Georgia football vs Alabama: Scouting report, bold predictions, injury updates

Kalen DeBoer was offensive coordinator at Indiana the last time Georgia football lost a game in Sanford Stadium in 2019.

The second-year Alabama coach brings the No. 16 Crimson Tide to Sanford Stadium to play a No. 3 Bulldogs team trying to extend a nation’s best 33-game home winning streak on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m.

More importantly, Georgia wants to show its overtime win at Tennessee in its last game wasn’t just one good day but the Bulldogs are again a top contender in the championship chase.

“It’s a huge one,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “We want to win this game. The SEC runs through Georgia and Alabama since I’ve grown up. To be a part of this game at home, with the home winning streak we have, I want to keep that alive and play Georgia football this weekend.”

Indeed, Alabama and Georgia have won a combined 10 of the last 11 SEC championships with LSU’s 2019 title the only outlier. The Crimson Tide has won seven and Georgia three, including two of the last three.

The Crimson Tide play home games in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saban Field, but DeBoer is now on the sidelines on game days after replacing Nick Saban.

Alabama is 9-0 at home under DeBoer, but it hasn’t gone well away, where the Crimson Tide is 2-5. Those losses came at Vanderbilt, LSU, Oklahoma, in a bowl game against Michigan and at Florida State to open this season.

“We’ve got to be resilient,” DeBoer said. “We know there are going to be storms we have to weather in the SEC, on the road, and you’ve got to do it. No one else is going to go do it for you.”

Georgia vs. Alabama predictions

The 2026 SEC opponents came out this week and Georgia-Alabama is on the slate again with the scene moving back to Tuscaloosa.

More often than not, this is must-watch TV and a compelling viewing with classic games in Tuscaloosa last year, SEC championship games and national title games from the second-and-26 heartache in the 2017 season for Georgia to the Kelee Ringo pick six to clinch a national title in the 2021 season.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson makes his first SEC start. He’s been terrific at home this season, but was 23 of 43 for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 31-17 loss to an unranked Florida State.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton proved a lot of doubters wrong in his first SEC road start two weeks ago. Now he gets his first SEC home start in a prime-time showdown.

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Georgia vs. Alabama scouting report

Why Georgia has an advantage: The obvious answer is because Kirby Smart and Georgia get Alabama on its home field for the first time in eight games with Smart as coach. Stockton is part of a Georgia offense that is averaging 209 rushing yards per game, a jump from 124.4 last season and an average per carry from 4.1 to 4.5. Alabama was gashed for 230 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in its loss at Florida State. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch also gives Stockton an explosive play waiting to happen.

Why Alabama has an advantage: Georgia’s secondary needs a bounce-back after giving up four touchdown passes to Tennessee, including three scores of 32 of more yards. Alabama is more than capable of repeating that with Ryan Williams, who torched Georgia last season with 6 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown, and Germie Bernard, who has 15 catches for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Georgia needs Ellis Robinson and Daniel Harris to hold up in a secondary with steady Daylen Everette and Joenel Aguero.

Georgia vs. Alabama injury updates

Georgia needed an open date on its schedule to give players, particularly on the offensive line, a chance to rest and get treatment for injuries.

Offensive right guard Juan Gaston (ankle) has been in and out of the lineup, but he appears available to play. Right tackle Earnest Greene (back) returned to the starting lineup against Tennessee but did not finish the game and is listed as doubtful. Center Malachi Toliver, bothered by an ankle injury earlier this season, is listed as out.

Alabama nose tackle Tim Keenan (ankle) and tight end Danny Lewis (undisclosed) are listed as probable. Linebacker Jah-Marien Latham (neck) and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman (knee) are out.

Georgia vs. Alabama score prediction

Georgia 34, Alabama 27. The winning team in this matchup has scored at least 33 points in five of the last six games. Alabama’s last two visits to Athens in 2015 (38-10) and 2008 (41-30) were nightmare games for Georgia. This one won’t be. The Bulldogs’ run game will complement its passing game and the Bulldogs’ defense will get just enough stops to pull this one out.

Georgia vs. Alabama scouting report: What we’re watching

Christen Miller: All four of Georgia’s sacks have come from linebackers. Georgia needs to be more disruptive from its interior pass rush and Miller, who has 8 career tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks, can certainly affect the quarterback. His 5 quarterback pressures are second on the team behind linebacker Raylen Wilson’s 7.

Jam Miller: Alabama has the fewest carries of any SEC team this season and ranks 12th in yards per attempt at 4.26, but gets Miller, its top ball carrier, back from a collarbone injury. The 5-foot-10, 221-pound Miller rushed for 668 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. “He’s extremely physical,” Smart said. “Obviously, Jam has more experience and he’s really physical, hard to tackle, point of attack, can get after it, and a really good pass protector. I mean, he’s just a veteran.”

