So much attention is given to college football schemes that the average might believe the best-designed offensive and defensive schemes determine the outcome of games. Alabama Football has undergone considerable scheme changes in the transition from Nick Saban to Kalen Deboer. Kirby Smart's run of success has given the Dawgs an understanding of what works for them. The result has been an impressive continuity of performance.
More simply, Georgia knows what they are and, other than tweaks and better execution, sees no need to change. The Bulldogs live off their running game. When Tennessee shot out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead, Georgia did not flinch. Talking after the game, Kirby Smart said, "We feel our team has a certain identity. We're not going to go down without a fight.”
Georgia passed for over 300 yards against Tennessee. True to Georgia's offensive style, running the football 55 times helped set up Georgia's passing game. Some of the passing yards, for example, the wide receiver screen catch and run by Zachariah Branch, were really an extension of Georgia's rushing attack.
Can Alabama Football Win a War of Attrition?
Kirby Smart is comfortable when games become a war of attrition. Georgia will pound and pound until sooner or later, the opponent wears down. On Monday, Alabama DC Kane Wommack described exactly what to expect. Talking about Georgia's offensive mindset, "you think about this team, this is a tough, gritty, their backs run hard, they're physical. And so it's ultimately gonna be about bringing a grown man to the ground, right, and the physicality that it takes to do that over and over, because I think Coach Bobo does a really good job of just staying committed to the run game as it goes on. And those are like body blows in a boxing match, right? You gotta be able to match pound for pound for as many times as they wanna run the ball."
There are schemes involved in what Wommack discussed, but the core challenge is which side wins the most physical battles. Can Alabama match Georgia's toughness fueled by a rabid home crowd?
Some Crimson Tide fans, still unsure about Kalen DeBoer, wonder if the DeBoer-Grubb offense is too dependent on scheme and finesse. Can a scheme-dependent Alabama offense succeed against a physical Georgia defense that may have an edge in the trenches?
Saturday night will show the college football world much about each team. It may be that neither team has a talent advantage. In a close game, the home crowd and placekicker Peyton Woodring give Georgia an edge. Alabama can neutralize those advantages with scheme, but not if Georgia executes the fundamentals of blocking and tackling better than the Crimson Tide.