‘The Walking Dead’s Khary Payton Suffered Emotional Roller Coaster Last Night

The Walking Dead‘s Khary Payton is about as big of a fan of Georgia sports as they come. Now, he has been let down not once by his times, but twice, over the course of a year.

It all started in 2017.

Payton’s Atlanta Falcons finally make it to the Super Bowl. In fact, they don’t just make it to the Super Bowl — the Falcons make it through three quarters and are pounding the team so many people love to root against: The Patriots. It’s 28 to 3 and looks like a sure thing victory. But it’s not… The Falcons blew that lead and Payton, rightfully so, still doesn’t want to talk about it. In fact, the subject all but completely triggered Payton on the Talking Dead couch as hit sat beside former Panthers and Steelers running back Deangelo Williams.

Fast forward to the end of 2017. The Georgia Bulldogs narrowly beat the Oklahoma Sooners, sending them to their first National Championship Game since winning it in 1980.

Payton, of course, went to the game in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.

At half time, Payton was probably feeling good. The Bulldogs were crushing the Crimson Tide, dominating them on defense, and posting a 13 to 0 score. The most dominant team in college football looked like it was going to be taken down in the championship game for the second year in a row. Georgia players trotted into the locker room gleefully. Payton, however, stayed quiet on social media. Almost certainly enjoying his time at the game, the actor was probably preparing for the 30 minutes of football standing between his team and a national title.

Plus, the thought of the Falcons’ collapse had to ring through his mind, at some point.

Then, it’s revealed Alabama head coach Nick Saban would replace his starting quarterback Jalen Hurts with true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. The 19-year-old athlete would lead Alabama on a 20 to 7 run through the second half, finally tying the game around 10:45 pm ET with just under four minutes left in the game.

Georgia would get the ball back and Payton remained optimistic.

“A lotta time left,” Payton wrote on Twitter after the game-tying score. The same words were tweeted by the actor a week earlier, just before the Bulldogs bested their Sooner opponents.

The Bulldogs would get the ball back and have a chance to win the game. Little did he know, it was just getting started. Alabama would stop their opponent and place themselves well inside of field goal range. It was a sure thing win if Alabama kicker Andy Pappanastos does his job.

As the clock strikes zero, the Alabama kicker misses the field goal by a mile. Payton, and the rest of the Georgia fanbase, can’t believe it. They’re still alive and emotions certainly peak.

Overtime, however, would prove the importance of momentum in sport. Georgia would nail a 51-yard field goal to give themselves a three point lead before stifling the Alabama offense on first down for a loss of 16 yards. The second play, however, would see the true freshman quarterback send a beautiful pass, 41 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, sealing the win for Alabama.

Georgia fans are crushed.

Payton would take to Twitter one more time, congratulating the opponent on their victory, showing true sportsmanship.

Luckily for Payton, it’s not unlikely his Bulldogs reach the biggest stage in college sports again. The school will enjoy a couple more years with their stud quarterback Jake Fromm and new head coach Kirby Smart is just getting started. Plus, his Falcons have a shot at redemption in the NFL playoffs, as they’re set to square off with the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend, looking to mount another run at the Super Bowl.

Payton wasn’t alone in the defeat. Former Walking Dead star IronE Singleton once played defensive back for the University of Georgia and also offered congratulations to the opposing team.

The Walking Dead returns for the second half of its eighth season on February 25, 2018. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.