After winning a shootout at Ole Miss last week, No. 2 Alabama could be in store for more of a slugfest inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday as it hosts No. 3 Georgia. The Crimson Tide is currently a six-point favorite over the Bulldogs, according to VegasInsider. Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.
Is Alabama’s running game back for good?
From “disappointing” to downright dominant. Alabama’s running game certainly turned the corner against Ole Miss last week. To be fair, the Tide also ran up the middle, off tackle and even, on one occasion, over the top of Rebel defenders.
After struggling to move the ball on the ground against Texas A&M in Week 2, Alabama piled up 306 rushing yards against Ole Miss, its highest total since recording 308 yards on the ground against Arkansas in 2017. SEC Offensive Player of the Week Najee Harris led the way with 206 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries. Brian Robinson Jr. also had his best game in a Crimson Tide uniform, recording 76 yards and a score on 10 touches.
“I thought both guys played very well,” head coach Nick Saban said Monday. “But I think both guys had really good opportunities relative to how we were able to block them up front, the game plan that we had, the way it was executed.”
Heading into last week’s game Alabama ranked ninth in the SEC averaging 110 yards per game on the ground. Now it finds itself third in the conference at 175.3 rushing yards per game.
Of course, facing the nation’s worst run defense certainly helps. Through three games, Ole Miss is giving up a whopping 303.3 yards per game on the ground, more than 25 yards more than Navy, which ranks second to last. This week’s matchup will be a complete 180 as Georgia leads the nation by giving up a mere 38.3 yards per game on the ground.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 44-21 victory over Tennessee where they held the Volunteers to a loss of one yard on 27 rushing attempts. Georgia hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last 24 games, dating back to 2018 when Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 145 yards during LSU’s 36-16 win in Baton Rouge, La.
“They play well in all phases of the game,” Saban said of Georgia. “Their defense is especially very, very good, probably the best defensive team in the country all the way around, when you talk about stopping the run, having good pass defense, getting off the field on third down.”
Can Mac Jones emerge as the nation’s top quarterback?
The sample size keeps on growing, and so does Mac Jones’ success. Through three games, the Alabama quarterback leads the nation in both passer rating (220.35) and yards per attempt (13.3). He also ranks second in completion percentage (79.5) and fourth in passing yards per game (367).
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