“Excellent” became the word of the day for Alabama football offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan when describing Georgia’s defense.
Four times he used the word in the same answer. He deployed it other answers as well.
“I think they’re excellent,” Sheridan said. “When you look at them, there’s lots of things that stand out, but first and foremost they have quality players, I think at all three levels. Long, fast, explosive players. And then on top of that, I think the coaching staff up there does an excellent job. They’re excellent coaches. They have a great system in place, they have years together running that system. So it’s a great challenge, they’re excellent.”
He’s not exaggerating. The Bulldogs rank No. 4 in total defense in college football, giving up 202 yards per game. They’re also the only team in the top 10 teams leading in total defense that has yet to surrender a touchdown this season.
Sheridan and the offense will look to change that this weekend. No. 4 Alabama is set to face No. 1/2 Georgia on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Although it’s far from the first time the two teams have played, this matchup will be the first for Kalen DeBoer as the Crimson Tide coach.
“A ton of respect for Coach (Kirby) Smart and everything he’s accomplished in his career and obviously there at Georgia with all the success they’ve had,” DeBoer said.
Here’s what the Alabama coaches said about Georgia’s offense and defense.
The Georgia defense
Safety Malaki Starks headlines a talented Georgia defense. He was a consensus All-America selection in 2023 and he’s off to a strong start this season, too.
Sheridan praised his versatility, once again invoking the word of the day.
“He can play close to the line of scrimmage, and he can play in the deep middle part of the field,” Sheridan said. “He can cover man to man. I think he’s an excellent football player but obviously has experience in their system. They can put him in different spots and different personnel groupings, and he’s excellent in all areas.”
Starks is part of a pass defense that will look to keep Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in check. The Georgia pass defense is ranked No. 1 in the country, allowing only 91.3 yards per game.
“They play tight coverage, they mix up their defenses, and then they can rush and create pressure on the quarterback,” Sheridan said. “I think both ends of the defense, the back and and the front end, do a nice job of complimenting one another, and making that a challenge.”
The Georgia offense
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack called Mike Bobo’s offense “efficient” and attacks other teams well.
“He’s aggressive, takes shots, keeps you guessing, keeps you off-kilter, and has certainly committed to running the football as well,” Wommack said.
The biggest praise was for another Bulldog, though. The quarterback, Carson Beck.
“As good as it comes in college football right now,” Wommack said of Beck. “Incredibly efficient with his decision making. Does not take many sacks. Rarely turns the ball over. Takes care of the football. I think he does a really tremendous job in the intermediate throwing game. He has great accuracy. Really quick release, great decision-maker. Just so impressed by him the more I watch — and I’ve probably watched every game from the last couple of years here.”
The Georgia offense hasn’t been as statistically elite as the defense so far, but it has gotten the job done. It struggled a good bit against Kentucky in a 13-point performance, though. Still, it’s not an easy offense to defend. The Bulldogs don’t turn the ball over much and don’t give up many sacks. Beck has not thrown an interception yet this season and has been sacked only once.
“As an offense, they do a really good job of minimizing the risk for their quarterback,” Wommack said. “They get the ball out of their hand, they try to establish the run, they get the ball on the perimeter early. They will take shots, and they’ll take shots early in the game, but you’ve got to find that fine balance of playing good, sound coverage, and also make it so that the quarterback doesn’t feel like he can sit in the pocket and pick you apart with long developing plays in the passing game.”
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
