No place will be more electric next week than Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama football fans will pack out Tuscaloosa (Ala.) and college football consumers will be glued to televisions for a Southeastern Conference showdown between Alabama and Georgia.
Two titans in the SEC will battle under the lights as Kirby Smart, a former Crimson Tide assistant coach, returns to BDS for a game as Georgia’s head coach for the first time since 2020.
RELATED: Kirby Smart says Georgia has not started Alabama prep, working on other opponents
Smart was 1-5 all-time against Nick Saban, but now he faces a new challenger at Alabama.
Kalen DeBoer gets his first chance versus Smart; however, he knows the importance of the task.
He spoke to reporters on Wednesday in the SEC Coaches Teleconference, identifying an area that Tide fans are concerned about. Alabama’s pass defense has yet to be tested this season.
Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Wisconsin never challenged the Tide’s defensive backs.
T.J. Finley, Byrum Brown, and Braedyn Locke are good quarterbacks, but none have NFL arms.
Tyler Van Dyke, Wisconsin’s starting quarterback, could have tested the Tide, but he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter. Carson Beck, the starting quarterback for Georgia, is viewed as a Heisman Trophy candidate and a potential first-round pick for next year’s NFL Draft.
He has 680 passing yards and seven touchdowns to no interceptions in three games. Last season, Beck accounted for 3,941 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns to six interceptions. Most consider him the best signal-caller in the SEC, while the Crimson Tide has a young secondary facing him. Alabama had moments during its first three games where wide receivers were running free on its secondary. The first three opponents could not cash in on coverage busts, but Georgia is more than capable.
RELATED: Ryan Williams tells how 4th & 31 stopped him from flipping to Auburn
DeBoer said Alabama’s secondary is an area where it has to ‘continue to get better.’ Malachi Moore and Keon Sabb are experienced players, but the whole defense must work together. The Tide has to affect Beck in the pocket and force him to make mistakes. Alabama’s defensive front has to limit Georgia’s success in the run game to take pressure off its secondary.
If the back end can stay in perfect phase against the Bulldogs, then Alabama has a chance at a marquee victory.
After having three days off this bye week, the Tide returns to practice Thursday. It will begin preparation for Georgia on Friday before starting more prep next week. Alabama’s defensive backfield looks to earn its stripe in prime time next Saturday.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
