No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Alabama Picks, Predictions & Preview for Undefeated SEC Clash

Georgia and Alabama are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday night on ABC, and an absolute war is inbound.

Both offenses are playing really well, while both defenses have passed every challenge put on their plate to this point. And when these two teams face off, buckle up.

Outside of one SEC Championship Game, these matchups have been four-quarter wars. I expect another close football game this time around.

Georgia Needs Explosive Plays

Georgia has to find explosives.

I know that sounds simple. It’s a very baseline analysis point, but it is the reality. And Georgia has to do it without putting the ball at risk because Alabama has been turning teams over for about 18 months now.

Georgia has to create chunk plays because Alabama is going to create them on the other side of the football.

I believe Georgia might have the best defense in the sport right now, or maybe the second-best behind Texas. They are insane on the defensive side of the football, but Alabama’s offense is really good, too.

Georgia has to match that explosiveness to some degree. I’m not saying you have to go bar-for-bar or get outside your comfort zone and start forcing things. But you have to create chunks while making Alabama respect the run game.

Establish the run, make Alabama load the box – or at least break out of two-high – and then take your shots downfield.

Most importantly, Georgia cannot let Yhonzae Pierre beat them. Period. Point blank.

If Georgia doesn’t have some type of game plan for him, he will haunt them for four quarters. You have to find a way to make him play flat-footed at some point because if you allow him to play full tilt going forward, you’re in trouble.

He’s going to impact this football game at a high rate.

Squeeze the Pocket

For Georgia’s defense, the game plan is simple in theory: remain extremely difficult to run the football against.

I don’t believe there are many offenses that can line up against Georgia and say, “We’re going to run for 200 yards today.” But this game is different because I think 150 rushing yards from Alabama might get you beat.

You have to hold these guys under 120. You have to get Alabama to the point where they don’t believe running the football is an option.

Then, on automatic passing downs, squeeze the hell out of the pocket.

If you get selfish and start flying upfield chasing sacks against Keelon Russell, he will bludgeon you to death. You can’t give him lanes, and you don’t want to flush him out of the pocket, either.

If you flush him, he has all the arm talent in the world. He’s going to run away from you, keep his eyes downfield and put you into the scramble drill.

Continue to be an absolute monster against the run. Georgia has been all year, and I believe that will continue.

But once Alabama gets into automatic passing downs, squeeze the pocket. Don’t give Russell anywhere to go.

This will be Georgia’s toughest test to date.

Alabama Has to Get EJ Crowell More Touches

For Alabama on offense, I think you have to get EJ Crowell more touches.

I don’t think the rushing lanes are going to look anything like they have through the first five weeks because Georgia is so good against the run.

Those lanes are going to be tighter, which means Alabama needs more individual excellence at running back.

Daniel Hill has been OK. Trae’shawn Brown has been a great find for this football team and has been their predominant ball carrier for my money.

But there’s no doubt in my mind that the best individual talent Alabama has right now with the ball in his hands at running back is Crowell.

Get him more touches.

I understand he’s not ready for the full load of the offense. I understand these freshman backs might not be ready for everything that comes with pass protection.

But if Alabama is going to run the football explosively Saturday the same way it has in other games, I think it’s going to happen because the running backs are individually great.

Crowell is Alabama’s best answer there.

Make Georgia’s Wide Receivers Beat You

Everyone is going to say Alabama’s defensive plan should be to make Gunner Stockton beat you.

That’s not the answer.

The answer is to make Georgia’s wide receivers beat you.

If those receivers can’t create space, Stockton is going to have to scramble. He’ll three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust you all day long if that’s what it takes.

What cannot happen for Alabama’s defense is Georgia’s receivers consistently creating space.

There are a lot of people saying Georgia doesn’t have a No. 1 receiver. OK, maybe they don’t. But Georgia has about seven guys who can beat you on any given day.

Make those receivers win. Make Stockton throw into tight windows.

He’ll make those throws. He’ll do it over and over again. But I would rather make him do that than allow Mike Bobo to shred Alabama in zone coverage.

Georgia’s Running Backs Are Fresh

Here’s a fun stat: Georgia doesn’t have a single ball carrier inside the top 30 in rushing attempts in the SEC through five games.

Not one.

Chauncey Bowens is Georgia’s leading rusher in terms of attempts, and the Bulldogs have done a really good job balancing those carries.

