Jalon Walker knelt.

The Georgia football linebacker had just taken Alabama by running back Jam Miller’s best block, and Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe sprinted away. Walker’s helmet flew off his head, so he knelt on the Tide’s 38-yard line and just watched.

Milroe never stopped. Realistically, only safety Malaki Starks had a chance to stop him, and after the junior’s dive was missed, the Alabama signal caller simply had to keep running down the sideline.

36 yards later, Milroe danced into the end zone.

“He was, I think, exceptional,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “I really…I didn’t want to go too fast, but I just really felt like it started the last few weeks with the Wisconsin game where he kind of got into a rhythm. Made those plays. Actually, we still didn’t get enough chances.”

Through four games, Milroe’s integration into DeBoer’s offense went nearly flawlessly. Georgia was his best performance yet, and against one of the best teams in the country, it will likely earn him a spot in the Heisman Trophy race.

He finished with 27 completions on 33 throws, for 374 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that jumped off the hands of C.J. Dippre. He also led the Crimson Tide in rushing, going for 117 yards and two more scores.

“If you could just stop him and not worry about him throwing, I think you could do it,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “But if he throws well and they catch him more often, it’s very difficult to stop.”

Milroe has come a long way since being benched against USF last season. He is the focal point of DeBoer’s offense and appears to have a sidekick worthy of Alabama’s wide receiver line in true freshman Ryan Williams.

Alabama almost gave away the win on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored three unanswered touchdowns late to turn a 30-7 halftime deficit into a UGA lead with just 2:31 remaining.

On the sideline, Milroe said he discussed the team’s core values ​​and implored the Tide to finish. Then he went out and did it.

Milroe went deep on the first play of the drive. He had Williams in one-on-one coverage along the sideline, not wide open, but enough to create a chance.

The redshirt junior from Texas somehow planted his feet on the ground, then turned and started running. The 75-yard touchdown pass, combined with a Zabien Brown interception, ended the game.

“Ryan to the field, that’s a one-on-one advantage on our side,” Milroe said. “It’s all about eye discipline, reading the play well and just giving our guy a chance.”

Thanks to Milroe, Alabama has a chance. The Crimson Tide is 4-0 and travels to Vanderbilt next week.

UA didn’t sink when Nick Saban retired, at least not yet. For Milroe, change seemingly helped his game, with DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan building the offense specifically around his skill set.

“I have a great coaching staff that believes in me,” Milroe said. “I have teammates who believe in me. That’s all that matters. I try to do my best, every play call that is asked of me, to maximize that play call as much as possible, and be the best version of myself every day when I get the chance to play ball at the University of Alabama.