Bama Central

Five Things From Film That'll Factor Into Georgia Alabama Matchup

What can we take from Georgia's matchups with Clemson and Kentucky into Bryant-Denny Stadium?
Joe Gaither|
Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) throws against the Georgia Bulldogs during the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) throws against the Georgia Bulldogs during the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson Tide

The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs are set to come to Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2020 on Saturday for one of the biggest games on the college football calendar. The Bulldogs have already faced two Power 4 teams, including one SEC opponent, offering plenty of tape to watch to prepare for Saturday's big game.

Here Are Five Keys To Alabama's Matchup with Georgia on Saturday.

1. Alabama Must Play Team Defense With Gap Integrity To Stop the Run.

two yardsThe Georgia Bulldogs rushed for 169 yards against Clemson and 102 yards against Kentucky.

Alabama sits with the 68th-best rushing defense through three weeks, allowing 132 yards per game on the ground to three inferior opponents. The competition seriously steps up on Saturday as running the football is the staple of Georgia's offense.

The Wildcat defense managed 10 plays allowing twoyards or fewer on the ground against Georgia to stay competitive in Lexington two weeks ago. Kentucky did it by shooting gaps and getting penetration, particularly through the interior of Georgia's offensive line.

Alabama defensive coordinator referenced "bullets" on Monday in terms of blitzes designed to slow the opposition's running game. The Crimson Tide has to play as a unit against the run in order to accomplish goal number two.

2. Alabama Must Play Sound Defense on First and Second Down and Force Georgia into Third and Long in order to generate stops.

The Georgia offense is too versatile to allow the Bulldogs to operate out of third-and-short. The Bulldog backfield of Trevor Etienne, Nate Frazier and Branson Robinson is multi-talented and Carson Beck is deadly accurate. when passing underneath and into the intermediate areas of the field. Additionally, weapons like Arian Smith and Dillion Bell are highly effective in stretching the field horizontally, making short-yardage situations against the Bulldogs a nightmare.

Instead, Alabama must focus on sound gap integrity, tackling well and deflecting passes on early downs to force the Bulldogs into third-and-long situations.

Georgia was zero for six on third downs of seven yards or longer against the Kentucky Wildcats, and three of seven in the same situation in the season opener against the Clemson Tigers. Beck was able to show Clemson that just getting Georgia into third-and-long isn't enough as each of his conversions went for big yardage, including the 40-yard nail-in-the-coffin touchdown pass to London Humphreys.

The Crimson Tide forced the Bulldogs into four third-and-long situations in its December upset. Georgia couldn't convert a single one and ultimately lost the game.

3. Are the Bulldogs Prepared For Jalen Milroe?

Georgia held Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to just 29 rushing yards while sacking him four times last December.

Clemson didn't really attempt to run Cade Klubnik in the season opener but Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff was fearlessly scrambling and getting involved in the Wildcat running game.

Milroe's carries are nearly identical to last year at 12 per game but his production has been much better at almost 12 yards more per contest under new head coach Kalen DeBoer and Nick Sheridan.

Will Milroe be unleashed as a runner or will he stick to his 12-carry average?

4. Third and Long Spells Doom For Alabama's Offense.

The Alabama offense has made a living this season with explosive plays but they'll be few and far between on Saturday as Georgia's only allowed one play of 20 yards or more this season.

Instead, the Crimson Tide offense will focus on sustaining success and staying on schedule.

The Kentucky Wildcats already showed Alabama the importance of this lesson as Big Blue Nation converted seven of eight third downs of six yards or fewer, but only converted two of eight attempts on third downs of seven yards or more.

Georgia conceded just three first downs to Clemson and Kentucky collectively in third-and-long situations making it an obvious scenario to avoid on Saturday for the Tide.

The Crimson Tide is 14th in the nation converting 52 percent of it's third downs on the season.

5. Both Secondaries In For First Real Test.

Clemson's Cade Klubnik did his best to push the ball down the field in the season opener, but downfield inaccuracy let the Georgia secondary off the hook.

Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff never really tried to get vertical in the passing game as he was committed to the Wildcats' slow and steady approach.

On the flip side, Georgia's Carson Beck has been able to find receivers down the field successfully, but inconsistently in two games against Power 4 competition.

This sets up a Saturday with two untested secondaries going through a trial by fire. Neither defense has seen a passer like Beck or Jalen Milroe this season. Both secondaries also underwent massive makeovers in the offseason after losing talent to the NFL Draft making Saturday's matchup even more exciting as we'll learn what each unit's made of.

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Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.

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