On Saturday night, No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC) will host No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 0-0 SEC) inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the 74th time in history.
The two schools will open SEC play with a top-five matchup, a rematch of last year's SEC Championship Game, in which Alabama defeated Georgia 27-24.
Here are a few things to watch for this Saturday night as the Crimson Tide plays host to Georgia.
Special Teams
Last year’s Lou Groza Award winner, Graham Nicholson, is undoubtedly one of the nation’s best kickers, but he has missed his only field goal attempt of the season from 46 yards. In a game that is expected to be close, made field goals could be the difference.
In the shadows of the explosive offense this season, Alabama punter James Burnip has been a quiet weapon, averaging just over 46 yards per punt this season. Alabama’s offense will most certainly stall out at some point against a tough Georgia defense, and flipping the field with a punt will be key.
Turnover Battle
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s defense thrives in producing takeaways. After a poor showing in the turnover department against South Florida in the second game of the season, Wommack challenged the defense, and they responded with a pair of turnovers against Wisconsin last week. Winning the turnover battle will be crucial against Georgia. However, that will be a tough task against a Georgia team that hasn’t committed a turnover all season.
Milroe Designed Runs
The two things that Jalen Milroe does best are running the football and throwing the deep pass. This season, Alabama has made an effort to utilize his running ability by calling designed run plays for Milroe. These plays will force the Georgia defenders to account for his legs and open up the deep pass.
Pass Rush
Getting pressure on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck will be key to winning on Saturday. Beck is an extremely accurate quarterback with a lot of experience. If given time, he will be able to dissect the Crimson Tide’s secondary. Beck has only been sacked twice and has thrown zero interceptions this season. Providing pressure should help affect his accuracy and possibly force his first interception of the year.
Explosive Plays
Alabama is averaging 49 points per game this year greatly relying on its success in creating explosive plays. As a result of the quick scoring drives, the Crimson Tide have suffered in maintaining time of possession. The Alabama offense goes against a Georgia defense that has allowed only one explosive play this season. Stopping the explosive plays has helped the Bulldogs’ defense become the only team in the nation to not have allowed a touchdown this season.
No. 4 Alabama will face No. 2 Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ABC.
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