It’s no secret that Alabama has plenty of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and the Crimson Tide’s skill players will challenge Georgia this Saturday in a top-20 showdown.
The Bulldogs struggled to stop Tennessee’s high-powered offense in a 44-41 victory Sept. 13, and this week will likely be no different.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Alabama’s offensive success starts with quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson has a 72% completion rate for 862 yards, nine touchdowns, and zero interceptions this year, but the last two games have been his best performances. He was 17 of 17 for 226 yards and three touchdowns against Louisiana Monroe. Then, Simpson finished 24 of 29 passing for 382 yards and two scores versus Wisconsin.
“I would say he’s probably the hottest quarterback right now in all of college football. His last two outings, I don’t know that I’ve seen an incompletion. The ball does not hit the ground. He’s been accurate and quick,” Smart said. “They’re hard to defend because of their skill. They’ve got tremendous skill receivers, backs, tight ends, but you’ve got to have a trigger guy that can get those guys the ball, and they do.”
Simpson is a much different player than former Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, who shredded the Bulldog defense in the last two meetings between the teams. The junior signal caller is a pure pocket passer.
Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton are Alabama’s most explosive weapons at wide receiver.
“You’ve seen them on tape go vertical, make vertical plays. Obviously, the talent Ryan [Williams] has, but there are a lot of people who focus on him and try to take him out of the game,” Smart said of the group. And the Bernard kid has been incredible. I feel like he’s been there forever [but] he’s only there in his second year; he came with those guys. He is the catalyst for that offense because he does so much. He is similar to Dillon Bell, but they use him as a back. They use him as a point of attack blocker, reverse guy, gadget guy, vertical guy, and deep routes. I mean, he’s a complete player, and he’s really physical.
“And I have a lot of respect for the way he plays. But all their wideouts are playing at a high level right now because their quarterback is,” Smart continued. “And when your quarterback’s throwing the ball well and they’re catching the ball well, it’s hard because they don’t just do one thing. They have multiple schemes.”
Alabama running back Kevin Riley not only runs between the tackles but can catch the ball out of the backfield, too. Tight end Josh Cuevas adds depth as both a blocker and a pass catcher for the Crimson Tide as well.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar picked apart Georgia’s secondary, passing for 371 yards and four touchdowns. The Bulldogs did come up with two interceptions, but also gave up some big plays on the perimeter.
Georgia’s defensive backfield will face a tougher group of playmakers this week. The Bulldog cornerbacks and safeties must avoid mistakes, while the front seven needs to apply pressure to force Simpson into errors.
Georgia ranks No. 13 in the SEC in sacks with four through three games.
“We have to do a better job in everything we do, but I feel good about the rushers we have. We’ve got to go out and execute,” Smart said of his pass rushers. “When we get an opportunity to rush, we have to rush.”