Georgia vs. Alabama prediction: 3 ways Bulldogs can beat Crimson Tide

Georgia faces Alabama in the game of the year. Here are the three ways the Bulldogs can take down the Crimson Tide and stay undefeated.

Georgia meets Alabama in the game of the season: How can the Bulldogs take down the Crimson Tide? / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The game of the early 2024 college football season comes to us from the SEC with a pair of top-five ranked national title contenders, as No. 2 Georgia hits the road against No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night in a meeting loaded with conference and playoff implications.

Georgia is seeking to avenge last season’s SEC Championship Game loss to the Crimson Tide, a game that spoiled its perfect season and shot at a third-straight national championship.

And also put some nagging questions about last week’s performance against Kentucky behind it, slogging through a 13-12 win at the Wildcats that left more questions than answers heading into Georgia’s open week.

Georgia is 1-8 against Alabama since 2007, including losses in four SEC title games and a national championship, but Nick Saban is out of the picture, and Kirby Smart finds himself in position to take advantage, facing the first of three major road tests that will define the team this season.

How can the Bulldogs pull it off? Here are three ways Georgia can take out Alabama.

1. Stop the QB

You don’t have to be a genius to figure this one out.

Alabama is one of the more explosive offenses in college football this season, ranking 3rd in expected points per play and 12th in yards per play, and the key to the castle remains dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe.

He’s the engine behind a rushing attack that posts 238 yards per game on the ground, and Kalen DeBoer is taking advantage of that mobility more this season than Saban did a year ago.

That makes it crucial for Georgia’s front to contain the quarterback, limit his escape routes to the outside, contest his unscripted runs, and force him to sit in the pocket while the Bulldogs’ defenders lock down his young receivers.

And while Georgia has remained strong up front so far, it’s doing so largely without one of their best players, as pass rusher Mykel Williams has been dealing with an ankle injury. There’s a chance he can return for this game, a major advantage going against a strong Bama protection unit.

Michigan’s performance in a win against Alabama in last year’s Rose Bowl could be a blueprint: it blitzed Milroe almost 43 percent of the time in that game, a figure that was 57 percent more often than it blitzed any other opponent in any other game. The result? Six sacks.

2. Get aggressive early

Relying on its dominant defense has sometimes found Georgia taking its time finding a rhythm on offense, a concerning development given the team’s subpar pass protection thus far, and the want of a dynamic receiving threat who can move the chains on third downs.

The absence of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey is noticeable, but the Bulldogs have options to spread defenses out and test the perimeter with some legitimate speedsters like Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith.

By forcing Alabama’s defenders to the outside early on, Georgia can open up some decent mid-range passing lanes in the middle of the field, where Carson Beck does some of his best work.

That early start is important: Georgia has scored just three offensive touchdowns in the first half of games this season, and two of those were against an FCS opponent.

3. Find the big play

So far, Georgia’s offense pales in comparison to the last two seasons when it comes to explosive plays. Through three games in 2024, it ranks just 73rd nationally in advances of 20-plus yards downfield.

The year before? Georgia was No. 6 nationally. And the year before that? It was No. 1 in the country. 

Part of that could be that offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has purposefully played Beck more conservatively early on, to avoid Alabama seeing his more aggressive play designs, and waiting to reveal them in this critical game.

But you could also argue that Alabama has been doing the same with its pass rushing approach. It boasts one of the nation’s best defensive lines, but has hardly blitzed anyone this year. That pressure is coming, and it’s up to Georgia’s blockers to withstand it, so Beck has time to find his rhythm.

More ... Georgia vs. Alabama score prediction by expert football model

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