Alabama Versus Georgia Score Prediction

INDIANAPOLIS - The National Title Game is less than 48 hours away. The game will be played in the confines of Lucas Oil Stadium and there will be no issues with weather with the roof closed, so the game should be excellent.

Will Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart finally get the better of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban? There are numerous questions about a game of this magnitude, but look for the following questions to help determine the final score and the winner.

Concerns for Alabama

**Who can be effective in the running game? There’s no question that Brian Robinson, Jr. plays with a chip on his shoulder after waiting until his fifth-year to be the starter at running back for the Crimson Tide. He still cannot run the football every time quarterback Bryce Young turns around to hand it off despite his fantastic effort and desire to be the lead running back.

That obviously leaves Trey Sanders to make some plays at running back with such a depleted depth chart. That also leads to a potentially disastrous situation. He needs to know every detail about pass protection. One can be assured that the Bulldogs will bring some exotic blitzes at Young because that’s when his passer rating is the lowest. Mark it down, Coach Smart and the Bulldogs will bring looks that have not been shown before and Sanders will need to adjust on the fly.

Whether Sanders is ready for those moments, even with his inexperience, is a major concern for Alabama. If he’s even off on one snap, it could lead to quarterback sack of Young, a fumble, and then a scoop-and-score by a Georgia defensive player. That’s the type of play that changes a game even if Sanders does a good job toting the football.

**Which cornerbacks are ready for a healthier version of George Pickens?

Few wide receivers possess the body control and catch radius of Pickens. He’s an incredibly gifted athlete, but he is attempting to finally be over an ACL injury that he suffered in the spring. That’s a nasty injury to overcome, especially for a speedy wide receiver like Pickens that wants to zig and zag through a secondary after the catch.

He did look pretty good in the first matchup, however. In fact, he caught two passes for 41 yards against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Much like Georgia throwing exotic blitzes at the Crimson Tide, make no mistake that the Bulldogs will be throwing more to Pickens. He’s the type of player that can make two or three tacklers miss and go score after a simple pass out to the perimeter off a run-pass option play.

Alabama’s cornerbacks will be challenged, but will they roll coverage towards Pickens now that he’s more physically ready to play? Will there be quite a bit of man coverage against Pickens? This cat and mouse game might be the most important for the Alabama defense because giving up even one easy score to the Georgia offense could be fatal.

Pay particular attention to what Georgia does when true freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry lines up in front of Pickens. He’s not the most technically sound player just yet, but he’s so athletic that he does close on the football very well and has the length to be a menace to a player like Pickens. That is a really intriguing matchup.

When senior cornerback Josh Jobe lines up against Pickens, there could be a variety of options of how Jobe plays him. Bump-and-run, off coverage, bail, or just zone. McKinstry is probably better suited to play man right now, but he’s also more vulnerable to the big play than an experienced player like Jobe so watch that closely.

Concerns for Georgia

**Can Stetson Bennett make the line-drive pass into a tight window when it truly matters?

That pass that needs to be made and can only be accomplished with true arm talent, and far less about mental acumen, that’s the play where Georgia fans have been worrying all season long. They should, too. Georgia fans know that Bennett is a capable quarterback, but if he needs to truly come out and throw darts it’s not going to be easy.

This situation should not play out often based on the history of the 2021 regular season, but it’s still possible if it’s a close game at the end of the fourth quarter. In short, Georgia needs a lead in the fourth quarter so that Bennett does not need to be a hero.

**Who’s blocking outside linebacker Will Anderson, Jr., college football’s most feared pass rusher?

To be honest, Georgia did a pretty good job against Anderson for much of the SEC Championship game. He did make a sack. Beyond that, Anderson recorded three solo and three assisted tackles. He played well but far from dominated like he did in other games during the regular season.

It’s fun to watch Georgia left tackle Jamaree Salyer match up with Anderson, as both will be long time NFL players. Will the Bulldogs give him help? Perhaps Chip Anderson and take a running back out of the pattern if even for a moment?

Much like with Young possibly being sacked and losing the football, Alabama will definitely look to find ways to get Anderson into the backfield. Historically, Alabama has done a great job of mixing up when it uses stunts and twists to allow the best pass rushers to find a crease in the offense line. No reason to believe that’s not going to be the case with Anderson, and his 17.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss do not exactly need much help to begin with.

If Georgia is not really sound up front, Bennett could be running for his life far more than he did in the SEC Title Game.

Final Thoughts

This should be a really close game and one that fans enjoy. The difference in the outcome will be the two best players on the field – Young and Anderson – making plays for the Crimson Tide. A late defensive stop by Anderson in the backfield leads to Alabama getting the football back, marching down against a tired Georgia defense, and kicking the game-clinching field goal to place the game out of reach.

Alabama 31 Georgia 21