In deep private moments, with wry smiles and clenched fists, Jermaine Burton and Trezmen Marshall probably thought about what it would feel like to beat Georgia, the program they once proudly played for and won national championships with.

Since the day each opted to say goodbye to Athens and hello to Tuscaloosa, that possible euphoria had to be planted in their back of their minds, each wondering what it all would feel like and if that day would ever come.

On Saturday evening in Atlanta, with everything possible hanging in the balance, the euphoric feeling arrived.

That day did come.

And it was even better than either could’ve imagined, because Burton and Marshall both made game-turning plays to propel Alabama to a seismic 27-24 victory over Georgia. All at once, the Crimson Tide captured the SEC championship, kept firm hope alive for a College Football Playoff berth on Sunday and ended the Bulldogs’ historic 29-game winning streak, a run that began right after Bama toppled Georgia in the 2021 conference title game in the same stadium.

Burton and Marshall were a part of those 29 victories. They both played a part in helping Georgia finally stop breaking hearts and finally start winning national titles, like Alabama always seem to do. Burton had a role in the 1st championship run in 2021 before bolting for Bama for his junior and senior seasons, while Marshall, a Georgia native, was a part of both title runs in Athens before transferring to T-Town for his redshirt senior season.

Neither player really had to go anywhere else to continue winning. But both decided they wanted to continue winning somewhere else, and they decided that somewhere else would be in the neighboring state, with a bitter rival that was slowly watching Georgia replace it as the baddest college football program on the planet.

They weren’t scared of that challenge, and somehow they had to know that eventually they were going to run smack into the program they left. And somehow, they had to know that when they did, the game was going to carry a lot of weight, because it always does when Alabama and Georgia collide. So when the collision finally came, with a conference trophy on the line and the chance to play for a national championship trophy in a different uniform, the wideout and linebacker were ready to win and be difference-makers, too.

On Saturday, Burton and Marshall accomplished both. When you look at the stat sheet, their numbers don’t jump out and grab you, but if you watched the game, you realized what an impact both made on the outcome.

Burton, the often-criticized wideout who’s been a little bit of flash and a lot of enigma during his 2 seasons in Tuscaloosa, will now be remembered as a guy who helped push the Tide past the Dawgs, back to SEC glory and possibly more if the Playoff selection committee cooperates on Sunday. Late in the 1st half, with Alabama clinging to a 10-7 lead and driving, a field goal would’ve been fine, but a touchdown would’ve been massive. Burton made sure the Tide got the latter, hauling in a 15-yard TD strike from Jalen Milroe to give Bama a 17-7 lead with 48 seconds left before the break.

All of a sudden, Nick Saban’s team was jogging off the field with a double-digit lead, and the 2-time defending national champions and reigning SEC champs had been stung by a former Bulldog. It was 1 of only 2 catches Burton had all day, for 28 yards, but his impact was felt. He had made a difference, just like he did 2 seasons ago in the national title game, when Burton also caught 2 passes for 28 yards in Georgia’s 33-18 victory over Alabama.

Cue the twilight zone music, right?

After the game, Burton was just thankful to be wearing crimson and white now.

“I’m around a lot of good people. I can’t do any of this by myself,” said Burton, who led the Tide this season with 749 yards receiving and 7 touchdown catches. “When I came to Bama, I had to jump on the track with the team, I had to get on their standard and I had to adjust to how they did things there. I love it. It’s (built my) character.”

On the other side of the ball, Marshall arrived in Tuscaloosa 1 year after Burton. He wasn’t looking for something better, because what could be better than winning back-to-back national titles for a tradition-rich program that hadn’t won one since 1980? The linebacker was just looking for something different, after battling major injuries that cut into his playing time during his years in Athens.

He got exactly that this fall, being thrust into a prominent role on the Tide defense and rewarding Saban’s trust with a robust 50 tackles, 23 of them solo, and 2.5 sacks. Marshall helped boost a linebacker unit that lost all-everything Will Anderson Jr. to the NFL and was looking to help avenge a 2-loss season in 2022 that included no trip to Atlanta or the Playoff.

Marshall’s impact helped Bama return to Atlanta after a 1-year absence, and his play-making ability helped the Crimson Tide prevail once they got there. With 2:14 left in the 3rd quarter on Saturday and the Tide up 17-10, Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck fumbled on a handoff exchange, and Marshall recovered the ball at the Georgia 11-yard line. It led to Will Reichard’s 2nd field goal of the day, giving Bama some breathing room going into the 4th quarter.

“I saw the ball, and I wanted to scoop and score it,” Marshall said.

He didn’t score, but in the end, those 3 points were the difference. And by game’s end, as the Tide once again ruled the SEC with the celebratory confetti to prove it, Marshall had piled up 5 tackles, 4 of them solo, and 1 tackle-for-loss. Like Burton, he was thankful to be on the winning side again, with the program he chose to revitalize his college career with and with Saban, who “broke me down and built me back up.”

“Man, I didn’t really care what team it was as long as we came out with the (win),” said Marshall. “We had to execute, you know, come out here and just play our ball, just play our game, treated it like every other opponent.”

Except it wasn’t just any other foe for 2 Dawgs who transferred to T-Town in search of more glory. That search ended on Saturday night inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, against the school they still love, and there just might be more glory coming in the weeks ahead if things break right.