Written by Paul Fritz
Georgia’s primary asset is their dual-threat running game. Running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb are coming off of the most dominant collective performance in college football history with 326 yards combined against the Oklahoma Sooners. Even Alabama’s star safety, Ronnie Harrison, understands how critical it is to keep the Georgia backs at bay.
“It’s going to be tough, they got two great running backs, but we’re still going to go out there and do our thing,” said Harrison.
Georgia will feel they have certain home field advantage with the game in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. However, Alabama has a chip on their back to prove that they are and will continue to be the powerhouse within the Southeastern Conference.
“You know, I kind of figured that got away from us, that one loss. We know that we were supposed to be there playing for the SEC Championship, supposed to win, but we fell short this year. So this is our revenge game, to let them know that we are Alabama and we are still going to be Alabama no matter what,” said Junior defensive end, Isaiah Buggs.
Buggs believes that the result of the game comes down to one factor; controlling the line of scrimmage.
“We need to give our secondary a chance, and that’s what we did (against Clemson). When your front 7 makes all the tackles, makes all the sacks, that lets you know that something’s going right. Our secondary was fresh. If we were forced to play more, 4 more quarters of that, I think we can because we kept their offensive linemen off of our linebackers. They were able to come freely and make more plays,” said Buggs.
Alabama’s defensive play will prove a critical element to Monday night’s final result. Facing a physical Georgia team, the Crimson Tide will have to match the intensity, something that they have been successful with every game this season. Especially coming off of a dominant performance against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, they will be confident that they can replicate and seal their season with the National Title
