which he spent four years with in Athens.
"I talked to all of them," Marshall said. "Congratulated them on helping me throughout life. They did a lot for me, and I really appreciate them. I let them know I appreciate them."
But as far as the rest of the Georgia fanbase goes, Marshall, and Burton for that matter, wanted to ensure they got the last laugh.
"Me and Jermaine, we were on the bus, we said we can't lose to Georgia or we're going to have to deal with everything," Marshall said. "Y'all don't understand, those Georgia fans are crazy, I'm telling y'all."
Marshall and Burton have had career revivals since transferring to Alabama. Marshall joined the team this past offseason after four years at Georgia, but only seeing significant playing time in one of those seasons due to major injuries.
Marshall explained after the game how he felt aimless after leaving Georgia, and how Saban and Alabama have helped him find himself.
"I really appreciate Coach Nick Saban, he broke me down and built me back up," Marshall said. "When I left UGA, I kind of left not knowing what I was going to do, and they broke me down and built me back up."
Burton spent just two years in Athens as a rotational wide receiver, but has broken out this season to become Alabama's top pass catcher. He has 777 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, both of which would be good enough for the team lead if he were still at Georgia.
After the game, Burton made an effort to run over in front of the Georgia student section to celebrate. He took to social media after the game as well, continuing the celebration.
"I sat back and took that hate to the face... now it's my turn to be mad," Burton wrote on Twitter/X.
Now, both Marshall and Burton are starters, both players were playmakers, and both players are SEC Champions. In the era of the transfer portal, players switch schools all the time, but in many cases it doesn't always end up being a positive move.
In this case, the grass truly was greener.
