Georgia football vs Alabama scouting report, bold predictions, injuries

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Georgia football is getting a repeat matchup in the SEC Championship game for the second straight season and third time under Kirby Smart.

If past results are any indication, that’s a good sign for the No. 3 Bulldogs against No. 10 Alabama on Saturday Dec. 6.

Smart and Georgia won both second acts — in 2017 after a blowout loss to Auburn and last season when the Bulldogs followed a convincing win over Texas by coming out on top in overtime.

The only other time Georgia saw the same team twice in a season was in 2021, when Alabama handed the Bulldogs a 41-24 loss in the SEC Championship game and Georgia won the second tilt in the national title game, 33-18.

When coach Kirby Smart met with the team on Sunday night, he told them, “‘You earned the opportunity to play in this game. This was not given, this was earned. This was not picked by a committee, it was on the field.’”

This is the longest stretch — 10 weeks — between games for a rematch under Smart.

“Seems like ages ago,” Smart said.

Alabama beat Georgia 24-21 on Sept. 27 in Athens.

“The gauntlet of the stretch that they played and we’ve played has impacted both of our seasons,” Smart said. “I think we both had people coming in or coming out of lineups the last time we played. Now you look at the long spell between games, seven, six, seven, eight games, whatever it is. Both teams are coming out of and coming into injuries. …You evolve as a team, you have trends, but good teams do what they do. They’re not going to be a lot of change and both these teams are good teams.”

Georgia vs. Alabama predictions

Since playing Alabama, Georgia has won eight straight, including tight games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida and Georgia Tech, and blowouts of Mississippi State and Texas.

The Crimson Tide went through a stretch of four ranked opponents following the Georgia win and came away unscathed with victories over Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee.

It suffered its second loss of the season at home against No. 10 Oklahoma on Nov. 15 and pulled out a win in the Iron Bowl 27-20 over Auburn last Saturday.

Both teams have turned on the game film from the first matchup.

“Obviously they have improved as an offense,” Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said. “You can’t really just base it off that game. You don’t have to start from scratch. I mean, you can only change so much. Like we know them, they know us. It’s just going to come down to who has the most physicality, who is more detailed, honestly who wants it more. That’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Georgia will try to become the first back-to-back SEC champion since Alabama in 2020-2021.

That was in a 14-team SEC. Georgia will try to do it in a 16-team league that now includes Texas and Oklahoma.

“The SEC we’re talking about now was not the SEC we were talking about for the last, I don’t know, almost a hundred years,” Smart said. “It’s a challenge to win that trophy. It’s a mark of toughness, of battle scars. The team that wins it has been through a gauntlet and it has been tough. I think it’s a great chance to win a championship.”

Why Georgia has an advantage: The Bulldogs are winning in different ways, whether low-scoring games against Georgia Tech and Auburn, or putting up plenty of points against Ole Miss and Tennessee. Georgia can play loose knowing that its playoff spot is secure. They should be familiar with the setting in the fourth game in Mercedes-Benz since the start of last season. They won the previous three.

Why Alabama has an advantage: The CFP’s ninth-ranked Crimson Tide should be highly motivated, not only to win an SEC title but to remove any doubt that they will get in the playoff with a win and won’t leave that in the hands of the committee. The Crimson Tide’s dominance of Georgia going back to 2008 could give them added belief that they will win a close game.

Georgia football vs. Alabama injury updates

Georgia: Tight end Ethan Barbour (ankle, out), safety Kyron Jones (foot, questionable), wide receiver Colbie Young (leg, out), center Drew Bobo (foot, out), defensive lineman Jordan Hall (knee, out) and running back Bo Walker (undisclosed, out).

Alabama: Defensive backs Dre Kirkpatrick (suspension, out) and Kameron Howard (undisclosed, out), defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman (knee, out) and LT Overton (undisclosed, out), linebacker Jah-Marien Latham (neck, out), running backs Kevin Riley (undisclosed, out) and Jam Miller (leg, questionable), tight ends Josh Cuevas (undisclosed, questionable) and Danny Lewis (undisclosed, questionable) and offensive lineman Kam Dewberry (undisclosed, questionable) and Mal Waldrep (undisclosed, out).

Georgia football vs. Alabama score prediction

Georgia 23, Alabama 20 Alabama’s last two SEC games were a home loss to Oklahoma and a win at Auburn in which it needed Kalen DeBoer to make a gutsy fourth-down call to go ahead with under four minutes to play. The Crimson Tide haven’t run the ball well this season and are beat-up in the backfield. Georgia’s improved pass rush and the Bulldogs’ kicking game could swing this game.

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

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton: How will Stockton respond a week after he threw for his fewest passing yards as the Bulldogs’ starter and had his lowest passing efficiency at 86.6 against Georgia Tech?

Stockton has thrown four of his five interceptions over the last five games. He was 11 of 21 for 70 yards and one interception in the 16-9 win over Georgia Tech.

“A couple times he had some pressure in his face where we probably missed some guys that were open,” Smart said. “He’s got to navigate the pocket a little better or just get rid of it, try to take a sack. I thought he forced the one ball for the interception. That’s not like him. He probably played better than I actually thought after the game.”

Stockton did not connect on several deep balls against Georgia Tech. His longest completion went for 24 yards.

After watching that game film, Stockton said, “I talked about just calming down, doing what I do week in and week out and during practice, just doing the basic stuff that I’m taught to do.”

