Alabama Football: Can Bama’s run defense dictate SEC title game?

Even as college football has transitioned to a spread-oriented game and passing has become increasingly prevalent, there are some things that never change. The SEC championship game will almost certainly be decided in the trenches. If Alabama football is going to bring home a record 10th SEC title (since the championship game was introduced in 1992), it will have to limit Georgia’s ground attack.

Georgia’s offense is pretty similar to what we have seen every year with Kirby Smart at the helm. It is heavily predicated on the power running game, featuring a big offensive line and a stable of quality backs. Georgia, especially against inferior competition, prefers to just lean on defenses and wear them out over the course of a game.

They also depend on their run-heavy scheme to set up a few strategically-timed shots downfield, usually to Ladd McConkey (15.2 yards per catch) or Jermaine Burton (18.8 YPC), who is back after missing time with an injury.

Zamir White (739 yards from scrimmage, 10 touchdowns) and James Cook (710 yards, 10 touchdowns) are the primary backs. Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh will get carries as well, and Bennett has also been effective running the ball. White and Milton are power runners, while Cook and McIntosh are more speed-oriented and are serious receiving threats out of the backfield.

If Georgia can successfully run the ball, especially on early downs, it will allow the Bulldogs to dictate the tempo and pace of the game. Alabama’s best bet is to stifle the run and make Stetson Bennett do something he hasn’t done all year; win a game with his arm.

Alabama Football: Tide not allowing much on the ground

Contrary to public perception, the Alabama defense has been stout against the run this season. The Tide have allowed only 80.6 rushing yards per game, which is 4th nationally and right on par with the vaunted Georgia defense. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 2nd in the nation giving up only 2.4 yards per carry.

In what turned out to be an outlier of a game, Bama was gashed for 246 yards in week 3 against Florida. Of course, this game counts and cannot be omitted, but it’s interesting to note that outside of this game, Alabama has given up only 65.5 yards per contest on 2.0 yards per carry. These marks would be good for 2nd and 1st in the nation respectively, trailing Wisconsin by only a hair in yards per game.

The strength of Alabama football’s run defense is its outside linebackers. Will Anderson and Dallas Turner (as well as Drew Sanders for a stretch) have been elite at setting the edge and not allowing anything to get outside. Anderson and Turner are very aggressive and can both be counted on to get multiple tackles for loss per game.

The Tide use a deep rotation to stay fresh on the interior defensive line. Phidarian Mathis (6.5 TFL, 6.0 sacks) and Byron Young (7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks) have been the most disruptive forces inside and are each coming off dominant Iron Bowl performances.

Justin Eboigbe also gets snaps at defensive end, as does LaBryan Ray, who has returned from injury and made an impact. Gap-plugger DJ Dale and explosive sophomore Tim Smith (3.5 TFL) split reps at nose guard.

Inside ‘backers Christian Harris (59 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and Henry To’o To’o (86 tackles, 7.5 TFL) have been subjected to heavy fan criticism. While they haven’t met the lofty Alabama football standard set by such Saban-era linebackers as Reuben Foster, Reggie Ragland, Rolando McClain, and Dont’a Hightower, they haven’t been terrible against the run. Both have been pretty effective as blitzers and created some negative plays for opponents.

The biggest issue with Harris and To’o To’o is that they aren’t always gap sound, sometimes getting fooled by misdirection and pre-snap motion. When they abandon their gap, it’s often very easy to see on the game broadcast. This is why they have drawn the ire of the fan base on such a consistent basis.

Alabama Football: UGA offense a good matchup for the Tide

The good news is, Georgia’s run scheme doesn’t feature a lot of the bells and whistles that tend to give Harris and To’o To’o problems. The Bulldogs prefer to line up and depend on their physical advantages to run the ball effectively. This plays into the favor of the Alabama defense, which can match up with Georgia athletically.

To’o To’o in particular also has shown a proclivity to miss open field tackles. His ability, along with the rest of the Alabama defense, to avoid these errors will have a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

Although Georgia is known for running the ball, they haven’t really been elite in this category. Casual fans would probably assume that they lead the SEC in rushing, but they are only 6th in the conference in yards per game. Additionally, stopping the run has been the strength of the Alabama defense. I believe that schematically, the matchup favors the Alabama defense, which has struggled more against spread offenses with lots of frills and gimmicks.

If the Tide can successfully suppress the Georgia run game, they will have a very good chance to end the Bulldogs undefeated season.