'Dogfight' anticipated when Georgia football tangles with Alabama in Tuscaloosa

TAMPA, Fla. — Raylen Wilson sounds like his ears are still ringing from his trip to Tuscaloosa for Georgia football’s game at Alabama two years ago.

“I remember it was LOUD,” the Georgia senior inside linebacker said of a 41-34 Crimson Tide win on Sept, 28, 2024. “It gets loud up there in Tuscaloosa. So it’s always a good game when we go up there. We’ve just got to come out and do what we’ve got to do.”

Georgia goes back to Tuscaloosa to play on Oct. 10 in a prime-time game.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown said Wednesday at SEC Media Days. “We know what Georgia does. They know what we do. We’re familiar. It’s going to be a long four quarters.”

Georgia hasn’t won a regular season game against Alabama since 2007.

“In our league, nobody ever talks about it,” coach Kirby Smart said, “but playing on the road in our league can completely change a game in terms of what you can do offensively because it’s the most raucous environments in the country.”

Georgia lost in 2020 and 2024 at Bryant Denny Stadium and 24-21 at home on Sept. 27, 2025, snapping a 33-game home winning streak in Sanford Stadium.

“We don’t really focus on what happens in the past,” Wilson said. “The next game is the best game. We’re trying to make every game the best.”

Smart is 2-7 against the program where he was defensive coordinator under Nick Saban during his time there from 2007-15.

“Coming to Georgia, we end up playing them for a national championship in the second year,” Smart said. “Happened really fast. …When you have two good programs that end up meeting up a lot in meaningful games, it creates a rivalry. Then we’ve had the actual regular season games that have added to that rivalry.”

Georgia won the last game against Alabama, 28-7, in the SEC Championship game in December.

“We remember every time we face them,” Brown said. “It is a clean slate.”

Alabama, coming off an 11-4 season that ended with a 38-3 shellacking by eventual national champion Indiana in the CFP quarterfinals, is being picked to be a middle of the pack SEC team this year. The Tide is predicted to finish seventh in voting by USA TODAY Sports writers.

“We’ve got to go prove it,” third-year coach Kalen DeBoer said Wednesday. “We do. We’ve got to go out and get the job done.”

Alabama started 8-1 but went 3-3 down the stretch.

“You can say the fans are kind of disappointed in the big losses,” safety Bray Hubbard said. “But they would probably be as mad with the short losses or closer games.”

Said DeBoer: “We felt like we righted a wrong a little bit last year with some of the things we accomplished. We also understand we fell short of what our expectations are internally.”

Two years ago, Georgia and Alabama met in a top 5 matchup.

Georgia looked buried after Alabama jumped to a 28-0 lead before Georgia stormed back to take the lead with 2:31 to go.

Ryan Coleman-Williams was a freshman then. The wide receiver put Alabama ahead for good on a 75-yard touchdown on a play he caught a pass near the sideline and spun away from two defenders before hitting the end zone.

The play is among his most memorable in college.

“It’s up there for sure,” Coleman-Williams, who had 6 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown in the game said. “It’s top three.”

Alabama ranked 123^rd nationally in rushing at 104.1 yards per game last season.

“We want to be able to run the football better,” DeBoer said.

Redshirt junior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell will battle to replace Tyler Simpson at quarterback.

“It’s going to be a competition that’s going to lead to a tough decision,” DeBoer said.

The Georgia game comes in week 6.

“It’s going to be a great environment,” Hubbard said. “They’ve got a great program, great team. They always do and so you know we have to be on our A game, but we also have to be on our A game every game. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot, but you know there’s nothing like having a home game at Byrant-Denny against a great opponent.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: ‘Dogfight’ anticipated when Georgia football tangles with Alabama in Tuscaloosa