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One chess game Alabama Football should win against Georgia is based on numbers. It will be just one of many chess games the coaches will play, but one aspect of the Crimson Tide’s offense versus the Bulldogs’ defense could be a key to victory.
Two assumptions are that Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann will prioritize shutting down deep passes to Ryan Williams and explosive runs by Jalen Milroe. The counter to Williams will likely be a two-deep zone, with one of the safeties always looking to help a Georgia cornerback with Williams. Countering Milroe’s legs comes close to an every-down demand to spy him.
There is no guarantee those two defensive decisions will always work for the Bulldogs. But the risk of too many explosive plays from the Crimson Tide game-changers is too great to play the Tide offense straight up. There is an added advantage to the Dawgs from employing such strategy. It could force Alabama away from its offensive strengths to an area in which the Tide has struggled. That is the intermediate passing game.
Playing two high safeties, while having a linebacker constantly tracking Jalen Milroe would leave underneath holes in the Georgia defense. Can the Dawgs designate three defenders to counter two Alabama players and also afford to rush five to get pressure on Milroe? The result would likely be rushing four and if both of Alabama’s tackles hold up, Milroe should have adequate time to find open underneath receivers.
Admittedly, this chess game discussion does not address other options available to the Alabama offense and the Georgia defense. If the Crimson Tide can run the ball effectively with its running backs, the Bulldogs will have too many Alabama football weapons to defend. In the Alabama Football SEC Championship Game win, Crimson Tide running backs averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. Kentucky’s top two running backs averaged almost 4.55 yards against the Bulldogs. The Georgia defensive line was short-handed in Lexington. A couple of Georgia defenders may return to battle the Crimson Tide. But Jam Miller and Justice Haynes are better than the Wildcat running backs and if they can average 4.5 yards, the Bulldogs will be in trouble. Milroe is only hitting on 61.1% of his 3rd-down throes this season. An effective Alabama rushing attack can keep him out of many 3rd-and-long situations.
