Georgia vs Alabama Preview - What the Stats Say About the SEC Championship Game
It has become the matchup that many hope to see in Atlanta at the end of the season. Whenever Georgia and Alabama are matched up against one another, everyone knows it's going to be a four-quarter fight to the very end, and this year's SEC Championship game will be no different. It's a battle for one of the four college football playoff spots and a battle between the sport's two current dynasties.
Right now, Georgia is listed as the favorite by less than a touchdown, and both teams have been playing some of their best football over the last four weeks. The anticipation for this game will build after each passing day, but to get a better understanding of who these teams are this season, let's take a look at what the stats say.
Georgia ranks eighth in scoring offense averaging 39.6 points per game. Alabama ranks 17th averaging 35.8. Georgia also has the sixth-best scoring defense allowing an average of 15.8 points per game, and Alabama ranks 14th allowing 17.9. Against conference opponents, Georgia is averaging 37.8 points per game which ranks 10th. Alabama is averaging 33.3, which ranks 25th. Defensively Georgia is allowing 16.9 points per game which ranks eighth, and Alabama is allowing 20.1, which puts them at 23rd.
The Bulldogs have been known as one of the most efficient offenses in the sport, and the numbers back that up. Georgia ranks fifth for yards per play this season, as they are averaging 7.3. Bama ranks 27th averaging 6.5. On defense, the Bulldogs rank 12th allowing 4.8 yards per play, and Alabama ranks 19th allowing 4.9.
This game will obviously be played between two highly ranked teams, so it's worth seeing how the two have played against other currently ranked teams this season. Against three ranked teams this season, Georgia averaged 40 points per game, allowed an average of 16 points on defense and averaged 498 yards of total offense. As for Alabama, in their four ranked matchups, they averaged 31 points per game, allowed an average of 23 points per game defensively and averaged 395 yards of total offense.
Going off of that, here is how the two quarterbacks played in those games:
- Carson Beck: 63/87 (72.4%) 858 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT
- Jalen Milroe: 60/92 (65.2%) 889 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INT, 230 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) during Georgia’s game against Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (Photo by Tony Walsh)
Both Georgia and Alabama have very talented secondaries, so both quarterbacks will have their hands full on Saturday. Alabama faced three power five programs that currently have a top 35 passing offense, and in those games, the Crimson Tide allowed an average of 288 passing yards. As for Georgia, they also played three teams from that same category, and they allowed an average of 213 passing yards in those games.
For games like this one, you can pretty much throw all of the numbers and stats out of the window because none of them will matter when kickoff rolls around. But it's still valuable to know and understand who these two teams have been for the last three months leading up to this game. And based on the numbers, you can go ahead and lock in the SEC Championship game as a top-10 matchup for the ages.
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia Clinches the SEC East for Third Straight Season
- CFP Rankings Released - Georgia Remains on Top on CFB
- WATCH: Kirby Smart Talks Georgia Tech Rivalry, Updates Injury Report
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