How Georgia Bulldogs can turn the Crimson Tide in rematch

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

The most dominant defense in college football certainly did not live up to its billing in the SEC Championship, when Alabama pummeled Georgia in a lopsided, 41-24 victory. 

Despite boasting a roster filled with NFL prospects, the Bulldogs failed to record a single sack or interception of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in 44 pass attempts, surrendering an eye-popping 461 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in a mesmerizing effort that all but guaranteed that one week later, the true sophomore would be named the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.

Georgia was dazed by multiple haymakers from Young, including touchdown throws of 67 and 55 yards to star wideout Jameson Williams. The Bulldogs were further caught off-guard by the 6-foot, 194-pound quarterback — who normally resides in the pocket — scrambling for 40 yards, including an 11-yard scurry for just his third rushing touchdown of the season (among 49 overall).    

Was Georgia’s defense overrated from the start? Was this game the latest example of the mastermind Nick Saban paving the way to his unprecedented eighth national title? Or might Kirby Smart (Georgia's head coach and a former Saban assistant) have played a little rope-a-dope in a potentially meaningless conference title game, anticipating a rematch with bigger stakes?

Let’s explore. 

Before the kickoff even takes place, it is important to acknowledge that the rematch Monday will feature significant differences for both teams. 

Alabama took a potentially critical loss in the SEC Championship, with receiver John Metchie suffering a torn ACL in the second quarter. While Metchie might not possess the game-breaking speed of his teammate Williams, he was Alabama’s most experienced receiver and Young’s favorite target this season. He hauled in a team- and career-high 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight scores, with an impressive stat line (six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown) prior to his injury against Georgia.

Of course, with each turning of the Tide, Alabama seemingly unearths another star receiver, with a bevy of former four- and five-star recruits just waiting to take advantage of the national stage. In the Cotton Bowl win over Cincinnati, for example, Alabama turned to freshman Ja’Corey Brooks, who doubled his previous single-game personal best with four grabs for 66 yards and a touchdown, with dependable slot receiver Slade Bolden hauling in a score of his own among three catches for 31 yards. 

After the Tide lost both Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith to the NFL via the first round last year, however, the Alabama cupboard is not quite as stocked at receiver as usual. While Williams — a transfer from Ohio State who might just be the first pass-catcher selected in the 2022 NFL Draft — is undeniably a superstar, Georgia boasts a lockdown cornerback in Derion Kendrick (a transfer from Clemson). Kendrick, who might be asked to shadow Alabama’s playmaker in the rematch in hopes of forcing Young to look elsewhere, is complemented in the middle by hard-hitting safety Lewis Cine. 

Along with getting pressure on Young, slowing the 6-foot-2, 189-pound Williams should be one of Georgia’s top priorities. At different points in the SEC Championship, Williams beat all four of Georgia’s vaunted secondary, showing off his extraordinary acceleration to leave Cine, safety Christopher Smith and young cornerback Kelee Ringo breathing his vapor trails. 

In just his first season in Tuscaloosa, Williams was named one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wideout. He jumped from nine catches for 154 yards and two scores with the Buckeyes last season to 75 grabs for 1,507 yards and 15 scores for the Tide this year, with seven catches for a game-high 184 yards and two TDs against Georgia a month ago.

Georgia, on the other hand, enters the rematch relatively healthy, though the midseason loss of edge rusher Adam Anderson is a big reason the current Georgia defense is not as strong as the original version.

Anderson did not suit up against Alabama in the SEC Championship, having not played since Oct. 30 due to an investigation into allegations of rape. His impact on Georgia’s defense can be summarized as efficiently as his burst and bend off the edge. Until Butkus Award-winning linebacker Nakobe Dean notched his sixth sack of the season in the New Year’s Eve win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl, Anderson’s 5.5 sacks led the Bulldogs. 

Fellow edge rushers Travon Walker and Nolan Smith are NFL prospects in their own right, with the former in particular boasting the kind of explosiveness, at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, to make scouts drool. That said, Walker was matched up with Alabama’s star left tackle, Evan Neal, in the SEC Championship and was left pretty punch-less, recording just two tackles overall and only one of them a solo stop.

Smith was more productive than his teammate, posting four tackles and being credited with half a tackle for loss, but his stops were also assists and came against lesser competition. In the initial showdown, Smith lined up mostly against Alabama's 6-foot-3, 305-pound redshirt senior right tackle, Chris Owens, a player viewed by scouts as more of a late-round possibility compared to Neal, a 6-foot-7, 351-pound behemoth projected as a top-five selection in 2022.

Don’t be surprised if, rather than Georgia’s outside rushers, it is underrated defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt who supplies the pressure on Young. While overshadowed by some of Georgia’s other defensive talents, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound Wyatt is highly regarded among NFL scouts, showing burst, power and a high-revving motor. He was one of the few Georgia defenders to notch a tackle for loss against Alabama — doing so in his third consecutive game — on his way to setting career highs this season in tackles (35), solo stops (20), tackles for loss (seven), sacks (2.5) and forced fumbles (two).

Regardless of how they accomplish it, the Bulldogs must show bite in the passing game in the rematch — or else Alabama will almost surely win.

Smart and Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning cannot take the approach of sending all-out blitzes against Alabama, however. As was shown against a Cincinnati squad that tried (and failed) this tactic, besides Young and Williams, the Tide boast a star at running back in Brian Robinson.

While the Bulldogs deserve plenty of criticism for their inability to stop Alabama’s passing attack, they did a fantastic job in December of slowing down Robinson, who gashed Cincinnati for a career-high 204 yards in the Tide's Cotton Bowl win. Possessing a similar frame and game to his predecessor, Najee Harris, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Robinson averaged an eye-popping 7.8 yards per attempt against the Bearcats. He ran for "just" 55 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game, however, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt, both his second-lowest totals of the season (LSU). 

Massive Georgia nose guard Jordan Davis (all 6-foot-6, 330 pounds of him) and the aforementioned Dean deserve a great deal of credit for slowing Robinson in their first meeting. However, should Georgia get too aggressive in its efforts to contain Young, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will have a counterpunch waiting, and Robinson could very well be the uppercut to complement his quarterback's steady jabs. 

Of course, the most critical factor in this game will be turnovers. Georgia did not force one in the SEC Championship, while the Tide intercepted Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett twice, including a fourth-quarter pick-six that all but sealed the victory.

Alabama’s momentum-swinging plays were gut-punches to a Georgia squad that quietly won the time of possession battle (34:13 to 25:47) and had more first downs (30-25) — normally a recipe for success in a physical game like those often played in the SEC.

It will be easier said than done, but if Georgia can force Young off his spot, eliminate big plays over the top and force Alabama to work its way down the field, this supremely talented Bulldogs defense might very well prove Vegas (and FOX Bet) correct in winning the deciding second round in a clash between the biggest heavyweights in college football this season.

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.