Top SEC Games: Week Five Edition
Sep 26, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) runs through the Southern University Jaguars defense on his way to a touchdown during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Southern 48-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
13 Alabama VS 8 Georgia
Location: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
Game Time: Saturday, October 3 3:30PM ET
TV: CBS
Do you like running backs? If so, there’s a great matchup for you Saturday afternoon between the hedges in Athens. Georgia will pit the duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel against Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. A real argument can be made that all four backs will be in the NFL soon. However, when you peel back the onion, this game could come down to quarterback play. Jacob Coker drew most of the playing time in the Crimson Tide’s thrashing of Louisiana Monroe last Saturday, so look for him to draw the start Saturday afternoon. It appears that the Cooper Bateman experiment was deemed a failure and it’s my belief Coker
Sep 26, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker (14) leaves the field after defeating the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide defeated the Warhawks 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
will be the quarterback to lead Alabama the rest of the way (season).
Georgia’s Greyson Lambert has performed well enough to draw super reviews and is poised to lift the Georgia offense over the Alabama secondary. Anyone writing Alabama off in this game is either misinformed or purely ignorant. The Crimson Tide have enough talent allocated across the roster to beat Georgia.
Which Mark Richt team will Nick Saban and crew find when they enter Athens? Will it be a Georgia team that plays to its full potential or a group that stumbles on their own feet in a big game? If the Bulldogs hold serve, and ultimately beat Alabama, they automatically become everyone’s pick to win the East this year. On the flip side, if Alabama goes on the road and returns to Tuscaloosa with a win, the Tide are back in the thick of things in the West.
SEC Championship ramifications are on the line Saturday afternoon. It appears Alabama has the most to lose with a loss, due to the division they’ll play the rest of the season. Georgia can afford to lose this game, and still backdoor themselves into Atlanta at the regular season’s end. Outside of Gary Danielson and Verne Lundquist calling the game, as per usual for CBS, there’s little humor to be expected from a very serious game for both programs.
Side Note I: Vegas has labeled Alabama an underdog for the first time in 72 games (4+ years). The margin is very little, though that certainly doesn’t leave a confident feeling in the minds of the Alabama faithful entering the game.
Side Note II: Will Georgia be without players due to suspension? Return man extraordinaire Isaiah Mckenzie allegedly threatened a server at a Chili’s restaurant, though it appears the accuser will not press charges.
Next: Other Games of Note