Back to where it started ...
Alabama’s Tagovailoa returns to the scene to stop Georgia second time
FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY
1. Fast-acting attack: Alabama’s high-powered offense has been one of the most explosive units in the entire country this season, racking up 79 touchdowns and a school-record 588 points this season. And with sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the helm, it’s often made quick work of finding the end zone. Of the 99 offensive drives he’s directed so far this season, 55 have involved five or fewer plays, with 31 of those ending in touchdowns. As a team, Alabama has 23 scoring drives lasting under a minute, 13 of which were less than 30 seconds long, to rank second nationally in that category, and has scored in under three minutes on 58 of its 85 total scoring drives.
2. Fast freshman Fields: Former five-star Georgia quarterback Justin Fields has appeared in 11 games this season mostly in a backup or reserve role, racking up 588 total yards and eight touchdowns. While a skilled passer, much of his damage has come on the ground, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. With 100 rushing yards exactly against UMass, Fields became the first Bulldogs quarterback to eclipse the century mark on the ground in 20 years (Quincy Carter had 114 rushing yards against Kentucky in 1998), and the first UGA quarterback to lead his team in rushing since D.J. Shockley in 2005.
3. Another Ridley: Georgia junior receiver Riley Ridley, the younger brother of former Alabama firstround draft pick Calvin Ridley, has carried on his older brother’s legacy by leading the Bulldogs’ crowded receiving room with 34 receptions for 450 yards and eight touchdowns this season. With the similar bigplay potential to that of his brother, the 6-foot-2 Ridley has pulled in five or more catches in a game twice this season, and proved himself to be a red-zone threat with two short touchdown receptions last week against Georgia Tech. He’ll once again be one of sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm’s favorite targets Saturday, especially with Alabama focused on slowing down dynamic junior receiver Mecole Hardman. 4. Tough sledding Tide: Alabama’s usually stingy defense is once again one of the nation’s top units, leading the country with 69 of its 151 defensive series ending in a three-and-out for a 45.7 percent clip, the highest in the nation. It’s been especially stingy against the run, allowing just six rushing touchdowns this season and only 27 rushing scores in its last 56 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season. Since Nick Saban has been head coach, the Tide defense has allowed just 83 rushing touchdowns, by far the fewest nationally since 2007.
KEY MATCHUP
Alabama ILBs Mack Wilson & Dylan Moses vs. Georgia RBs Elijah Holyfield & D’Andre Swift
Once again, Georgia’s offense runs through its powerful running game, led by a the thunder-and-lightning duo of junior Elijah Holyfield and sophomore D’Andre Swift. Holyfield, the son of famous heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield, is the bruising starter with 896 rushing yards and seven touchdowns to his credit, while Swift has more than lived up to his last name with 962 rushing yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.
It’ll be the responsibility of Alabama’s own duo of middle linebackers, junior Lyndell “Mack” Wilson and sophomore Dylan Moses, the latter of whom is among five finalists for the Butkus Award, to plug up any running lanes and try to keep Holyfield and Swift bottled up.
Moses has the athleticism and playmaking ability to help limit Swift’s lateral quickness while Wilson’s 240-pound size can more than match up with Holyfield’s 215-pound frame if and when they meet at the line of scrimmage. The tandem that have the most success against the other in this matchup could make the difference in whether Alabama retains its undefeated season or reigning SEC champion Georgia gets its national championship revenge.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tua Tagovailoa QB, So., 6-1, 218 In the final weekend before the Heisman Trophy balloting is finalized, don’t be surprised if Tagovailoa has one more show for voters.
If last season’s title game appearance was any indication, along with what he’s shown this season, Tagovailoa knows how to pick apart almost any defense, and Saturday shouldn’t be any different. That said, Georgia features one of the nation’s elite defenses, ranking 10th in the country for scoring defense (17.2) and 12th in total defense (303.5).
The Bulldogs’ pass defense is perhaps the team’s strength, with an experienced secondary that ranks 13th nationally allowing just 175.1 passing yards per game. Tagovailoa has already bested four other top 50 pass defenses averaging 228.5 yards through the air against the likes of sixth-ranked Mississippi State, Arkansas State (16th), Louisville (41st), and LSU (44th).
In an effort to spark his offense, and possibly avoid some of the same issues that led Georgia to a 13-0 advantage at halftime in last season’s national championship, don’t be surprised if Tagovailoa and company come out firing early on Saturday, which could lead to a big day for the Heisman front-runner.
BY THE NUMBERS
13: The number of Southeastern Conference championships for Georgia, which ranks second all-time in conference history behind only Alabama’s 26 SEC titles, including the then-No. 2 ranked Crimson Tide’s 2012 conference championship victory (32-28) over then-No. 3 Georgia in their last SEC title game appearance against one another.
15: Georgia’s running back duo of junior Elijah Holyfield (896) and sophomore D’Andre Swift (962 yards) are vying to be the program’s 14th and 15th tailbacks to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a season, potentially joining last year’s 1,000yard duo of Nick Chubb (1,345) and Sony Michel (1,227).
47: With five more touchdown passes last Saturday against Auburn, Tagovailoa now has 47 career passing scores, which equals current junior backup Jalen Hurts, whose 53-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter Saturday was his 47th career to join former Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson for second all-time in program history. AJ McCarron leads all Alabama quarterbacks with 77 career passing touchdowns.
53: The number of career wins for Alabama’s senior class this season (53-3), which equals the NCAArecord 53 wins achieved by Alabama’s 2017 class last season (53-5). One more win would give Alabama a third-straight record-breaking senior class after surpassing the previous win total each of the past two seasons.
PREDICTION
Given its recent struggles getting things started offensively, and Georgia coaching staff’s intimate knowledge regarding many of Alabama’s usual tendencies, look for first-year Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and Tagovailoa to pull something out of his hat early Saturday.
If that means a couple of firstquarter shots downfield to Jerry Jeudy or some quick strike passes to tight end Irv Smith Jr., it could lead to even bigger things, especially if it serves to spread out Georgia’s defense, which should open up running opportunities for Alabama’s tailbacks. If those are successful, the Crimson Tide could return to its early-season form and build an early double-digit advantage on the scoreboard, which could force Georgia into playing catchup, which won’t likely work toward what the Bulldogs do well offensively -- namely running the ball.
Georgia will take its own shots with Riley Ridley and Hardman, but Swift could be a difference-maker if the Bulldogs can get its ground game going. Still, Alabama is simply too talented on defense, and explosive on offense, to allow another team to develop any sort of consistency and potentially run away with things, which should mean another convincing victory for the Tide, this time for the SEC championship. Alabama 35, Georgia 20.