Greg Sankey reacts to drama of Alabama-Georgia game

There weren’t very many people in the country happier on Saturday night than Crimson Tide fans after Zabien Brown intercepted Carson Beck‘s final pass of the game to deliver Alabama a 41-34 win over Georgia. But SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is probably up there after two teams from his conference played in one of the best college football games in recent history.

Sankey attended Kentucky‘s upset win over Ole Miss in Oxford before taking a trip to Tuscaloosa to watch one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the college football season. The nightcap was a game that over-delivered as he shared his takeaways from the game with Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram, and Rob Stone on The Triple Option podcast.

“There are times I wasn’t convinced to believe what I was seeing play out,” Sankey said. “Like the early run of Alabama to build up that lead and then the comeback of Georgia. But that’s the drama that’s inherent in college football that I think is so unique, and the emotion in the stadium that pours out, the emotion on the sidelines. There’s a lot of football played at different levels, but I don’t think there’s anything that compares to that type of experience.”

The Crimson Tide got out to a hot start, getting an early 28-0 lead after scoring touchdowns on each of their first four possessions. But the Bulldogs had an answer, coming from behind and taking their first lead in the fourth quarter with 2:31 remaining in the game after Carson Beck found Dillon Bell for a 67-yard touchdown.

Alabama answered on the very first play of the next possession with an instantly iconic play. Jalen Milroe threw deep to true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who made an acrobatic catch between two Georgia defenders followed by a graceful spin move before finding the end zone on a 75-yard score that sent Bryant-Denny into a frenzy.

But not Sankey, who remained neutral throughout the game despite the multitude of exhilarating plays between both SEC squads.

“I had on a green sport coat, so let’s be clear about that,” Sankey said. “And for a conference game, you kind of go numb. And there’s a couple pictures that people sent me where touchdowns were scored right in front of me, and it’s an expressionless moment. My hands might be in my pockets or my arms crossed, but you appreciate the competition.”

A record television audience appreciated Saturday’s game as well with 12 million viewers and peaking at 14.1 million to become ESPN’s most-streamed regular season college football game ever and the most-watched regular-season primetime game on any network since 2017. Sankey hopes his league will continue to deliver this season in what’s already been an electric year.