Georgia vs. Alabama: Can the ‘Mailman’ Stetson Bennett deliver a win vs. Crimson Tide?

“The Mailman” Stetson Bennett IV must deliver on Saturday night to beat Alabama football.

Saturday night in Tuscaloosa will be “The Mailman” Stetson Bennett IV‘s toughest delivery yet.

The redshirt junior quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs has his team at 3-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. He was seen as the No. 4 quarterback on the Georgia depth chart entering the summer behind Jamie Newman, JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis. Thus far, he has defied all the odds to be in position to give the Dawgs their first win over the Alabama Crimson Tide since 2007.

A win at Bryant-Denny in primetime only adds to the Legend of “The Mailman”.

The Blackshear, Georgia native famously wore a United States Postal Service hat during quarterback camps to help him standout in the crowd. He’s not 6-feet tall, nor is he 200 pounds, yet Bennett is in position to become the most likable Georgia quarterback since either David Greene or D.J. Shockley. They weren’t NFL talents, but they got the job done and won SEC titles.

That’s what Saturday night in Tuscaloosa may be a precursor to. Alabama looks like the best team in the SEC West this year. The Crimson Tide hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the perceived second best team in that division in the Texas A&M Aggies. Alabama may lose a game or two this 10-game SEC regular season, but the Crimson Tide do feel like a College Football Playoff team.

And you know what? Georgia doesn’t care, but Kirby Smart knows he has a great team, too. Georgia has the best defense in the SEC by a country mile. The Dawgs have allowed 37 points in three conferences, while also putting 108 points on the board as a team. Georgia is No. 1 defensively in the SEC, and as a surprise to many, No. 5 in the SEC offensively.

Though Alabama has scored a league-best 153 points in three games, the Crimson Tide has also allowed 91. This has them only as a middle-of-the-pack defense in the SEC at No. 8 overall. While Mac Jones has played like an early Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, he and the Alabama offense haven’t faced anything quite like what they’ll be going up against in Georgia.

Most people expect this game to be a nail biter, as it could go either way. With it being in Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide having won their last several over the Dawgs since 2008, Alabama should be favored to win this game. While it will be a game of four-dimensional chess between Steve Sarkisian’s offense and Dan Lanning’s defense, Bennett will have to deliver.

He doesn’t have to outduel Jones to upset the Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny, but he can’t get outclassed. This won’t be easy, but Bennett is playing with confidence in parts of three games. He outplayed Feleipe Franks of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Bo Nix of the Auburn Tigers and Jarrett Guarantano of the Tennessee Volunteers to helps his Georgia team get to 3-0 on the season.

In three games this year, Bennett has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 689 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He is averaging 8.2 yards per attempt and boasts a passing efficiency rating of 151.6. As a runner, Bennett has 12 carries for 27 yards and a touchdown. His ability to extend plays with his legs and make key third-down conversions have been tremendous.

So will “The Mailman” deliver post on Saturday night in the Yellowhammer State? He sure can, but he can’t do it alone offensively. Georgia needs a strong game out of starting running back Zamir White. Bennett’s favorite receiving target Kearis Jackson needs to keep playing well. Receiver Jermaine Burton may need to make a big play and star wideout George Pickens needs to go off.

Bennett has the luxury of being able to lean on Malik Herring, Azeez Ojulari, Monty Rice, Eric Stokes and Richard LeCounte III as superstars on defense. They’ll do their best to keep Jones, Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle in check. Ultimately, Georgia can’t start slow offensively like it has the first three weeks of the year. However, this Alabama defense isn’t good.

If Bennett delivers post on Saturday night in primetime, Georgia emerges as a playoff lock.

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