I really don’t what to think about Saturday night’s showdown against the Crimson Tide. As someone who grew up respecting Alabama as a program for many reasons, I have grown to detest everything about them.
When Alabama Has the Ball
Jalen Milroe is the key to this game. Disrupt and then control him. If we can do that, the Dawgs win and it may not be close. Don’t and this game becomes an uphill climb. Every one of the Georgia-Alabama games in the Smart era has been won by the team who won the trenches. This will be the best defensive line Alabama has faced, and conversely, this will be the best offensive line Georgia has faced. The Bama offense needs to have balance to win the game. If the Georgia defense can make the Alabama offense one-dimensional like the 2022 national championship game, we’ll be happy on Saturday night. Front 7 play by the defense could be the difference maker.
When Georgia Has the Ball
Carson Beck didn’t play his best against Alabama in Atlanta last year and played possibly his worst game in a Georgia uniform 2 weeks ago in Kentucky. The Georgia offense needs Beck at his best in Tuscaloosa. On the defensive side, Alabama will face their best offensive line to date in the Georgia o-line while I could argue Clemson’s defensive line is the equal of Alabama’s line of scrimmage. I can’t imagine the Georgia offensive line playing another clunker of a game. Let’s find a way to get Dillon Bell involved early and often Saturday night.
What Will Happen
I can’t say my mindset has changed a ton from earlier in the week. First team to 30 and the team with better offensive line play wins. Georgia’s offensive line has been more battle-tested to date with games against Clemson and Kentucky over Alabama’s slate of opponents to date. I’m sure Kirby and Schumann have reminded the defense of Milroe’s stupid comments after last year’s game where he said our guys quit in a 3-point game. This game is going to be a 4 quarter battle for supremacy. Dawgs get it done in Tuscaloosa.
Final Score: Georgia 28, Alabama 24
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Would love to embarrass them at home, but will be happy with a win however we get it. Turn Walker, Williams, and our inside linebackers loose…and let them HUNT. With everyone predicting our demise, it’s time for a statement game. I have zero doubts about Kirby having the Dawgs ready.
HBTFD
Hoping for a win, but this is the loudest my Inner Munson has been since the ’21 championship.
The last time my inner Munson was this loud Richt was the HC. I have been vocal in the past about rehiring previous UGA coaches but have been for the most part quiet this year. I am not a Bobo fan but he call a decent game against Clempson. Some of my concerns are Beck has been off the OL and TEs have not been blocking very well.
We need to move the ball and sustain hold the ball for 3minutes at a time, win field position to give the D better chances. If UGA does that they’ll like get 30 and will give Bama fewer possessions to score. If they don’t this can get ugly.
I’m drinking hater-ade today. The boys are gonna make a statement after 2 weeks of doubt. 38-17 Dawgs on top!
My two keys (and certainly nothing earth shattering); Attack (not just contain) Milroe and the play of our OL. I don’t think Milroe moves well in the pocket so we need to make him feel pressured. And we really need our OL to rebound after last week, especially Greene
Line has moved from Dawgs -4.5 to now Bama -1. Rare that a 5 point+ swing occurs in such a huge game. The public on Bama heavy!! But…..the public is rarely right when this heavily tilted. I usually don’t bet the Dawgs but can’t turn down what appears to be a statistical betting win.
Dogs 24
Bams 20
My keys to the game:
1) Cohesiveness and communication by the OL in a raucous environment.
2) Downfield accuracy and play recognition/checks by Beck.
3) Gap-aware pressure on Milroe.
4) Limit Bama explosive plays and our TOs.
5) Health and number of snaps for Mykel, Brinson and Hall.
6) Discipline and composure.
If the Dawgs get the majority of those keys, they win. 31-28.
Also, matchups that matter and can be exploited tonight:
1) Arian Smith deep vs Bama’s slot corner
2) Dom Lovett underneath against the slot corner and young LBs
3) Mykel Williams vs Bama RT
4) Jalon Walker speed rush vs Kadyn Proctor power blocking
5) Does Kirby play Malaki against Ryan Williams?
6) Special teams mismatch
I’m no expert and have been reading way too much positives and negatives leading up to this game, but I think that all the talk and hype has been hyper focused on offensive elements and not enough on defense. Dline injuries aside, the defense has elite talent all over the place for Georgia. In Alabama’s scare against USF, it showed that Milroe can be affected and when that happens he can’t use his feet or his arm to overcome it. If there’s one unit that’s been the most eager for this game since last December it’s the defensive side of this team.
I’m not sure if this is going to look like a game of exchanging field goals or not, but both sides have good special teams and Alabama’s defense hasn’t faced an offense with a pulse this season so this could be their first true test if we can get the O Line gelled which I’m sure has been a hyper focus since September 14th 2024. We’ve got elite backs, high TE potential that’s been getting a lot of criticism from everywhere, and we’ve got a solid receiving corps that’s not necessarily elite but let’s face it, it’s time for Bell to have a game along with Young and Smith.
Honestly this feels like it’s Carson Beck’s biggest moment, he’s been hearing about this since the SECCG and has also been hearing the narrative that he’s a game manager without Bowers and McConkey. This could be a high scoring affair or could look like the Alabama-LSU field goal game during Miles’ tenure. Truth be known, one of the two teams today has been tested by two quality teams, the other has not, so much of the prospecting has been made off a short body of work.
Smart has been collaborating with Lanning about Kalen’s tendencies and it pains me to remember Oregon couldn’t beat him – twice – last year, but also consider Washington currently has two losses because a lot of NFL talent left that team. I’m not sure I see that much elite talent on the Tide’s team comparative to what Washington had assembled. Milroe is no Penix and I’ll stand by what I’ve always seen of him, he’s a Cam Newton without the arm but with faster legs, or a skinny version of Derrick Henry. If we lose to Alabama, I’d rather it be because their defense had a lights out game than anything attributed to Milroe.
I really believe Smart has an answer for the Alabama offense. I really hope we have an answer for our own. Swing passes and allowing the opposition to scoot up into 8 man boxes will not be a recipe for success, but I know Kirby is on the mother. I’ve pictured Beck hitting Bell late to pull it off, I’ve thought about a special teams victory where Thorson helps us win the field position game and Woodring capitalizes, while Anthony Evans has a breakout game in the return game. Reading some of the various beat writers for Alabama that aren’t blatant homers, they still see past the Kentucky game and see where Georgia has advantages over Alabama.
I don’t foresee a blowout. I foresee a heavyweight bout where people tune in to watch for an early knockout but this will very likely be more on par with the final LaMotta-Robinson fight from Raging Bull. The line has moved in Vegas and that could be because of heavy action with people betting on Alabama to beat then spread or outright win after the Kentucky showing, could be the assumption of weather impacts from Helene, or could be because of injury reports out of Athens. Whatever it is, the game is getting played tonight. The last man standing may very well be celebrating a one point win. I just hope it’s the good guys this time.
The Laner is consistent if nothing else.
Junior will be featured in this week’s MBG post … hopefully, our geniuses are not.
Yeah EE, bet SEC Shorts tears him a new one too. 😂
Pingback: Tale of the stats – Alabama 41, Georgia 34 | GTP Refugees