Alabama football running backs coach Robert Gillespie knows what it’s like to face Georgia.
He played at rival Florida from 1998-2001. He coached at South Carolina and Tennessee, previously in the SEC East with the Bulldogs. And Gillespie has been at Alabama since 2021, facing Georgia three times over that span.
What stands out about a matchup with Georgia? “It’s physical,” Gillespie said. “This is a physical league. When you think about SEC, you think about Georgia.”
But the running backs coach for the Crimson Tide made clear the Bulldogs aren’t alone in that.
“They’re one of the most physical teams in it,” Gillespie said Wednesday. “But so are we. That’s why, when you talk about Georgia, you can’t blink without seeing Alabama.”
The two SEC powers will face off this weekend. No. 4 Alabama (3-0) is set to face No. 1/2 Georgia (3-0) on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“This is a team you respect,” Gillespie said. “You respect their coaching staff. You respect their players. You respect the way they run their program. I think they have the same respect for us on this end. You’re going to see two teams with a lot of respect. They have to go out and play a hard football game.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
