The Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) are set to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. It will be the first time Kirby Smart has coached a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium since Nov. 21, 2015.
Emotions are high with the last two meetings in the back of both team’s minds, as Alabama was able to narrowly escape both with come-from-behind victories over Georgia. Will that be the case this time around, though?
Joe Vitale, the Managing Editor of UGA Wire, gave us some of his time to talk about the upcoming game between the Crimson Tide and the Dawgs. Check it out below.
1) From a fan’s and media member’s perspective, what is Georgia’s confidence meter going into this game? Has it changed any since we learned that Nick Saban tested positive for COVID-19?
Alabama is probably the one team in the country that Georgia fans think the Dawgs cannot handle. However, they likely won’t say it. We are hopeful, but in the back of our minds we have a bad feeling. We haven’t forgotten 2008, 2012, 2015, the natty and the most recent SEC Championship Game. We’re hopeful, and with the recent Nick Saban news we are even more hopeful, but I’m not sure that the confidence meter has gone up any.
2) What do the Bulldogs need to do, in your mind, to win this football game? What’s one thing they can’t afford to do?
The Dawgs need to air it out as much as possible while still being able to chew clock with the run game. That’s the only way to do it in my opinion. Look at Ole Miss last week, they were effective both in the air and on the ground. Georgia can’t afford to be one dimensional. Spread ‘em out, utilize the shifty, playmaking running backs in the passing game and keep Alabama guessing. The longer we are on offense the more rest the defense gets. And they’ll need plenty of it.
3) Do you think there’s any added pressure on Kirby Smart with the two consecutive blown second half leads against Alabama? Or do you think that could actually help him this time around?
I don’t know if it’s added pressure – and that’s just because of the standard Alabama has set. As frustrating as it is to blow second half leads, doing it against Alabama kind of, in a way, makes it “ok.” Nobody expects to beat Alabama, but the fact that Georgia has had the chance to play Bama in these big game scenarios means Kirby’s getting there. We’ve gone 40 years without a title, and as frustrating as it is, we can somewhat live with making it as far as we do and then losing a close one to Alabama because we know one of these days we’ll pull it off.
4) What is the perception of Scott Cochran in Athens?
What he’s done with the special teams has been noticeable. From kick returns/coverage to punting and kicking, this is as good of a special teams unit as I’ve seen in awhile.
5) How do you predict this game
I think the defense keeps us in it until the fourth quarter, but in the end Bama’s offense is just too much. I actually predict the same format as the last meetings. Dawgs blow a lead, our defense gets tired and then the Tide receivers make some heartbreaking plays.
Alabama wins it 32-27.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]