With kickoff a little more than 72 hours out, one concern about the Georgia Bulldogs defending the Alabama Crimson Tide is not going away. Although Georgia probably has the better team in this home game Between the Hedges for the Dawgs, Ty Simpson can spin it. In fact, he has thrown for nearly 900 yards in his first three games as the Alabama starter. He is averaging 287 passing yards a game!
Yes, it helps to have guys like Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams outside the numbers at wide receiver, in addition to Kalen DeBoer calling plays. However, somebody has to pull the trigger to make this Alabama offense work, and that guy is Simpson. Having Ryan Grubb in his ear has been a huge boost to his growth and development as a passer. It should be noted he can finally hand the ball off.
This is because Jam Miller will be making his season debut on Saturday night at Georgia. Alabama has been far more prolific through the air than on the ground this season. Getting Miller back should help out considerably. Then again, Georgia has not had much trouble defending the run this year. Unfortunately, Alabama's strength offensively seems to be a point of weakness for this Georgia team.
As it is with everything, something has to give between these two SEC rivals going at it on Saturday.
Georgia has to accept that Ty Simpson is likely going to get his vs. Dawgs
Look. This is not the end of the world, only a mere assessment of reality. Joey Aguilar got his vs. Georiga through the air two weeks ago, and the Tennessee Volunteers still lost. It did not matter that Tennessee played with a lead for most of the game. Aguilar did what he always had in him and turned the football over. His counterpart in Gunner Stockton did a better job when it comes to ball security.
In truth, Simpson has not proven to be a turnover machine since taking over the reins of the Alabama offense. While he can move a little, he is very much a pure pocket passer. His accuracy and willingness to throw the ball downfield is something Kirby Smart, Glenn Schumann and the rest of the Georgia defense will need to account for. Saturday is the day that Schumann earns his big paycheck.
To attempt to tie a bow on this, the way that Georgia beats Alabama is by dictating terms in the trenches. On offense, they need to be able to run the football with conviction to give its defense a break, while simultaneously keeping the ball out of Simpson's hands. And then on defense, it is about getting after the passer in an attempt to disrupt Simpson's timing and rhythm. This is how they win.
The most important thing for Georgia in this one is to protect the football and not turn it over at will.