It was a night where nothing went right for Georgia.

There were the penalties – 10 for 81 yards.

There was the early game-changing turnover when A.J. Green fumbled a pass he caught from quarterback Matthew Stafford that helped set up an Alabama field goal.

And there were the 31 first-half points Alabama posted next to none from Georgia.

On Saturday’s blackout, the only thing black at the end of the game was Georgia’s eye as Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) cruised its way to a 41-30 rout of the Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1 SEC), in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

Cornerback Asher Allen said he was a little shocked at the way the Alabama offense was able to come out firing, saying he never thought the Crimson Tide would have been able to jump that far in front of Georgia in the first half.

“No, I didn’t think that but they were able to come out and they got on us fast,” Allen said. “We were able to come back, but there was no time left to do that. We just have to start faster than that.”

With the loss, Georgia fell to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and faces an uphill climb to reach the top of the polls again. But, if there was a time to lose a game this season, Georgia picked the perfect time to hiccup as it heads into its bye week.

“The best news about today is we still have a chance to control what happens,” head coach Mark Richt said. “A year ago we did not have that ability.”

Richt was referring to Georgia being embarrassed by Tennessee in Knoxville 35-14 last year. But with only one loss so far, Georgia is still in the driver’s seat for the SEC East title if it wins its remaining conference games.

However, Alabama had its way with Georgia, bruising the Bulldogs each and every chance it had. Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson threw for 205 yards, completing 13 of 16 passes and throwing one touchdown. The Alabama rushing attack gained 129 yards on a rushing defense that was previously the best in the SEC.

“It’s hard when you’re working hard and you feel like you’re doing the right things but one thing bad is happening after another,” linebacker Rennie Curran said.

With everything going against it, there was still no quit in Georgia. The Bulldogs cut Alabama’s 31-point lead to only 14 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when cornerback Prince Miller ran an electrifying 92-yard punt return for a touchdown.

But as hard as Georgia fought to get back in the game, it couldn’t come up with a late stop.

“We got ourselves in a mess,” Richt said. “I don’t know how to explain it, except Alabama took it to us.”

In Georgia’s abysmal first half, the Bulldogs helped Alabama with a few penalties, something that has haunted them all season. On Alabama’s first touchdown possession, Georgia was flagged for a pass interference and committed a roughing the passer penalty. On Alabama’s next possession, Georgia aided Alabama down the field with another roughing the passer penalty.

“This whole year it seems like there’s been a penalty that’s killed us or shot us in the butt,” Allen said.