The Trend that Underscored Jam Miller's Game-Sealing Reception at Georgia

The Crimson Tide dominated the Bulldogs in one important area Saturday, and a pivotal late-game play hammered it home.

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) runs against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga.— With one minute and 51 seconds on the fourth-quarter clock at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Alabama had a decision to make. Up 24-21 on No. 5 Georgia and facing a third down on its own 43, the No. 17 Crimson Tide could either keep it on the ground or throw it. Needing five yards, quarterback Ty Simpson found running back Jam Miller on a passing play for seven.

The play sealed the game, allowing the Crimson Tide to kneel out the clock. That 24-21 score held; neither side had scored a single point in the final 15 minutes of the contest. Had Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC) failed to move the chains in that spot, the Bulldogs would've gotten another crack at tying the game or winning in regulation.

"We've had that one in for a while. Long time. Even last year, so just executing at the right time," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "I thought it was a great play call, great execution."

That moment was emblematic of a larger trend that was one of many fabrics interwoven into the story of Saturday's game. Miller's reception was the Crimson Tide's 13th third-down conversion of the night in 19 tries. Alabama converted four third downs on its 14-play opening drive, moving the sticks three times and scoring on the fourth, and went 9-for-11 on such plays during the first half.

"I've coached a lot of years. I've never been 13-of-19 on third down. That tells the tale of the game," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "We've got to win on third down, and we did not play well on third down, and it showed."

The Bulldogs' program had not allowed that many conversions on third down in a game over the past 30 seasons. Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) had eight third-down opportunities itself and only produced a new set of downs twice. The loss snapped a 33-game home winning streak.

"First half, a lot of conversions, especially on third down," DeBoer said. "We wanna play to win. Didn't want to give them a chance. They'd have over a minute to go, probably, or right at a minute, maybe, with the punt. That gets hard, especially on the road... It's a pretty conservative play, because you need five yards. What are you gonna do if you get three? What are you gonna do if you get four?"

Miller was making his season debut between the hedges Saturday. He missed the Crimson Tide's first three games due to a collarbone injury that he sustained in August while participating in a scrimmage. He ended up making one of the most important plays of the game, one which proved emblematic of an area where Alabama put its mark on its first road game since losing to Florida State on Aug. 31.

"We do it during practice each and every day," Miller, who returned to practice in the build to Saturday after suffering the injury, said after the game. "No pressure at all. I practice catching the ball each and every day after practice, just getting my hands right for that time."