Hello and Roll Tide!

Alabama will start SEC play on Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Kalen DeBoer has struggled on the road while at Alabama, currently 2-4 in road contests and 0-1 at neutral sites. This will be a huge opportunity for DeBoer to change the narrative. On the other hand, Alabama has dominated Georgia over their last 10 meetings, winning 9 of the 10 dating back to 2008. Kirby Smart will have his team geared up to try and swing that back in the Bulldogs favor. In other news, the SEC officially adopted a 9-game conference schedule moving forward and announced each team’s protected rivals. Below is an injury update, Georgia preview, week 5 storylines, and thought about Alabama’s automatic rivals. Let’s go!

Injury Notes:

  • Jah-Marien Latham is out indefinitely after sustaining a neck injury during practice
  • Jam Miller and Tim Keenan are expected to play on Saturday

Week 5 Preview: Georgia Bulldogs

With Kirby Smart at the helm, the Georgia Bulldogs remain a powerhouse in the SEC. Since the start of the 2021 season, Georgia is 56-5, with three of those losses against Alabama. Nick Saban had the Dogs’ number going 8-2 in his career against Georgia and Kalen started his tenure with a win against Kirby in 2024. Smart seems to have figured out how to beat everyone but Alabama, a monkey he’d love to get off his back. Georgia is coming off a disappointing season (by recent standards) in 2024, going 11-3 and losing to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semifinals. While fans may be disappointed, they did win the SEC Championship which is a great accomplishment. They were not as effective on either side of the ball in 2024 as they had been the previous three seasons. From 2021-2023 Georgia went 42-2 with both their Offense and Defense ranking top 10 nationally in Points scored/allowed per game. These figures went down to 38th Offensively and 23rd Defensively in 2024. Georgia lost significant contributors to the NFL before the 2024 season. Notably on Offense, Amarius Mims, Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers moved onto the NFL. On the defensive side of the ball Georgia lost Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard, and Tykee Smith all in the Secondary. Georgia has had a top 2 recruiting class each of the last 3 years, so the talent is there, Kirby just needs to make sure everyone is on the same page. They currently have 8 players expected to be drafted in 2026, both 4 on offense and defense

Through 3 games, Georgia is 3-0 and ranks 30th in Offensive points per game and 39th in Defensive points allowed, similar to their 2024 team. Georgia started the season with wins over Marshall and Austin Peay before taking on Tennessee in week 3. The Dogs won a thriller against Tennessee 44-41 in overtime. Starting quarterback Gunner Stockton had a great performance throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 13 times for 38 yards and a touchdown. Georgia won the turnover battle intercepting two of Joey Aguilar’s passes. Aguilar put up great numbers against Georgia, 371 yards and 4 touchdowns, leaving plenty of tape for Grubbs to review. Georgia’s defense is led by linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson. They are the top tacklers with 23 and 22 this season. Both are expected to be drafted to the NFL, following a long list of recent Georgia alumni. Georgia’s offense is evenly spread out. The running back room is a committee between Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens. Likewise, the top 3 wide outs are split evenly with 13, 11, and 8 receptions. Everyone seems content sharing possession of the ball, making it difficult to gameplan anyone specifically. Georgia will provide a difficult task for Alabama on Saturday.

Week 5 Storylines:

Will DeBoer’s Tide show up on the road?: As mentioned, Kalen DeBoer has had a poor showing on the road as Alabama’s head coach. Losses at Vanderbilt, at Oklahoma, and at FSU highlight his inability to manage road games thus far. Each of those games had one thing in common, the team lacked physicality and effort. Vanderbilt and FSU ran all over the defense. Oklahoma completely stifled Alabama’s offense. Can DeBoer get the Tide ready for a hostile crowd in Sanford Stadium? Alabama needs to be more successful on the road if they expect to be National Title contenders.

Can the Tide O-line hold up against Georgia as they continue to rotate along the line?: Through the first 3 weeks, Alabama rotated offensive lineman, and it seems that they’ll continue to do that. When asked about it, Ryan Grubb said “We’ll keep rotating”. He added that it keeps guys fresh, but at some point, we should expect a starting 5 to be announced. Georgia’s front seven is certainly the most difficult the Tide has faced this season, so the line must be prepared. Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Geno VanDeMark will play every snap while Kam Dewberry rotates at right guard, Jaedon Roberts rotates at left guard, and Wilkin Formby shares snaps with Michael Carroll.

Will Georgia be able to stop Hollywood?: Ryan Williams had a spectacular performance against Georgia a season ago, catching 6 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. Most notably, he scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:18 left in the 4th quarter. Jalen Milroe threw a jump ball and Ryan beat two defenders along the sideline, racing in for a 75-yard score. Will Ryan be able to follow up his excellent stat line for a season ago? Or will the Tide turn to other players, should he draw extra attention from the Bulldogs?

SEC Protected Rivals: Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee

As expected, Alabama will continue to play Auburn and Tennessee annually. The Iron-Bowl and Third Saturday of October are two of the most iconic rivalries in the SEC. Many may be surprised by the selection of Mississippi State over LSU, but the Battle for Highway 82 is one of the oldest rivalries in the SEC. Alabama has played Miss State 108 times dating back to 1896. That is the most matchups of any school in Alabama history. Mississippi State University is also the closest SEC school to Tuscaloosa, only 90 miles away. The rivalry is a bit one sided, Alabama is 88-17-3, but that does not mean it doesn’t hold value to both fanbases. The yearly matchup against LSU has been very exciting in recent history. Since 2000, LSU and Alabama have combined for 13 SEC Championships and 9 National Titles. Their yearly matchup had a significant impact on the Conference and National picture every year. While Alabama and LSU will no longer play yearly, the new SEC 9-game conference schedule will pit them against one another every other year.

As always, reach out with any comments or questions that you have. Send me a score prediction or Offensive/Defensive MVP. If you know anyone who’d like to join the newsletter, send their contact info my way.

Roll Tide! -Jake