Nick Saban makes feelings clear on Alabama vs. Georgia game

What happens between Alabama and Georgia will go a long way in painting the eventual national championship picture. Nick Saban outlines the keys to college football's game of the week.

Nick Saban outlines the keys to the matchup as Alabama and Georgia face off in college football's game of the week. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For the first time in a decade, Alabama will be in Athens to take on Georgia in college football’s game of the week on Saturday night, a primetime SEC matchup that can’t help but have some direct impact on what the national championship race could look like.

Alabama is already behind, sitting at 2-1 and with an ugly two-touchdown loss at Florida State in the season opener, and second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer is under considerable pressure to get the job done and avoid falling to .500 on the year.

Nick Saban, the seven-time national champion who DeBoer succeeded, laid out what he believes will be the keys to the game. As always in the SEC, it starts up front.

“First of all, the line of scrimmage is gonna be really important. Alabama has struggled on the road, especially with some of these games last year,” Saban said in comments to The Pat McAfee Show. 

“This year at Florida State, they had a hard time stopping the run. Kirby’s gonna be stubborn about running the ball because he doesn’t want to put his quarterback in situations where they can tee off on him.”

"The line of scrimmage is really gonna be important for Alabama at Georgia..

Kirby Smart is gonna be stubborn about running the ball..

Ty Simpson has played really well and they have been making some explosive plays" ~ Coach Saban#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/dz23ACFYlO

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 26, 2025

Gunner Stockton will step into the crucible for Georgia under center, but is coming off leading a comeback 44-41 win at rival Tennessee, a game in which head coach Kirby Smart said the quarterback came of age at the position.

Behind him is a Georgia rushing attack that ranked just 15th in the SEC a year ago, but is getting more solid returns this season, averaging around 209 yards per game.

Balancing out this Bulldogs offense will be key to keep what has been a dynamic Crimson Tide offense, led by quarterback Ty Simpson, off the field.

Alabama can sling it

“But I also think that Ty Simpson has played really well for Alabama. They’ve made a lot of explosive plays since the Florida State game,” Saban added. 

Simpson, a former five-star recruit of Saban’s, has looked the part so far, completing nearly 72 percent of his passes with 9 touchdowns and no interceptions.

And he’s dealing to a group of stealthy Alabama wide receivers, led by Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, both of whom had elite showings in a win over Georgia last season.

In the trenches

But while all these blue-chip skill players are flashing their speed, the real key to the game will be what takes place in the trenches, the ex-Alabama coach said.

“Who can affect the quarterback? Who has the kind of pass rushers? Who can create the situations where you can affect the quarterback? That’s gonna be huge in this game,” Saban said. 

“Can Alabama run it? Can they make the explosive plays? Can Georgia affect the quarterback? But I think it’s gonna be very similar for Georgia, as well.”

Last time Alabama and Georgia met

Last season brought us the first Alabama-Georgia meeting in the post-Saban era, as Kalen DeBoer’s team put on a show in a 41-34 victory in Tuscaloosa.

Since then, however, Alabama is just 7-5 overall while Georgia is 11-2 and made it as far as the quarterfinal round in the College Football Playoff.

Now, both teams look to get a leg-up in the very early SEC title picture and make what will be a good impression when the playoff selectors get together.

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