Ryan Williams Explains How Playing an NCAA Video Matchup With Zabien Brown Contributed to Alabama’s Win

The night before the Alabama Crimson Tide clashed against the Georgia Bulldogs, teammates Ryan Williams and Zabien Brown played as opponents in a friendly NCAA football matchup—digitally. Interestingly, during the faceoff, Brown pulled off a game-winning pick-six, foreshadowing what was about to happen in their upcoming game.

The next morning, during a lighthearted conversation, Williams, still stuck with Brown’s virtual pick-six in the video game, made a prediction that the cornerback would pull off a crucial interception in the Bulldogs vs. Crimson Tide game.

“Bro, you’re gonna catch a pick today,” Williams said. 

To which, Brown, beaming with confidence, responded quite casually: “Of course, that’s what I’m going to try to do, anyway.”

What happened next was pure magic!

Later that night, as the Crimson Tide took a 28-0 lead, the spectators knew the game was already decided. But surprising everyone, the Bulldogs made a huge comeback in the fourth quarter, and it was no less than a heart-stopping thriller.

Two touchdowns later, Bulldogs QB Carson Beck threw a breathtaking 67-yard TD pass to his WR Dillon Bell. It gave Georgia a lead of 34-33, with 2:31 left on the clock. 

As nail-biting as it could have been, in the very next play, Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe connected with his WR Ryan Williams for a 75-yard touchdown pass — which once again flipped the script. As the score was now 41-34, the crowd at the Bryant-Denny Stadium went wild.

But, hang on! The game was not over yet. The Georgia Bulldogs had one last chance to turn the game in their favor. There came the moment when Zabien Brown successfully pulled off the play that Williams had predicted earlier that day. 

​Straight out of their friendly NCAA Football video game, likely College Football 25, Brown intercepted Beck’s pass in the end zone with only 43 seconds left, sealing the Crimson Tide’s victory.

“I told you! I told you!” Williams, overwhelmed with joy, screamed on the sidelines after the breathtaking, game-sealing play.

As Williams met with the media after the Crimson Tide‘s emotional win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday — the WR also shared how his overexcitement during the game-winning moment was so intense that he lost his voice.

“I was screaming… that’s how I lost my voice,” he said while recounting the sheer chaos on the sidelines.

Clearly, his voice did not survive the celebration.

Alabama’s win now feels like it’s straight out of a movie, as who would have thought that a friendly NCAA Football game would script one of the most thrilling finishes of the season?