The Georgia Bulldogs were dominant in their win over Tennessee, proving they’re the only hope left of a team beating Alabama in 2017.
No matter how many times that we’ve heard a confident college football team say it, does anyone really “Want Bama”? 99 times out of 100, it feels like the team hungry to play the Alabama Crimson Tide ends up being the doormat for Nick Saban’s group. We just saw that last week with the Vanderbilt Commodores, who Alabama beat 59-0.
The interesting thing, however, is that Vandy isn’t alone in the category of “teams that would get run out of the building by Bama”. In fact, you could make the argument that almost every team in the country would lose to Alabama. You look at teams like Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan and so on, and they just don’t have the talent level, coaching and experience to match up with the Crimson Tide.
However, there’s another category of teams that could beat Alabama. And by my estimation, only one team has earned that distinction right now: the Georgia Bulldogs.
Not that they hadn’t already, but Georgia 100 percent proved they are no joke in Week 5 with a 41-0 drubbing of the Tennessee Volunteers. They look like favorites in the SEC East and could well meet up with the Crimson Tide in the vaunted conference championship game. If both teams stay on this path, that game should have College Football Playoff implications. More importantly, though, it’s a game the Bulldogs can win.
Let’s dive into three reasons Georgia is the only hope — Obi-Wan Kenobi style — to be Alabama this season.
3. Elite, multi-faceted offense
As has often been the case with Georgia over the years, their offense starts with the running attack. One year ago, it was Sony Michel and Nick Chubb leading the way for the offense with then-freshman quarterback Jacob Eason leading the charge. However, the offensive line was abysmal and Chubb was working his way back from the horrific knee injury he suffered in 2015. Thus, the offense wasn’t all that it could’ve been.
Through five games, it most definitely appears that the offense is now everything that it could be in the 2017 season.
Despite the fact that Eason has been out since becoming injured in their season-opener, the Georgia offense has been absolutely humming. They put up 31 points even in the game where they lost Eason, then put up 20 in a slugfest with Notre Dame. After dropping 42 on Samford, they’ve really let loose with 31 points on a talented Mississippi State team and then 41 on Tennessee on Saturday.
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Put simply, the Bulldogs can beat a team in any way they please. Fromm hasn’t been overwhelming by any means in relief, throwing for only 734 yards through five games and only completing approximately 59 percent of his throws. However, he’s been able to convert for scores and hasn’t been turnover prone. He has eight touchdown passes to only two interceptions, and even added two rushing scores in the rout of the Vols. Whether it’s he or Eason, the Dawgs are in good hands under center.
What’s more, Fromm and Eason have plenty of weapons to throw to. Terry Godwin has been a stud thus far, making big plays at every turn. Meanwhile Javon Wims is coming on strong, and this doesn’t even mention the likes of Riley Ridley and Isaac Nauta.
Of course, this all starts with the running backs for the Bulldogs. After the matchup against Tennessee, they have three different ball-carriers with 200+ rushing yards. What’s more, four of the five backs with 15 or more carries have amassed 5.3 yards per carry or better. Michel is back healthy and looking dominant, but even better is that Chubb looks like a dominant runner again, having posted 75 carries for 480 yards and six touchdowns. This is also a testament to the line, which has improved leaps and bounds since 2016.
Though Alabama’s defense is likely the best in the country, every team is beatable. If Georgia is able to wield such a versatile attack in battle with the Tide, they have the opportunity to protect well enough and unleash various elements to find success.