ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Nearly Loses His Mind About Georgia Football-Alabama Game

ATHENS - ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is questioning if Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is the right coach to have replaced Nick Saban as coach of the Crimson Tide only days before Bama’s showdown with Kirby Smart’s Georgia football program.

“I never said Kalen DeBoer was a bad coach,” Smith said on air. “I know he's a damn good coach. What I said was: ‘Are you the guy to succeed Saban at Alabama?’”

“I don't think many coaches in the country would want to go behind the great legend coach he came in behind,” Smart said Wednesday about DeBoer being hired to replace Saban. “That is a tough job with tough expectations, and he's done an incredible job there through his own ways and his own rights.”

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has the same record as Nick Saban at Bama so far during his tenure. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

DeBoer has the same record as Nick Saban at Alabama through the first 33 games as head coach. DeBoer took over after Saban’s final season in 2023 - a team that went 12-2 and won the SEC. Saban took over for after Mike Shula’s final season at Bama after he went 6-7. Bama had not won the SEC the ten seasons preceding Saban’s arrival.

Alabama hosts the Bulldogs Saturday night at 7:30 in Tuscaloosa in a game that’s being broadcast by ESPN’s corporate partner ABC. Concern remains about the effects of Hurricane Isaias, which is approaching Mobile. Forecasting models show that the storm will pass just west of Bryant-Denny Stadium by lunchtime - clearing the way for the game to be played as scheduled.

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said the Dawgs will have their hands full Saturday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smart said the Dawgs will have their hands full Saturday night, and not just with going up against the Tide.

“They're playing a very physical brand of football with a elite athlete at quarterback, and they're turning people over on defense,” Smart said. “They're just really playing at a high level and playing at home. So we're looking forward to going, and our guys are excited to go play in a awesome environment.”

Smith, who is the host of ESPN’s First Take, all but took out crimson and white pompoms on screen to cheer for the Tide while on set.

“I'm not being critical of Alabama because I'm rooting against them,” he said. “I've always rooted for them brothers for Alabama. But are we really looking at Alabama to win a national title? They gotta make us believers. They gotta make us believers. So guess what? You go play Georgia this week. That's fine. You beat them last year, so what? What happened when it really counted? They beat Georgia last year. Did they not beat Georgia last year? Yes, they did, Alabama. What happened in the SEC championship game?”

Chris Cole and the Dawgs were too much for Alabama in Atlanta during the SEC Championship Game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia beat Alabama 28-7 in Atlanta in December. Alabama went on to knock out Oklahoma before getting blown out in the Rose Bowl Game by Indiana. But the Tide have surged of late - after back-to-back outings that were not ideal against Kentucky and Florida State, Alabama has blown out South Carolina and Mississippi State.

"This is the best team DeBoer has had since he's been at Alabama," ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said Thursday during Pardon the Interruption.

Smart said his defense, which allows 244.6 yards per game is ranked as the No. 8 total defense in the nation, will have to be ready for all that Alabama has to throw at it.

“Really hard to defend because you don't feel like there's a play they don't have,” Smart said of Alabama’s offense. “They’ve got all of them in terms of the plays you have to stop.”

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