No. 4 Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia Saturday in one of the most important games of the 2024 college football season. This seismic clash will go a long way toward determining not only the final SEC standings, but it will also make its mark on the College Football Playoff race.
That tends to happen when the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs take the field against one another. This marks first regular-season matchup between the two powers since 2020, though they have played plenty in the interim. From 2021-23, Alabama and Georgia faced off twice in the SEC Championship Game and once in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Alabama won the conference both times -- including last season's battle that sent the Tide to the playoff -- but Georgia gained the advantage in 2022 with the national title on the line. That was the first time the Bulldogs had bested Alabama since 2007. The Crimson Tide hold an 8-1 advantage in matchups since.
But that record came with coach Nick Saban patrolling the sidelines, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart was 1-5 against his former boss. Now that Saban's retired and Kalen DeBoer has stepped up in Tuscaloosa, Saturday's game will certainly feature a different feel.
Here are three keys for Georgia if it wants to give DeBoer a cornerstone win early in his tenure.
RELATED: 3 keys for Alabama
1. Slow Jalen Milroe down (again)
Georgia is playing at a different level defensively than the rest of the sport. Georgia is the only team to not allow a touchdown this season and the first team since 2016 to not allow a touchdown in four straight games dating back to its 27-24 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
The Bulldogs are doing all of the above without one of their star players -- pass rusher Mykel Williams (ankle) -- on the field. Williams was injured in the season opener against Clemson, but hopes are high he will return Saturday. Defensive tackle Warren Brinson (lower leg) is also hopeful for a return.
Williams' return would be huge as the Bulldogs try to slow quarterback Jalen Milroe, who sparks the rushing offense (238 yards per game) with his scrambles and a noticeable uptick in designed QB runs in Kalen DeBoer's new offense. Remember, despite the loss to the Tide last season, the Bulldogs' defense was effective against Milroe, pressuring him on 12 of 29 dropbacks with four sacks. He rushed for only 29 yards.
The difference this season is DeBoer is more intent on running Milroe than the Tide's coaching staff last season under Nick Saban. That will likely change the plan for the Bulldogs compared to last season, so does that mean more blitz packages or more spying of the quarterback like last season -- which resulted in positive numbers but, ultimately, a loss to the Tide?
2. Avoid another slow start
Elite teams can overcome slow starts on offense when their defense is legitimately one of the three best in the country. Georgia has balanced the scales all season with a shutdown defense, most notably in the opener against Clemson, but the offense has been stuck in the mud no matter the opponent. The Bulldogs have managed only three offensive touchdowns in the first half this season, and two of those came against FCS Tennessee Tech.
This isn't an issue of elite defenses slowing Georgia, it's a matter of Carson Beck's protection in the pocket (the offensive line) and the ongoing search for a go-to receiver on third downs. The lack of confidence without Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey is obvious, but the Bulldogs are still loaded with options at receiver. Arian Smith is a man who needs to step up, especially against a young Alabama secondary, to complement Dominic Lovett.
What stands out in the slow starts are the adjustments offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has made to spark the unit after halftime. Against Clemson, the Bulldogs stopped running into the mouth of the beast and pushed the issue with their speed on the edges, both at running back and receiver in the passing game. Once the edges had been exploited, Georgia attacked the soft spots in the middle of the field via Beck's arm. It was a fantastic adjustment and one that produced 28 points once implemented. One of the key players to emerge among those adjustments was receiver London Humphreys, but he is expected to miss Saturday as he battles mononucleosis, according to Dawgs247.
Then, against Kentucky, the receivers disappeared, unable to crack coverage and Mike Bobo was slow to adjust. Carson Beck threw for only 160 yards, the program's lowest total since 2022.
This is a two-pronged question: Can Georgia avoid the slow start and also make the in-game adjustments to exploit other areas on the field when presented? We have one answer already against Clemson with the adjustments, but the slow starts have yet to be corrected.
3. Win the turnover battle
Oh, this seems so simple. Force turnovers on defense, protect the ball on offense and win the game. It's one of the touchstones of college football, and when it comes to equally matched teams like Georgia and Alabama, it's usually the team that makes the most mistakes that loses. That gives Georgia an advantage, even on the road. The Bulldogs have yet to commit a turnover this season, one of only three teams who can claim such a stat. Meanwhile, Alabama has had issues with four turnovers in three games while tying 72nd nationally in turnover margin, which is even.
"We need to take care of the football," DeBoer reiterated Wednesday. The Bulldogs are plus-three in turnover margin entering their fourth game.
Why is Georgia so good at protecting the ball? Experience at receiver and running back certainly helps, but the big key is Carson Beck's ability to fire the ball without hesitation. He has one of the quickest releases in college football — No. 1 last year — and that doesn't allow for many sacks or blind-side strips of the ball on pressure.