Well, here we are. Your SEC Championship Game: Georgia versus Alabama.
Where do we begin?
There are so many keys for the Bulldogs against the top-ranked Crimson Tide that it's hard to know where to start. But Georgia will be seeking them on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (CBS, 4 p.m.).
Questions? Georgia will need to answer more of them than a law school bar exam to pull out the victory—including five big ones we'll pose below:
Can the Bulldogs win the line of scrimmage?
This is the million-dollar question. Tua Tagovailoa naturally gets most of the attention, and rightfully so, but if the Bulldogs want to pull the upset, they have to find a way to win their share of battles in the trenches. Both sides face equally difficult challenges.
On defense, Jonathan Ledbetter, Jordan Davis, Tyler Clark, et all, will have to deal with the likes of Jonah Williams and Lester Cotton, who have done a marvelous job protecting Tagovailoa. They've allowed only 11 sacks. The Bulldogs have gotten only 20 sacks as a team, but must find their way toward disrupting or hurrying Tagovailoa. Otherwise, it could make for a sad Saturday night.
Oh, and Alabama is also rushing for an average of 205 yards per game.
On offense, Georgia simply must be able to run the ball. The Bulldogs lead the league with 259 yards per contest. Being one-dimensional is out if they want to have any semblance of offensive success.
Georgia has a special teams edge. Can it take advantage?
The Bulldogs—thanks to Mecole Hardman—lead the SEC in punt returns, averaging 21.8 yards with one touchdown.
If the game comes down to a field goal, the Bulldogs could have an edge there, too.
Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship is one of the country’s best kickers, having converted 19 of 22 attempts and all 58 of his extra points. Alabama’s Joseph Bulovas hasn’t been quite as efficient, with five missed extra points while making 12 of his 16 field goal attempts.
Deandre Baker vs Jerry Jeudy. Who wins?
Of all individual battles, the one featuring Baker and Jeudy may be the most fun to watch.
One of the finest cornerbacks in the country and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award that goes annually to the top defensive back, Baker figures to get his toughest test against Jeudy.
Jeudy is a dynamic receiver with 56 catches for 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns. And Baker, reputation notwithstanding, figures to be challenged plenty by Tagovailoa. The Bama phenom has complete trust in all his wideouts, no matter who they are paired against.
How will Georgia's younger players respond?
I asked Smart during Sunday’s teleconference how he felt his young players, especially his freshmen, would react, playing in a game as lofty as the SEC Championship. His response was interesting.
He said, "Each freshman is different. We've got some freshmen who are never affected. The moment is never too big for them. They go play. Other freshmen probably get more anxiety than others, and each one's different. The ones who handled it well early will probably handle this well, too. The ones who got nervous early will probably be nervous for this one. But each one's different. I know this. They've bought in and are playing really hard for us, and they're gaining confidence in the games they've been able to get experience and play in."
One player Smart is apparently not concerned with is freshman outside linebacker Adam Anderson.
“Adam is rolling. He's getting better. He's taking on a role in special teams, and he's developing. He's got a lot of speed, a lot of good instincts,” Smart said. “He's become a lot more serious about learning his assignments, which has given us an opportunity to place some responsibility on him, and he continues to get better at that.”
How healthy will Georgia be?
This is another huge question.
We know David Marshall (broken bone in his foot) will be a no-go, and one has to assume it’s probably the same with backup defensive tackle DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle.
The Bulldogs would love to get inside linebacker Monty Rice (foot) back, and Smart revealed Sunday that the sophomore is currently using just one crutch and feeling better after suffering the injury in warm-ups against UMass.
It’s probably unlikely that Rice will be able to return, but at least he seems to be on the mend.
Offensive lineman Cade Mays (shoulder) is thought to be close to ready, but Smart is taking a wait-and-see approach. Ditto for Ben Cleveland continues to nurse a sprained ankle, but is believed to be as healthy as he’s been in a while.
Linebacker Robert Beal (lower body injury) had to leave the field twice against Georgia Tech. An update on his status is expected Monday.
