Georgia Football: Are these Bulldogs man enough to break the Bama streak?

Georgia football travels to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. Can they beat the Tide in their house once again?

Georgia football travels to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama for the first time in 13 years. Georgia has come out the victors the last two times they traveled to Bryant-Denny Stadium. However, they have not beaten Alabama since 2007. They have come close but just have not been able to seal the deal.

On Saturday night, in front of the entire nation, the Bulldogs will get another chance.

Is this breed of Bulldog man enough to go toe to toe with Alabama this year and come out with the win?

The first and most obvious group that comes to mind when thinking about this question is Georgia’s defense. Georgia football has one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the nation. According to Pro Football Focus, Georgia gets a 91.0 overall defensive grade, 92.0 run defense grade, 87.7 tackling grade, 80.5 pass-rush grade, and 88.7 coverage grade.

All of these grades are top marks in the SEC, other than pass rush and coverage which are No. 3 and No. 2 respectively.

Georgia football has the No. 5 scoring defense in the nation, giving up just 12.3 points per game, according to cfbstats.com. They are also holding teams to 38.33 rushing yards a game and 198.3 passing yards a game. Those are No. 1 and No. 21 in the nation and give them a total defense ranking of No. 2 as they are giving up just 236.7 yards per game and 3.7 yards per play.

So what does all of this mean when Alabama’s offense lines up against Georgia football’s defense?

Well, Alabama has one of the most vaunted offensive attacks in college football. Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith are two of the most dynamic weapons in college football, and John Metchie is coming on as well. Add to that the dominant running style of Najee Harris behind a very good offensive line and you start to see the challenge in front of Georgia.

Can they stop all these weapons for the Crimson Tide?

Georgia football’s secondary has graded out, in total, as the second-best secondary in the SEC. Their pass rush is the third-best in the SEC. Georgia will need both of these at their peak on Saturday in order to take down the Crimson Tide. Quarterbacks have been running for their lives due to the pursuit of Azeez Ojulari and Adam Anderson for the last three weeks. Georgia needs more of that this week.

Georgia football’s linebackers may be the best linebacking corps in the nation. There is a reason Georgia’s tackling grade is the best in the SEC. These guys have a nose for the ball and they know how to get a ball carrier to the ground.

However, as good as they are Georgia’s defensive line may be even better. They will have a great matchup though as Alabama has the best run-blocking grade in the conference.

All of that said, Georgia football’s offense will have to be able to move the ball and score to beat Alabama. Can Georgia’s offense rise to the occasion?

Georgia’s offense is ranked No. 4 in the SEC according to their 77.4 grade on PFF. Their 72.8 passing grade is middle of the pack at No. 7, but their pass-blocking grade of 73.4 is No. 2 in the conference. Part of the problem is Georgia needs more receivers to step up consistently. Kearis Jackson is doing a spectacular job as he is now graded as the SEC’s top wide receiver with an 88.9.

However, outside of Jackson, Georgia football really doesn’t have any consistent contributors, and that includes sophomore George Pickens. After being graded out as an 85.5 last year Pickens has regressed to a 60.0. Pickens has been targeted 14 times and caught eight of them for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia will need Pickens to get out of his slump if they expect to win Saturday.

Speaking of the passing game, Georgia football’s starting quarterback Stetson Bennett has a grade of 76.4 coming into the Alabama game. That is good enough for fifth in the SEC and just 0.6 points below Kyle Trask’s 77.0 grade three games into the season. Bennett has done a superb job of running Todd Monken’s offense this season. However, he will need to find another level against Bama.

Georgia’s running game gets a slightly better grade than its passing game with a 74.4. This is good enough for ninth in the SEC. You read that right, ninth. That is a long way from where Georgia is used to being. Last year Georgia’s running game was given a grade of 83.9, fifth in the league. Before you blame the offensive line, their run blocking is second in the SEC with a 76.2 grade.

One reason for Georgia’s reduced running game is their best runner isn’t getting the lion’s share of the carries. According to PFF Zamir White grades out at a 69.9 while Kenny McIntosh gets a slightly better 73.1. However, it’s not just his grade that is better. McIntosh is averaging 4.71 yards per carry to White’s 3.9. McIntosh has proven that he deserves more carries.

Overall Georgia’s offense is still a work in progress, but it needs to show progress Saturday if Georgia expects to win. Georgia is No. 22 nationally in scoring offense averaging 36 points a game, No. 35 in rushing offense averaging 172 rushing yards a game, No. 31 in passing offense averaging 248 passing yards a game, and No. 34 in total offense 420 total yards a game.

This all said Alabama’s defense is not what it has been in the past. The Crimson Tide has a 68.9 overall defensive grade, 61.5 run defense grade, 60.0 tackling grade, 73.1 pass-rush grade, and 66.3 coverage grade. All of these grades are middle of the pack in the SEC.

Alabama has the No. 44 scoring defense in the nation, giving up 30.3 points per game. They are allowing teams to rush for 175.33 yards a game and pass for 322.3 yards a game. Those are No. 33 and No. 70 in the nation and give them a total defense ranking of No. 66 as they are giving up 473 yards per game and 6.01 yards per play.

A true fall from grace for Nick Saban’s defense.

In closing, Georgia football does have the talent to play with Alabama. The only question left really is do they have the heart, the grit, and the mental toughness to go four quarters with the Crimson Tide. Georgia has shown in the past two matchups with them that they can run play for play with them, and even build a solid lead. They just haven’t closed it out.

This year both squads aren’t quite what they have been, Georgia on offense and Alabama on defense, but both head coaches will have their team ready to play come Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Especially since Saban’s undefeated streak against his former assistances is on the line. It would be something special for Smart to end that in Bryant-Denny Stadium.