Georgia Bulldogs: Run Defense Paramount Vs. Alabama

The Georgia Bulldogs will need to stop the strong Alabama rushing attack on Saturday if they want to have their signature win of 2015 and move to 5-0.

Georgia sits at number eight in the AP Top 25 Poll entering their Week 5 home game as the Alabama Crimson Tide, sitting at number thirteen. Alabama is the best one-loss team in the country and yearly out recruit every team in the nation, so expect a knockdown, drag-out fight between the Dawgs and the Tide in Sanford Stadium Saturday afternoon.

While Alabama has shown an affinity for airing it out with second-year OC Lane Kiffin, expect the Tide to try to pound the rock against Georgia with RB Derrick Henry and crew on Saturday. Fortunately Georgia has the 14th best defense in the country in yards per game, with 273.3 average and allow the 13th fewest points per game in the NCAA, with 13.5 PPG.

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Under DC Jeremy Pruitt, the secondary prefers to give up the dink and dunk passes instead of allowing the opponent to stretch the field vertically. Pruitt’s position group doesn’t give up 30+ yard passes. Kiffin may want to test the man cover skills of the UGA secondary, but he would be wiser to attack the Georgia Bulldogs on the ground or in the mid-range passing game.

Georgia allows a little over 100 yards per game on the ground (107.3 YPG), good enough for 24th in the country. Though Alabama is strong in run defense (56.8 YPG, 4th in NCAA), that number will drastically inflate after playing Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Keith Marshall on Saturday.

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I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far out of the defensive backfield’s ability to make plays in press coverage and the entire linebacker group’s commitment towards stopping the run. However, this is Alabama, a quantum leap in SEC talent over South Carolina and Vanderbilt in 2015. Can the defense of the Georgia Bulldogs play with enough conviction to slow down a Crimson Tide offense that averages 202.5 YPG on the ground?

Defensive players like OLB Leonard Floyd, OLB Lorenzo Carter, ILB Jake Ganus, and DB Malkom Parrish are going to have play big games for the Georgia Bulldogs to wash out the Tide on Saturday. I have a feeling that this game is going to come down to turnover differential, momentum, and the kicking game.

Since this game is Between the Hedges, I like UGA’s chances to win a tight ball game by maybe a score over the Alabama Crimson Tide. It won’t look pretty but the defensive unit of the Georgia Bulldogs does enough to get the job done and move to 5-0.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs: SEC East Power Rankings, Week 5

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