Robert Gillespie Breaks Down 'Physical' Georgia Defense, Not Changing Pregame Message

The Crimson Tide running backs coach has a ton of respect for the Bulldogs' stout defense, but still expects his position group to "hit a guy in the face."

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team works out Sunday morning in practice as they prepare for the 2024 season. Alabama running back Justice Haynes (22) makes cut around Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie is one of the very few members of last year's staff retained by new head coach Kalen DeBoer, as he's been with the Crimson Tide since 2021.

Since his arrival, Alabama has been among the top rushing schools in the country, and that status has continued through the first three weeks of the young football season. The rushing prowess of running backs Jam Miller and Justice Haynes and quarterback Jalen Milroe have created an average of 238 yards per game, which is the 19th-best spot in college football. Additionally, the Tide's 13 rushing touchdowns is the seventh-most in the country, despite playing one less game than most schools.

However, the Tide's previous opponents are much different than this upcoming one, as No. 4 Alabama is preparing for perhaps the overall biggest game of the entire college football regular season when No. 2 Georgia comes to Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28. Georgia, who won National Championships in 2021 and 2022, has been known for its stout defense for quite some time and the same applies to this year.

The Bulldogs' six points allowed per game through three games is the third-best in college football, trailing only Ole Miss and Texas, who are tied for first at 5.5. That said, Georgia is the only team in the nation that is yet to allow a touchdown while only giving up one explosive play — the bread and butter to Alabama's success thus far.

On Wednesday, Gillespie opened up about Georgia's run defense, stating that every type of gain, short, medium or long, matters.

"Positive yards," Gillespie said. "You've got to work for everything you get against those guys. They do a great job coaching it and recruiting the type of players who take pride in not giving up a yard. Every yard has to be earned, every yard has to be fought for, so we're ready for the challenge."

The Bulldogs have been above average against the run as they've allowed 110.7 yards per game, which is good for No. 42 in the nation. But like the Crimson Tide defense, they really haven't played a highly touted backfield. Gillespie is well aware of Georgia's long-time tendency of frequently stopping the ball at/behind the line of scrimmage.

"When you think about the SEC, you think about Georgia," Gillespie said. "They're one of the most physical teams in it, but so are we. That's why when we talk about Georgia you can't blink without seeing Alabama. I've been fortunate to be a part of this place for a few years, we've had a chance to go head-to-head with them and this won't be any different. They're a team that you respect...and I think they have the same respect for us on this end."

Nevertheless, Gillespie stressed that the message to his position group has not and will not change for this heavyweight showdown.

"If I treat this game any different, that's not fair to the guys because I didn't put respect on the other team," Gillespie said. "That's what you do here at Alabama. We're going to get everybody's best. Wisconsin we got their best, South Florida too, and we're going to get Georgia's best. In a few weeks, we'll get South Carolina's best. I don't change how I approach the week and say 'this is more important this week' because that's not fair to the other guys we play and I think our guys approach it the same way."

"Jam [Miller] is going to go out and practice the same way he did this week as he did the weeks before. If he waited until now to want to practice pass protection, we would've lost some of those earlier games. You want to be a great player every week. That's hard to not do, but I think once you get to a level like this you got to respect everybody and put a premium on pass protection and ball security every week."

Gillespie has been and continues to emphasize his position group's pass-blocking abilities, as the Crimson Tide obviously won't run the ball on every snap. He understands that running backs can't block a 300-pound defensive lineman forever, but although it's sometimes needed, "cutting is a last resort."

"I don't to give a guy enough respect to think he's worth cutting," Gillespie said. "We want to hit a guy in his face. If he wants to come in the A-Gap, we want to have great technique, elbows tight, bend our hips, raise up and hit a guy. We want to play man-to-man football in the A-Gap...It's a fight. You can give a boxer enough technique, but in the last round of the fight, he's going to fight to survive."

No. 4 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia will step into the boxing ring that is Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.