Alabama's much improved TE room may have prepared its defense for Georgia's elite group

There are certain matchups you spend all offseason preparing for without knowing exactly when they'll show up.

For Alabama's defense, one of those matchups may have been hiding in plain sight every day in practice when competing against the Crimson Tide's retooled tight end room. 

Now, those reps could prove valuable Saturday when the Tide are tasked with slowing down Georgia's physical, multifaceted, NFL-caliber tight end room — potentially on a rainy night in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Through five games, five different Bulldogs' tight ends have scored a touchdown, accounting for six total scores, while four have played at least 95 offensive snaps. As a group, they've also combined for 22 receptions, 285 yards on 33 targets. 

The production is spread across the group, but so are the responsibilities.

With Elyiss Williams (6-foot-7, 255 pounds), Lawson Luckie (6-foot-4, 240 pounds), Jaden Redelle (6-foot-4, 240 pounds), and Ethan Barbour (6-foot-3, 245 pounds), Georgia has used its size to create advantages in the run game and passing game. That makes the position more than a complementary piece of the Bulldogs' offense.

11 personnel. 

12 personnel. 

13 personnel. 

Kirby Smart and Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo can change the picture without changing its personnel on the field, forcing defenses to adjust to the alignment and what it creates.

For Alabama, that challenge is knowing what comes next — something senior safety and team captain Bray Hubbard knows will be crucial.

Bray Hubbard knows the chess match with Georgia's tight ends starts before the snap

"They got four of them; they rotate," Hubbard told reporters after practice on Tuesday. "So, they’re all different—different body types—but I mean, they kind of all do it all. "So, we've got to be prepared for that. They do a good job in the blocking game, pass game—obviously they like to throw it to them too. So just got to prepare for it."

Ironically enough, the chess match Hubbard is referring to mirrors the evolution of its own offense. 

Kaleb Edwards, Josh Ford, Marshall Pritchett, Danny Lewis Jr., and Jay Lindsey have given the Crimson Tide a deeper, more physical tight end room, allowing Alabama to use multiple big-bodied packages and move those players around the formation.

This development has helped the group produce 18 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns through five games, while also laying the foundation for a more physical run game and giving Alabama's defense a daily dose of the size, blocking, and versatility it will see from Georgia this weekend. 

The names they're defending will be different, but the questions won't be

Where is the "Y" aligned? Is he actually blocking or releasing upfield? Who's responsible for him in coverage? And what does his alignment tell the defense about what's coming next?

For Hubbard and Alabama's defense, Saturday night will be about answering those questions before Georgia can turn its tight end room into an advantage.

The preparation has been there all offseason. Now, the Tide have to prove they can apply it when the answers change snap by snap. 

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