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ESPN’s David Pollack predicts Alabama’s difference maker against Georgia
By Jake Rill
Published:
ESPN analyst David Pollack spoke with the media Friday ahead of this week’s pivotal Alabama-Georgia clash, as College GameDay is in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the matchup. He spoke about the importance of Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban’s presence and praised running back Najee Harris.
Pollack also explained what he thought the X-factor was for this week’s game, and it wasn’t either of those. Instead, it’s the play of top Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle against a strong Georgia secondary.
“Georgia has a bunch of corners and experience that they have in that position group,” Pollack told reporters, including Tyler Martin of Bama Central. “I don’t worry about the outside as much as I do the inside. I think this game is decided on the inside part, that being the nickel backs versus the slot receivers.
“Waddle is that guy on the inside a lot of the time for Alabama. He has a ton of juice and can out run just about everybody. Going against [Mark] Webb, against [Tyrique] Stevenson, that’s the matchup that decides the game, for me.”
Through three weeks, Waddle is off to an impressive start. The junior has 19 receptions for 396 yards and three touchdowns, as he’s totaled at least 120 yards in each game.
However, Georgia’s secondary will be Alabama’s greatest challenge yet. The Bulldogs are allowing only 198.3 passing yards per game, so Crimson Tide redshirt junior quarterback Mac Jones will have to find ways to beat that unit and get the ball to Waddle and their other playmakers.
Alabama and Georgia are set to kick off on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
