Ad Disclosure
Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia matchup isn’t quite as big as the 2012 SEC Championship Game, when the Bulldogs came up just short against the Tide.
But it is significant in the sense that Georgia can seriously dent Alabama’s national championship aspirations by handing the Tide their second loss of the season. Here is what a few media outlets are saying about the SEC’s biggest matchup of the week:
- Alabama is facing an elimination game at Georgia. So says Fox Sports, which isn’t too much of a stretch when you consider that the Crimson Tide still has SEC games at Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn as well as home games against Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU.
- O.J. Howard feels his quarterback Jacob Coker has come along quite well. That’s what the Alabama tight end believes, and if it’s true, the Tide will have a decent shot Saturday in Athens.
- Alabama’s offense faces a big challenge against a tough Georgia defense. That’s according to this report. Georgia is second in the SEC in passing defense while the Crimson Tide is 11th. The Bulldogs are also second in scoring defense while Bama is fourth. The Crimson Tide’s rushing defense is decidedly better with Alabama ranked first in the league and fourth in the country while Georgia’s is fourth in the SEC.
- Mark Richt needs to beat Alabama to get Georgia back on top. So says ESPN, which isn’t necessarily true when you consider that Georgia could still cruise into the SEC Championship Game even with a loss on Saturday. But a Bulldogs victory would definitely be a big statement.
- The kickers could be key in Saturday’s game. Alabama’s Adam Griffith and Georgia counterpart Marshall Morgan have struggled this season, with Griffith 3 of 7 on field goal attempts so far this season and Morgan connecting on 4 of 6.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
