Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Alabama's Week 6 Matchup Against Georgia

It doesn't get much bigger than this during the college football regular season. No. 6 Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC) hosts No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) this Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium as a battle between two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the SEC.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 against Georgia in the regular season, but the Bulldogs got the last laugh with a 28-7 victory in the 2025 SEC Championship Game last season. Can DeBoer get his third victory over Georgia?

Here are three of the biggest storylines I'm keeping an eye on heading into Saturday's game:

Can Alabama get off to another strong start?

Quick starts have been a talking point for the Crimson Tide this season because Alabama struggled with it in the first few games. It was better against South Carolina and much better at Mississippi State, but this trend goes back farther than this season. Getting out to big leads in the first half is a big reason why it won the last two regular season matchups against Georgia,

In 2024, Alabama jumped out to a 28-0 lead over the Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Georgia roared all the way back to take the lead in the fourth quarter before Jalen Milroe and Ryan Coleman-Williams connected on a 75-yard game-winning touchdown.

Last year on the road in Athens, the Crimson Tide built up a 14-0 lead and won 24-21 despite not scoring in the second half.

Expecting Alabama to jump out to a four-touchdown lead this Saturday isn't the most reasonable thing, but even just scoring the first touchdown or two would go a long way for the Crimson Tide.

Kirby Smart is 2-7 against Alabama as the Georgia head coach. Smart lost five of the first six meetings, and in most of those (2017 national championship, 2018 SEC) championship), it was actually Georgia that had the early lead, and Alabama fought its way back.

The script flipped, and Alabama has gotten off to big leads. If Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell can get settled into the game and rally a frenetic home crowd behind him, it could be the difference maker in this game.

How Georgia handles it run game with injuries at running back

In the initial availability report that was released on Wednesday night, there was nothing out of the ordinary for Alabama after DeBoer announced earlier in the day that tight end Josh Ford had broken his arm against Mississippi State. But there was a bit of a surprise for the Bulldogs.

Leading scorer Chauncey Bowens was officially ruled out for Saturday's matchup after getting ijured last week against Vanderbilt. Bowens has just 124 rushing yards on the season, but he does have six rushing touchdowns through the first five games.

The Bulldogs' leading rusher, Nate Frazier (211 yards and five touchdowns), was not listed on the availability report, but he has been dealing with a rib injury for the last few weeks and missed the entire Oklahoma game.

Georgia has other options at running back, particularly in junior Dwight Phillips Jr., who had 84 rushing yards in the Bulldogs win over Oklahonma. But the depth is starting to run a little thin, and Alabama has one of the best rush defenses in the nation, potentially putting even more pressure on quarterback Gunnar Stockton.

"I think Gunner Stockton is playing as highly efficient as I've seen from a quarterback," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. "I think he's getting the ball to a number of guys. They have a number of offensive weapons, and they're really kind of spreading the ball around to those guys as well. And certainly they have an identity, and they seem to be leaning into that identity, which moving into the halfway point of the season is all you can ask for out of your team. So be a great matchup on Saturday."

Can Ryan-Coleman Williams recreate the magic from first matchup with Georgia?

The biggest moment of Coleman-Willams' college football career happened in his first meeting with Georgia during the 2024 regular season. He had the epic game-winning touchdown and 177 receiving yards, a total he hasn't topped since that game in September of 2024.

Coleman-Williams is off to a strong start this season after a up-and-down sophomore campaign. He leads the team 376 yards and four receiving touchdowns. The junior has already matched his touchdown total from a season ago and is well on pace for more receiving yards.

Under the lights at Bryant-Denny with the eyes of the college football world tuned in, this is another opportunity for Coleman-Williams to showcase why he's one of the best receivers in college football.

"It's just another opportunity, super exciting game," Coleman-Williams said "We just want to go out there and start fast and try to be physical for four quarters."

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