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson: The first-year starter lit Georgia up for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 of 38 passing in the Tide’s 24-21 win on Sept. 27.

He’s thrown for 25 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions this season. He had 3 touchdown passes in the win at Auburn but completed just 19 of 35 passes for 122 yards.

Simpson made plays on the run, going 26 yards on a third-and-3 scramble and scrambling for a first down on third-and-7.

“He made some huge plays in the last couple games with his legs,” Smart said.

Simpson is third in the SEC in passing yards with 3,056 and ninth in yards per completion at 11.9.

Georgia linebacker CJ Allen said what stood out about Simpson from the first game against the Tide was getting “the offense in the right call, being able to make those throws down the field, coverage in tight windows, being able to extend plays with his legs.”

Georgia’s center position: With center Drew Bobo out after his lower leg injury against Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs’ offensive line will be put to the test in this one.

The SEC championship game could be the first SEC start for Malachi Toliver, who played the second half against Georgia Tech and started against Charlotte due to a hand injury to Bobo.

“Against Charlotte, when he got his chance, he played his butt off,” Stockton said. “He always is straining and working hard for the team.”

Smart lauded Bobo’s understanding of the game, including leverages, making checks and putting the offensive line in right situations.

Whoever starts at center for Georgia will have to go up against Alabama nose guard Tim Keenan who has 2 sacks and 9 tackles in 9 games. He made his season debut in the Georgia game after being sidelined by injury.

“I know they’re very sound,” Keenan said of the Georgia offensive line. “Especially in SEC play, the trenches, it kinds of get nasty and that. It’s definitely going to be a great battle, one for the centuries, like it always is when Alabama and Georgia plays. I think that’s like the mismatch of the game.”

Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson: The sophomore cornerback and Georgia’s secondary was coming off a rough game against Tennessee before the last meeting with Alabama.

Now, Robinson leads the SEC with 4 interceptions after making one each of the last two weeks.

He’s provided a dependable pass defender opposite of third-year starter Daylen Everette. Robinson has allowed 11 catches on 26 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He was a work in progress as a freshman, just frustrated sometimes,” Smart said. “But he believed in the process of getting better, and he’s still getting better.”

Bold predictions for Georgia football vs Alabama in the SEC title

Georgia puts the pressure on Ty Simpson

Ty Simpson was not sacked once in the first game this season against Georgia.

That contributed to the Tide converting on 13 of 19 third downs.

The Bulldogs still have only 17 sacks this season — which ranks 116th nationally — but have 9 sacks in the last 4 games.

“We don’t have a dynamic, clear-cut, dominant rusher,” Smart said. “We’ve had some of those in the past with Jalen [Carter] and Mykel [Williams], both coming out early and Ty [Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins] those guys not being there, it was a little bit of an adjustment to get the younger players groomed faster.”

Outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson has 1 1/2 sacks and defensive end Gabe Harris has 1 with 18 quarterback pressures. Smart has seen growth in both since the first Alabama game.

“Gabe is a little older,” Smart said. “He’s still kind of coming into his own. He was young then and he’s grown up a lot. He’s had to grow up because he got forced into playing time at an early age last year and even this year, and he’s accepted that role and he’s improved.”

Alabama is tied for 71st in sacks allowed with 22 including 3 last week to Auburn.

Alabama gets Ryan Williams more involved

Ryan Williams tied for the team receiving lead against Georgia in the first game this season with 5 catches for 43 yards. He had a career-day with 6 for 177 and a touchdown in the win in Tuscaloosa last season.

The sophomore has not had more than 3 catches in any of the last four games and was shutout against Auburn when he wasn’t targeted at all.

“We’ve got to be intentional because he’s a playmaker for us,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “The ball just found some other guys and they made plays, like you saw with Isaiah Horton.”

Horton had 5 catches for 35 yards and 3 touchdowns against Auburn and leads the team with 8 touchdown catches.

Geramie Bernard is Alabama’s top receiver with 51 catches for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Gunner Stockton’s feet will play a big role

Gunner Stockton had a season-low-tying 5 carries for 26 yards in the last game against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide gave up 108 yards on 23 carries to Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels last week.

Stockton ran a career-high 15 times for 42 yards against Georgia Tech on scrambles and designed runs.

He’s tied for second among SEC quarterbacks with 8 rushing touchdowns.

With Bobo’s injury, Georgia’s offensive line will be under the gun against Alabama. It will be crucial for Stockton to continue to make plays with his feet.

Alabama is third in the SEC in fumbles gained with 9.

“They have a great defense,” Stockton said. “Just the way they attack the ball. They have a bunch of turnovers for the year. Not only interceptions, just the way they attack the ball and try to get strip-outs. I think that credits them to just how they run to the ball, just the way they swarm the ball.”

Georgia’s kicking game will be a difference maker

Georgia’s kicking game was on its game against Georgia Tech.

Peyton Woodring booted three field goals, including a 50-yarder, and is now 15 of 16 on the season. Brett Thorson averaged 51.3 yards per punt on four kicks against the Yellow Jackets.

Crimson Tide kicker Connor Talty is 13 of 20 on field goals. Punter Blake Doud averages 42.7 yards per punt.

Alabama ranks 100th in special teams by ESPN’s SP+. Georgia is No. 4.

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

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos