Georgia Football: Tyson Campbell’s biggest test is here

When the Georgia Football team takes on Alabama this weekend, Tyson Campbell will have to play a role in stopping the nations top receiving corp.

It’s been a pretty normal freshman season for Tyson Campbell. Like a lot of true freshmen who come in and start on day one, there have been some rough moments. With Deandre Baker shutting down his side of the field, opposing teams have targeted Campbell all season as the weak link in an otherwise solid secondary.

When put under that spotlight, Campbell has struggled at times. One thing you can say about his play is that he is almost always in a position to make a play on the ball. His raw physical talent stands out and he’s very rarely flat-footed or out of position. What he does seem to struggle with however is the instincts to make a play at the right time. That has led to several big plays but more importantly, it’s also led to quite a lot of pass interference calls.

All of which would be fine for a freshman if the Dawgs were not facing a terrifying rival this Saturday. Alabama has quite possibly the best group of wide receivers in the country. They also have the man most likely to win the Heisman trophy at quarterback. While he might have lost his starting role to Eric Stokes in the final few games, Campbell still sees a lot of time on the field. That’s going to be especially true when Georgia is in the Dime formation which I expect them to do a lot this week.

Jerry Jeudy might be the best wide receiver in America. He looks better than Calvin Ridley was last season and it won’t be surprising to see him lined up against Deandre Baker. But what makes Bama so dangerous is that Jeudy is just one of about 5 deadly weapons. Jaylen Waddle is just a freshman and he’s not even 6ft tall. Despite that, he already looks like he could be a better slot weapon than Mecole Hardman already. The guy has already made 37 catches this year and has been more productive than any receiver UGA has.

Then there is Henry Ruggs III, Devonte Smith and tight end Irv Smith Jr. Every single one of these guys has more than 500 yards this season and caught 5 or more touchdowns. That’s an insane amount of talent for one team to have just lying around. If UGA is going to stop these guys this weekend, they are going to need all of their cornerbacks to step up and that includes Campbell. He simply cannot have a bad game and get picked on like he has in weeks past.

The Dawgs need Campbell to have taken a big step forward for this game to be close. Baker and Stokes should both hold their own, but Bama just have weapons all over the field. Georgia needs Campbell and their other cornerbacks to play lights out and contain the best offense in the country if they stand a chance of winning. It’s not going to be easy but every test Campbell has had this year was to make him ready for the test he’s going to face this weekend. Let’s just hope that he’s ready for the challenge because if he is, the Dawgs have a fighting shot to take down the death star.