Georgia vs. Alabama: 3 key position battles in the National Championship Game

Georgia’s wide receivers vs. Alabama’s secondary

College football fans know of Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s work. He performed as one of the nation’s best wideouts and will be someone the Georgia secondary looks to contain in the passing game.

The Bulldogs wide receivers are another story. They don’t receive the same recognition as Ridley, and with good reason, as their group of pass-catcher aren’t as explosive or dangerous as the Crimson Tide’s stud playmaker.

Georgia’s receiving leader was Javon Wims, who had 44 receptions for 704 yards and 7 touchdowns. He performed well as Jake Fromm’s go-to receiver but rarely provided the long plays to stretch the defense (Wims’ longest catch was 38 yards).

Outside of Wims, only one receiver crossed 500 yards and two exceeded 300. Terry Godwin provided some early-season outbursts but cooled down as the year progressed, finishing with 34 catches for 591 yards.

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The lack of passing options could limit Georgia’s passing game, especially with a group of running backs that aren’t pass-catching threats (aside from D’Andre Swift’s 15 receptions). That puts Fromm into a game-manager mode, which he’s played well as, in his freshman season, showing composure in the pocket. Alabama is a different opponent, however, and if Georgia gets down early, there may not be enough firepower to attack the secondary. Let alone one that features Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison.