Alabama at Georgia Complete Game Preview
Georgia called for a blackout, and Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran told the Crimson Tide players that it meant they were going to a funeral.
He turned out to be right when Alabama buried Georgia in 2008, the last time the Tide visited Sanford Stadium.
Alabama took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards on 11 plays, and the rout was on. The sellout crowd was silenced except for the visiting fans who were enjoying the 31-0 halftime lead en route to the 41-30 victory.
“The bottom line was we didn't play well that day,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “We played a much better second half. I think we scored I don't know in the second half, scored a good many, but not enough to overcome what had happened in the first half.
“But we just got whipped obviously.”
Richt made that comment before the last meeting between the teams, the 2012 SEC Championship Game that’s widely regarded to be the best in league history. The game went down to the final play as Alabama held on for a 32-28 victory and then went on to crush Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game.
Although Georgia isn’t ranked No. 3 as it was during the previous two meetings, it's eighth in the AP poll, while Alabama is 13th. Another memorable matchup appears to be on tap.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Place: Sanford Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network, Georgia Bulldog Sports Network, ESPN, Sirius 84, XM 84
Spread: Georgia -2.5, according to OddsShark.com
Alabama Keys to Victory
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The defense has to make Georgia one-dimensional
The matchup that will get the most attention is Derrick Henry versus Nick Chubb even though they’ll almost certainly never be on the field together at the same time. Stopping the run won’t be easy as Chubb ranks second in the SEC and sixth nationally in rushing yards per game with 149.8.
“They love to run the ball,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “They have three to four good running backs, so we have to come out and just bow our necks and play good defense. There's going to be a lot of two-gapping this week, so we have to strike blocks and hit people this week. It's going to be a physical game.”
The offense must avoid turnovers
This will be the first road SEC start for not only Jake Coker but the eight other new offensive starters including three offensive linemen. Playing the season opener against Wisconsin at A&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, obviously helps, but getting comfortable and into a rhythm will be crucial, and a lot of that will fall on the offensive line.
“Our offensive line has done a pretty good job,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “Last week's game was probably not a good game to sort of get plain vanilla in like we did, because those guys stunted about every down...they make you look bad every now and then because someone comes free and it was very similar to when they played Georgia. Every now and then you break one because somebody is not in the right gap. So we had a little bit of that in the game.”
Play with a chip on its shoulder
Alabama isn’t favored to win for the first time since the 2009 SEC Championship Game, and moreover it can’t afford another loss if it wants to stay in the hunt for the conference and national titles.
“I think we take pride in our reputation that we’ve built around here the last few years and the standard we hold ourselves to every time we go out to play,” senior cornerback Cyrus Jones said. “The fact that we are an underdog gives us that much more motivation to go out and reclaim our reputation, how we want to be viewed by the rest of the league and the rest of the country.”
Georgia Keys to Victory
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Keep the pressure off quarterback Greyson Lambert
The junior quarterback completed a school-record 22 straight passes from the end of the South Carolina game (20 passes) to the beginning of the Southern contest (two passes). Against the Gamecocks he set an NCAA record for best completion percentage at 96 percent by completing 24 of 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
Georgia would like nothing better to turn the game into a shootout, as the offense is averaging 44.5 points per game.
Make history
When you’re a running back mentioned in the same breath as Herschel Walker, you’re doing something right, and Nick Chubb has been doing a lot right.
He’s totaled 100 rushing yards or more in 12 consecutive games, which is one shy of Walker's school record that includes the 1981 Sugar Bowl. For his career, Chubb has 2,146 rushing yards in 17 games and 21 receptions for 250 yards.
The last opponent to hold Chubb to less than 100 yards was Vanderbilt in 2014 (78 yards on eight carries). In the rematch three weeks ago, he had 189 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Be patient
The talk in Georgia this week has been about the Bulldogs finally getting another shot at Alabama after the 2012 SEC Championship Game, even though most of the players on both sides weren’t around back then. Emotions figure to be running high, but this game probably won’t be decided until the fourth quarter.
"We already know how the media and fans are going to hype this up," Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell told Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution via NCAA.com. "And I hope they do. I want it packed in the stands. I want everybody watching. But we can't get caught up in that."
Alabama Players to Watch
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Running backs Derrick Henry/Kenyan Drake
Alabama is 71-4 since the start of the 2008 season when rushing for at least 140 yards. One of those losses was against Ole Miss two weeks ago, when the Crimson Tide had five turnovers.
Alabama has been saving junior Derrick Henry for a big game, as he’s had only 67 carries so far this season. This figures to be it.
