After winning a shootout at Ole Miss last week, No. 2 Alabama could be in store for more of a slugfest inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday as it hosts No. 3 Georgia. The Crimson Tide is currently a six-point favorite over the Bulldogs, according to VegasInsider. Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.
Is Alabama’s running game back for good?
From “disappointing” to downright dominant. Alabama’s running game certainly turned the corner against Ole Miss last week. To be fair, the Tide also ran up the middle, off tackle and even, on one occasion, over the top of Rebel defenders.
After struggling to move the ball on the ground against Texas A&M in Week 2, Alabama piled up 306 rushing yards against Ole Miss, its highest total since recording 308 yards on the ground against Arkansas in 2017. SEC Offensive Player of the Week Najee Harris led the way with 206 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries. Brian Robinson Jr. also had his best game in a Crimson Tide uniform, recording 76 yards and a score on 10 touches.
“I thought both guys played very well,” head coach Nick Saban said Monday. “But I think both guys had really good opportunities relative to how we were able to block them up front, the game plan that we had, the way it was executed.”
Heading into last week’s game Alabama ranked ninth in the SEC averaging 110 yards per game on the ground. Now it finds itself third in the conference at 175.3 rushing yards per game.
Of course, facing the nation’s worst run defense certainly helps. Through three games, Ole Miss is giving up a whopping 303.3 yards per game on the ground, more than 25 yards more than Navy, which ranks second to last. This week’s matchup will be a complete 180 as Georgia leads the nation by giving up a mere 38.3 yards per game on the ground.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 44-21 victory over Tennessee where they held the Volunteers to a loss of one yard on 27 rushing attempts. Georgia hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last 24 games, dating back to 2018 when Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 145 yards during LSU’s 36-16 win in Baton Rouge, La.
“They play well in all phases of the game,” Saban said of Georgia. “Their defense is especially very, very good, probably the best defensive team in the country all the way around, when you talk about stopping the run, having good pass defense, getting off the field on third down.”
Can Mac Jones emerge as the nation’s top quarterback?
The sample size keeps on growing, and so does Mac Jones’ success. Through three games, the Alabama quarterback leads the nation in both passer rating (220.35) and yards per attempt (13.3). He also ranks second in completion percentage (79.5) and fourth in passing yards per game (367).
"That just shows you that Mac knows what he is doing when he is out there,” receiver DeVonta Smith said. “Just going out there making the right reads, seeing the right things, checking into the right things. That just shows that he's in the playbook, he's been studying film, he just knows where the ball has to be."
Jones filled in nicely for an injured Tua Tagovailoa last season, averaging 293 passing yards and 3.25 touchdowns over his four starts. Still, some expected that honeymoon period to fade at some point this season as opposing defenses figured out the right-hander. Instead, Jones has only improved.
Through seven career starts, the redshirt junior is averaging 324.7 yards through the air, almost 10 yards more than what Tagovailoa was averaging before going down to injury last season.
Perhaps the only knock on Jones this year is that he’s done his damage against weak pass defenses. Alabama’s toughest test this season has been Texas A&M, which ranks No. 64 in the nation allowing 299 yards per game through the air. Missouri ranks No. 67 in the nation giving up an average of 307.7 yards through the air, while Ole Miss ranks No. 73 allowing 338 passing yards per game.
This week Jones will have the opportunity to prove himself against better competition as he faces a Georgia pass defense that ranks No. 21 in the nation holding opponents 198.3 yards per game through the air.
What will we see from Stetson Bennett?
Heading into the season, the thought of Stetson Bennet lining up behind center for Georgia would have seemed to indicate something had gone horribly wrong for the Bulldogs. So far, the junior has been one of the SEC’s biggest surprises.
Following Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman’s decision to opt out and Southern California transfer JT Daniels not yet being cleared from last year’s season-ending injury, Georgia’s offense has fallen into the hands of a 5-foot-11, 190-pound former JUCO quarterback. While Bennett isn’t necessarily stuffing the stat sheet, he’s more than held his own this season.
“He's done an outstanding job,” Saban said. “He's played within himself, made good choices and decisions. They've had great balance in their offense. They've got good play-action passes. He's really just facilitated everything that he's needed to do from his position to help all the other good players that they have make a lot of plays. And he's athletic. He's extended plays at times, and I think the guy has done an outstanding job and is really executed well for them.”
Bennett has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 689 yards and five touchdowns this season. Perhaps more importantly, he has yet to turn the ball over, allowing Georgia to sustain drives and keep its defense off the field.
Alabama’s defense has given up back-to-back 300-yard passing games to Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. Those two might have a bit more talent than Bennet, but the Tide knows it can’t afford to take the junior for granted Saturday.
Who will lead Alabama in receiving this week?
No band was needed following Smith’s 14-yard touchdown reception against Ole Miss last weekend. Instead, the senior rocked out an air-guitar duet with fellow receiver John Metchie III, a celebration Smith says Metchie invented during last season’s game against Ole Miss.
"Metchie just came up to me, and he was just like yeah, our handshake going to be the guitar, and ever since then, we just went along with it,” Smith explained Tuesday, “and we just added a little more to it this year."
Smith had plenty of time to celebrate last weekend, tying a school record with 13 receptions while piling up a game-high 164 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also scored on a 14-yard run to extend Alabama’s lead to two possessions late in the fourth quarter.
Alabama has had a different leading receiver in each of its three games this season as Jaylen Waddle pulled in eight receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri while Metchie netted five grabs for 181 yards and two scores against Texas A&M.
"I think that's good just because teams can't just sit there and just be like oh well we're going to focus on this person and that person,” Smith said, “but really you have to focus on everybody in the offense because you never know whose day it's going to be."
Smith and Waddle’s success doesn’t come as much of a surprise as both receivers have been projected as first-round picks in next year’s draft. Metchie, on the other hand, has given opposing defenses something extra to worry about. Through three games, the sophomore has provided much more than new dance moves, ranking third in the nation with 27.09 yards per catch while pulling in 11 receptions for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
"It's meant a lot, just him putting in the work that he's been putting in,” Smith said. “Since Day 1, he's been working hard, and he always knew that one day he was going to get a chance to compete for a starting role. And the way that he's been working it's all paying off for him, and it just means a lot just to have that third guy out there to go along and just help the offense."
Can Alabama keep its defense off the field?
If there’s one thing Georgia’s offense does best, it’s staying on the field. The Bulldogs lead the nation in time of possession, holding the ball an average of 35:29 per game. That’s not good news for a struggling Alabama defense.
The Tide ranks No. 69 in the nation in third-down defense, allowing its opponents to convert on 54 percent (27 of 50) of their attempts. Last week, Alabama allowed Ole Miss to pick up first downs on 9 of 17 third downs as well as all four of its fourth-down tries. Georgia currently ranks No. 24 in the nation, converting on 46 percent of its third-down opportunities.
"We've been putting the emphasis on that this whole season,” defensive tackle D.J. Dale said. “But with a team like that, it's going to be very, very important to get off the field on third down because they do keep the ball a long time."
Last edited:
