Georgia has a ton of star players to deal with in their matchup against Alabama (streaming tomorrow on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET). The biggest star player for UGA to worry about is Jalen Milroe, the dual-threat quarterback commanding the offense of the Crimson Tide. College GameDay and the rest of the college football fandom will be watching to see how his skillset will test the loaded Georgia defense.
Milroe emerged as the starter at Alabama following Bryce Young’s departure for the 2023 NFL Draft, and his rookie season was excellent. He threw for 2,834 yards on 284 attempts, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 177.5 passer rating, leading the Crimson Tide to a 27-24 win over the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship and a playoff berth, where they played the National Champion Michigan Wolverines close before losing 27-20.
So far this season, Milroe has 590 passing yards, eight touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 213.4 passer rating this year, albeit Alabama hasn’t played an SEC team until now.
Of course, Georgia will also have to compete with Milroe’s legs and arm. Milroe has 1,007 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns in his career, showing his prowess as a dual-threat quarterback. His legs put a lot of pressure on the defense, arguably making them his best weapon
That’s not to say that Milroe has no weakness in his game: he has a knack for hunting for the deep ball (he had 34 20+ air-yard throws last year), along with looking to run, which causes him to take a ton of sacks. He took 49 sacks last year + this year, which gives him an absurdly high 14.5 sack percentage.
Despite his mobility, he’s also not a quarterback who’s effective at sneaking. His attempt to hit the home run on most of his running plays can lead to negative plays, like sacks.
In that case, Georgia will have to make sure to win against Alabama’s offensive linemen to exploit this. It’s easier said than done, especially if Mykel Williams isn’t able to play. It’ll be a tough task for Georgia to claim victory over Alabama, but no. 4 under center for the Crimson Tide will make it even more difficult.