TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Gunner Stockton proved clutch after the Georgia defense held firm in turning back the Crimson Tide.

The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0) beat No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-1) by a 20-17 count Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Georgia could ascend to the No. 1 ranking in the country, as previous No. 1 Texas suffered a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in Dallas earlier Saturday.

Dwight Phillips Jr. carried the Bulldogs ground game with 17 carries for 120 yards.

But in the clutch, Stockton (18 of 22, 249 yards, TD, interception) came up big on a third-and-7 from the UGA 10-yard line in the final minutes, finding Elyiss Williams for a 17-yard gain to convert a third-and-7 with 2:36 left.

Two Bo Walker carries and 8 yards later, Alabama’s Dijon Lee Jr. was called for a personal foul, giving UGA an automatic first down that enabled the Bulldogs to run out the clock, the Tide having already exhausted their timeouts.

The Georgia defense came up big on what proved to be the Tide’s possession with 3:28 left, when KJ Bolden, Valdin Sone, Gabe Harris and Justin Williams swarmed Keelon Russell on a third-and-10 at the UGA 34, dropping him for a 9-yard loss and taking Alabama out of field goal range while also forcing a punt.

Russell finished 16 of 30 for 185 yards and a touchdown and had 41 yards on nine carries, sacked four times.

It was the 10th meeting between the teams in the past 10 years, but only the fourth in the regular season, the others taking place in postseason play.

Peyton Woodring put Georgia up 20-17 with a 23-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining, capping a 10-play, 84-yard drive that was nearly over when it started when Sacovie White-Helton attempted to field a punt off the bounce.

Blake Stewart alertly threw himself on the ball, sparing UGA a turnover.

The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 17-17, as Georgia reclaimed the lead on its first drive of the third quarter when Stockton called his own number and raced around the right end, throwing himself forward through two defenders for the 14-yard touchdown run.

The Tide tied the game up on Conor Talty’s 39-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter.

Alabama took a 14-10 lead into the half thanks to a 1-yard touchdown run by EJ Crowell on the final play of the second quarter.

Georgia plugged the initial point of attack, but Crowell bounced the run outside and beat KJ Bolden to the left corner of the end zone for the score, capping a 12-play, 80 yard drive.

Georgia opened the scoring on their first offensive series as Woodring hit a 43-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

The Bulldogs struck again on their third series when London Humphreys split the seam to find open space, reeling in a 20-yard strike from Stockton with 7:09 left in the second quarter.

Stockton had connected with Jaden Reddell on the previous play over the middle, and the speedy tight end raced 30 yards after the catch for a 53-yard gain.

The explosive plays capped a nine-play, 93-yard drive that took 5:09 off the clock.

Alabama answered quickly, scoring on the third play of an 89-yard drive when Russell found tight end Marshall Pritchett open for a 22-yard touchdown to cut the UGA lead to 10-7 with 5:49 left in the half.

Tailback Trae’shawn Brown set up the score, bursting up the middle for a 58-yard gain before Bolden knocked him out of bounds at the Georgia 22.

“We gave them a (58-yard) run on a missed (run) fit, then we busted a coverage,” Smart said during his ABC halftime interview. “That’s really the two plays they hit back to back, then they did a good job in the two-minute (offense).”

Auburn is up next for Georgia, as it returns to Sanford Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday. The Tigers (3-2, 1-1) were idle this weekend.

Alabama returns to action at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Tennessee.