TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Minutes after losing to No. 2 Georgia, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell quietly stood and waited. 

His teammates had already headed to the locker room after the 20-17 loss to the Bulldogs inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Some looked mad, some looked shell-shocked. It was a mix of sprinting off as quickly as possible and slowly meandering toward the locker room. 

And then there was Russell, the first-year Alabama starting quarterback who has been a revelation for the Crimson Tide. He had just suffered his first loss as a starter, the kind of game that gnaws at you knowing that if a play or two (or controversial call) goes the other way, the result would have been different. It wasn't Russell's best game, either, though he did enough to give his team more than a chance to walk away with a win. 

He stood and waited as Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton got the victorious star treatment in an ESPN on-field interview. He stood and waited as the interview seemed to drag on for minutes, as an Alabama staffer tried in vain to corral him to the locker room. He waited all to congratulate Stockton on his performance in the Bulldogs' win. 

"Win or lose, I have respect for the opponent no matter what," Russell said. "Gunner Stockton is an amazing player. Guy's a baller. I have respect for everybody that we play, so I wanted to give my dues to him that you're a great player."

The most amazing thing? There wasn't a preexisting relationship before Saturday night. It wasn't Russell waiting to congratulate one of his best friends. Stockton said after the game they had never even talked before that postgame moment, though he was obviously well aware of Russell's skills. 

The genuine moment from the 19-year-old rising star in Tuscaloosa impressed the 22-year old veteran quarterback who just had to go toe-to-toe with him for hours inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

"He was awesome," Stockton said. "I've tried to do better with that, trying to go shake the other quarterback's hand no matter what. Seeing that at a younger age is pretty, pretty special."

With a maturity that already belies his youth, the sky is the limit for Russell at Alabama. And it would be no surprise at all to see Russell guiding the Crimson Tide to a rematch against the Bulldogs, whether in the SEC Championship or the College Football Playoff.

"There is no containing Russell," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "Kid's an elite athlete, an elite player. Hopefully we affected him some tonight and he didn't have some of the numbers he's had, but he's a really good football player. He's going to be hell in this league for two years."

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