That means this running back room should be relatively fresh from a workload standpoint.

You can say, “Well, Georgia doesn’t have a premier back.” They didn’t need one last year for Bowens to have 135 yards against Alabama.

Georgia balances the carries really, really well. And right now, I don’t know if anybody else in the sport can say their running back room is this fresh from a workload standpoint.

Georgia’s Offense vs. Alabama’s Defense

Something has to give here.

I think Georgia has the better defense. I think Alabama has the better offense.

The old adage is that great defense beats great offense. Not recently in college football. Great defenses have bad days.

But I think where these two teams meet in the middle – and why this game is really predicated on Georgia’s offense against Alabama’s defense – is that Alabama is going to score points and Georgia’s defense is going to make plays.

You’re going to get that battle.

Alabama’s defense is still really talented, but Georgia’s offense has plenty of talent, too. The offensive line has been great, and Stockton is playing some of the best football of his career, coming off arguably the best game of his career as well.

This isn’t the same quarterback we saw last year, when he was inexperienced and showed some uncomfortable tendencies.

Stockton is playing confidently now, and that’s when he’s at his best.

I think that matchup is really going to determine how this football game goes.

If Alabama’s offense starts scoring in bunches, Georgia’s offense has to respond. Is Alabama’s defense going to step up and answer the call, or is Georgia’s offense going to do it?

Georgia X-Factor: Talyn Taylor

For my X-factor, I really honed in on one player: Talyn Taylor.

It’s not just because Taylor has been Georgia’s explosive playmaker in the passing game. Craig Dandridge has provided some of that as well.

But Taylor looks like the guy Stockton trusts the most right now.

When Georgia needs a 50-50 ball, it has gone to Taylor. When Stockton has to get the football out quickly, it goes to No. 1.

He’s been the guy Stockton has relied on.

I thought London Humphreys might become that guy for this offense because there was more rapport between Humphreys and Stockton coming into the season.

But right now, when Georgia needs a play, they’re going to Taylor.

And he’s been making them.

Georgia’s Defensive Players to Watch

There are a few names I’m watching closely on Georgia’s defense, starting with Chris Cole.

If Georgia decides to use a spy against Russell, I think it has to be Cole. But this can’t just be your traditional spy where he sits there, waits for Russell to leave the pocket and then tries to chase him down.

It needs to be more instinctive.

Maybe Georgia rushes three and drops Cole, but if he sees a lane, go. Find the lane and go right now.

Cole has to be all over the field in this football game.

Quintavius Johnson and Gabe Harris Jr. are also going to be extremely important on the edges. Those are the guys who have to hold the point against the run while also making sure Russell doesn’t consistently escape outside the pocket.

Then you get to the secondary.

KJ Bolden and Rasean Dinkins have a big challenge ahead of them. There were some miscommunications last week, and you cannot have that against Russell.

He is playing with confidence, he has plenty of arm talent and he will make difficult throws.

You have to make sure you’re not getting out of your spot and allowing an absolute kill shot.

Gunner Stockton Has to Be Part of the Run Game

I think both quarterbacks are going to play well Saturday.

This feels like one of those give-and-take football games where both teams have to put drives together and stack successful plays.

Alabama has been far more explosive, so the Tide haven’t really had to do the walk-the-ball-down-the-field thing.

I think Georgia is going to make them do that and make them relatively uncomfortable doing it.

Georgia, on the other hand, is very comfortable playing that way.

And I think this is the game where Stockton is going to have to be involved in the designed quarterback run game.

If Georgia wants to come out of this with a win, Gunner is probably going to need eight to 10 carries.

I’m not talking about scrambles. I’m talking about traditional carries.

Georgia has to balance the numbers.

Stockton was labeled a dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, but if you watched him at Rabun County, it wasn’t like he was constantly running read option or quarterback counter.

This is a game where Georgia may need more of that.

I also think Bobo is going to have to be more creative than he has needed to be through the first five weeks.

He has been able to keep all the cards close to the vest.

We’ll see if he can get a little more creative in this football game.

Georgia vs. Alabama Score Prediction

It’s so hard to pick.

I think both quarterbacks are going to play well, and I expect this to be a close football game.

Ultimately, I’ve got Alabama.

• Final Score Prediction: Alabama 24, Georgia 21