Tag: Scott Cochram

We are officially in Week 4 of the college football season. Alabama (3-0) is set to take on Georgia (3-0) for this matchup between two top 3 teams.

With the uncertainty surrounding the status of head coach Nick Saban due to a positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, the storylines surrounding this game have been interesting. It does look like Saban could be available, however, after he had two consecutive negative tests on Thursday and Friday.

The line between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs continues to fluctuate due the back and forth with Saban, but it currently sits at Alabama -5.5 against Georgia, according to BetMGM.

Below are the predictions from the staff at Roll Tide Wire, including some analysis!

AJ Spurr, Contributor

Alabama’s strong offense is No. 1 in the nation averaging over 50 points per game. However, Georgia’s defense looks like that of Crimson Tide’s past, allowing an average of 12 points per game.

Pete Golding’s defense has proven to be inconsistent and unreliable, so this game will come down to Mac Jones and Najee Harris attempting to get the best of the Bulldog’s defense.

A hard fought game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama could land the winner in the No. 1 spot in next week’s AP Top 25.

Final score: Alabama 38, Georgia 31

Clint Lamb, Managing Editor

I believe Alabama’s defense matches up better against Georgia than it did against Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss offense. That means the Tide should have more success, but that shouldn’t be hard to do considering how atrocious they looked against the Rebels. Like I mentioned before, a lot is going to be dictated on whether or not the defense can force the Bulldogs to be one-dimensional.

I believe Alabama likes its chances if the game is forced onto Bennett’s shoulders. That’s not meant as a knock towards Bennett either, as he’s a respectable quarterback who still has plenty of unknowns. But it has typically taken elite play at the quarterback position (for four quarters) to beat Alabama. Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton and even Stephen Garcia for that one game are all perfect examples.

Can Bennett be that guy? It’s a question that might need to be answered.

But either way, it would be foolish to predict a blowout. Well, as long as the Alabama offense and Georgia defense can reach a stalemate like we all believe it will. If one is able to assert its dominance over the other, things could get ugly. But there are too many unknowns at play, one being the emotional factor for both teams, to predict this game with confidence.

But since we have to pick a score…

Final score: Alabama 31, Georgia 23

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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.

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