Noah Thomas: We’ve been waiting for Noah Thomas to emerge as another target for Georgia’s offense to run through, but it hasn’t happened yet. Texas A&M’s top receiver last year has a mere 3 catches for 24 yards, all against Austin Peay. “It’s really been unfortunate because there have been times that his number was called, and we didn’t necessarily protect it well, or something happened or something came in the way, but he has not been fazed by it.,” Smart said. “At least he’s not shown it to us. He works hard. He buys into the team morale and concept, and in this world of football, you never know when your number’s going to be called.”

Alabama linebackers: Alabama already has 32 missed tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus, with 14 coming in the loss to Florida State. Justin Jefferson accounts for 5 of those and Deontae Lawson and Yohnzae Pierre 3 each. Georgia, by comparison, has 15 total missed tackles. Getting nose tackle Tim Keenan back from an ankle injury should help the Crimson Tide. “We’re super excited,” Lawson said. “We know he’s going to hold the double teams for us linebackers. We’ve just got to fly around and make plays. …This will be a great test for us to see if we can stop the run or not.”

Bold predictions for Georgia football vs Alabama

Glenn Schumann dials up more QB pressure

Georgia has managed just four sacks in three games so far this season, which ranks 106th in the nation in sacks per game. The Bulldogs lost their top six in sacks last season with NFL first-rounder Jalon Walker and Chaz Chambliss, accounting for 6 1/2 each, and first-rounder Mykel Williams with 5.

Smart said part of the reason for the numbers is Georgia didn’t get many defensive snaps in the first two games.

“I don’t sit here and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so concerned about our pass rush,'” Smart said. “We have to do a better job in everything we do, but I feel good about the rushers we have, and we’ve got to go out and execute. When we get an opportunity to rush, we have to rush.”

Ty Simpson has been sacked four times this season.

“I know them having an off week last week like us, they’re going to send a lot of stuff we haven’t seen before,” Simpson said.

Linebackers Chris Cole, Raylen Wilson and CJ Allen account for all of Georgia’s sacks, but the defensive line is still looking for one.

“They’re hungry. They’re ready to get after it,” Smart said. “I’m excited to see these guys go play. They want an opportunity to go play and get after it.”

Jalen Milroe wasn’t sacked in last year’s game when he threw for 374 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“We had multiple opportunities,” Smart said. “You have to finish on the quarterback.”

Sanford Stadium home crowd will cause Tide penalties

Alabama ranks 83rd in the nation in penalties per game at 6.7. The Tide had 8 for 70 yards at Florida State in a Week 1 upset loss.

Offensive linemen Kadyn Proctor, Kam Dewberry and Wilkin Forby all have been called for false starts.

Georgia’s home field advantage has paid off with opposing offenses being affected in games against Arkansas and Notre Dame in past years.

“I think it’s just that little edge,” punter Brett Thorson said. “When you have two teams that are so evenly matched talent and caliber-wise maybe it’s a few false starts from their offense. Maybe it’s just the offense taking the momentum from a lot of energy running out on the field. But any little thing, it’s kind of like special teams. Just getting that little edge can be a huge part in a game that’s going to be this close and this challenging.”

Alabama wideouts will make big plays again

Alabama’s passing game hit its stride the last two games, not just with Simpson and dangerous wideouts Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, but the emergence of freshman Lotzeir Brooks who has all six of his catches for 88 yards in that stretch.

Alabama has 13 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Simpson has 5 completions for 30 or more yards.

Germie Bernard accounts for 3 of those big plays and Ryan Williams, after missing a game coming off a concussion, had 5 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns against Wisconsin in the Crimson Tide’s last game.

Georgia’s defense got burned for big play touchdowns against Tennessee, including Ellis Robinson and Daniel Harris in man coverage.

“I feel like they’re aggressive, they’re really technical,” Bernard told reporters. “They like to play a lot of man-to-man so we’ve just got to win.”

Gunner Stockton will build off Tennessee performance

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton went back home during the Bulldogs’ bye weekend and had his Rabun County High jersey retired.

Bulldog fans saw the full Stockton at Tennessee where he threw for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns (including a pinpoint fourth-down pass to London Humphreys) and rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown.

“To be able to see him go out there and just play his game, kind of look like he was in high school now,” Delp said. “I’m excited for him.”

Stockton may not be the runner that Florida State’s Thomas Castellanos is, but Mike Bobo and the offensive staff game planned after watching the game film of Castellanos rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against this Alabama defense.

DeBoer noted Stockton’s “timely keeps, his ability to keep plays alive on pass plays, it’s certainly something you’ve got to be ready for.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia vs. Tennessee scouting report, score prediction

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