Linebacker Reggie Ragland
It’s unfair to make one player primarily responsible for stopping a running back, but that’s the way this game will be perceived. Due to its deep and talented front seven, Alabama has been nearly impossible to run against this season, and Reggie Ragland is clearly the leader of that effort.
“Very impressive with what he's been doing,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said during his press conference Tuesday.
When asked about last week’s impressive shutout against Louisiana-Monroe, which managed to accumulate just 92 total yards, Ragland said, “We can play better.” He gets a chance to prove that this week.
Quarterback Jake Coker
You don’t want to say it’s a make-or-break game for someone who just became the full-time starter, but this is a huge game for him and the receiving corps, which needs someone to step up. Alabama can win even if Coker doesn’t have a big game, but it can’t if he’s making mistakes and turnovers.
"I think Jake has improved and played well,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. ‘We had six drops in the last game which didn't help the so-called statistics that a lot of people look at, but not that I look at. It's more 'Did you do what you were supposed to do on the play? Did you throw the ball where you were supposed to? Did you manage the team?' I think in all those areas he has gotten better and better and better. I think he has gotten more confident and I think he's playing with a little more passion about what he's doing rather than thinking about what he's doing, which is a really good thing. So we're pleased with the development.”
Georgia Players to Watch
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Running back Nick Chubb
The sophomore has 599 rushing yards on 71 carries (8.4 YPC) and six rushing touchdowns. He leads all active FBS players with a career average of 126.2 yards per game and tops the nation with 12 consecutive games of at least 100 yards rushing.
Georgia's rushing attack is bolstered by four returning starters on the offensive line: senior left tackle John Theus, senior right tackle Kolton Houston, junior right guard Greg Pyke and junior center Brandon Kublanow—who moved over from left guard to make room for sophomore Isaiah Wynn.
"No. 54, the center," defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson about which player impressed him the most. "He’s a great offensive lineman."
Last year the Bulldogs had the same five starters on the offensive line for all 13 games, the first time that had happened since 2000.
Quarterback Greyson Lambert
Georgia leads the SEC and is ranked third nationally in pass efficiency at 195.3 with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Individually, Lambert is first in the conference and third nationally with a 201.0 rating.
In Georgia's last two games, Lambert went a combined 33-of-35 for 476 yards and five touchdowns and is second nationally in completion percentage (76.5). If he does something like that against Alabama, it could be a long day for the Crimson Tide.
Linebackers Jordan Jenkins/Leonard Floyd
Just like Alabama has to find a way to stop Nick Chubb, the Georgia defense will be focused on limiting the Alabama ground game.
Despite being an outside linebacker, Jordan Jenkins is tied with Leonard Floyd for the team lead with 23 tackles and had a team-high 11 including 5.5 for a loss and two sacks during Georgia’s SEC opener against Vanderbilt. He’s also the SEC’s active leader with 18 sacks.
It will be interesting to see the chess game between coaches, as Alabama will have to decide to run at or away from Jenkins. Georgia, meanwhile, will line Floyd up in numerous spots.
What They’re Saying
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Mark Richt on Alabama’s ability to maintain a high level of success
"I think Alabama is a great football team, and they're as good or better than they've ever been in my opinion. So I don't know what the talk might be out there. But they're as good or better than anybody in our league and as good or better than anybody in the country. So you know, you just gotta play the games and see who wins, but I think they're still a great team. I do."
Nick Saban on Alabama rebounding from its first loss in September since he arrived in 2007
"Well I think how you respond to the loss says a lot about your character. I like the way our team responded in the last game. This will be a much bigger challenge for them, playing on the road and playing one of the better teams in the country, if not one of the best. So it'll tell us a lot about our team this week and how they respond. I've been pleased with the way they practiced, the way they tried to prepare, the things that they learned from the loss. I think we've gotten better. I just think it's important for us to continue to do that."
Prediction
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If the past two meetings are indicative of what to expect, this will be a terrific way for the SEC to kick off October.
“It was just a smashmouth game,” Alabama senior center Ryan Kelly said about the 2012 SEC Championship Game. “I remember that. It was back-and-forth game all game. It came down to the fourth quarter. I remember them doing a fake punt at some point. Gosh, it feels like it was forever ago. I remember they played us hard. We don’t expect them to play anything less than that, as well.”
The guess here is that this too will come down to the fourth quarter. The teams match up very well, and both want to be balanced and physical on offense.
Georgia has the advantage of home field, but Alabama has a stronger sense of urgency, as it can’t afford another loss in the SEC West race.
It's a coin-flip game that will be won by the team that can better take advantage of its opportunities.
Prediction: Alabama 27, Georgia 24
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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