What Georgia Needs to Do Differently The Second Time vs Alabama

What the Georgia Bulldogs need to do differently the second time around vs Alabama.

Georgia Bulldogs running back Chauncey Bowens (33) moves the ball during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Alabama in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, September 27, 2025. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What the Georgia Bulldogs need to do differently the second time around vs Alabama.

The Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide are once again getting ready to face off, this time in the SEC Championship game. The two teams played earlier in the season where Alabama picked up another win over the Bulldogs, and this will be the first time the two teams have played for an SEC title game since 2023 when Alabama won that game as well.

Alabama won a close one in Athens earlier this season by a final score of 24-21. The Bulldogs held Alabama scoreless in the second half, but it was not enough to capture a win, so what does Georgia need to do differently this time around to ensure another loss does not occur?

First and foremost, Georgia needs to have a better start. Georgia's first four possessions were a three and out, a four play punt, a three play touchdown drive and then a drive that went two plays and resulted in a fumble in their own territory. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide put up 17 points in their first four possessions of the game.

The offense and defense would eventually settle in as the game moved on, but going into halftime with a 24-14 deficit was certainly not ideal.

Can Georgia's Defense Get After Alabama QB Ty Simpson?

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) runs against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

A way Georgia can help with that this time around is being better on third down as a defense. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was surgical on third down last game and it led to them being 13-19 on third down in the game. Georgia had many opportunities to get Alabama off the field and failed to do so in crucial moments.

With that said, Georgia has been much better on third down as a defense in the second half of the season. In the month of November, teams were 17/61 on third down vs Georgia's defense. Alabama ranks 26th in the country for third down offense, so they will need to continue that trend this weekend if they want to take down the Crimson Tide.

The Bulldogs are also going to have to do a better job of getting after Simpson this time around. Auburn and other teams have had success against Alabama's offense when they are able to flush Simpson out of the pocket and at least force him to throw the ball away.

Whether that's by players upfront winning their one-on-ones or by sending pressure on crucial downs. That's an area of the game Georgia will need to be better at. The Bulldogs had one sack and four tackles for loss in their last game.

Outside of that, there really isn't much else Georgia needs to improve upon this time around. They rank for over 200 yards last time around and Gunner Stockton played relatively well considering it was just the fourth game of the season for him. If the Bulldogs can just improve even a little bit in those areas, they might be able to knock off the Crimson Tide this time.