Winning on the road in the SEC is frequently a challenge. But surely Alabama Football has no demonic interventionist that causes the Crimson Tide to play poorly in SEC road games. Such a demon does not exist, but a feeling that something unworldly happens to Alabama in SEC road games.
Let's consider Alabama's road record over the last few seasons and Kalen DeBoer's road record against ranked teams. The Alabama football program had some road game trouble at the end of Nick Saban's tenure. In 2021, only Bryce Young's magic afforded a Crimson Tide escape from Gainesville with a 31-29 win. In the same season, there was a road loss to Texas A&M and a dangerously close win at Auburn by 24-22. In the 2022 season, Alabama lost road games to Tennessee and LSU. The 2023 season brought a road win that felt like a loss when the Crimson Tide struggled against South Florida.
At Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama, Kalen DeBoer's teams have a 6-2 road record against ranked teams. His 2023 Washington team also won two neutral-site postseason games against No. 5-ranked Oregon and No. 3-ranked Texas. A fair grade for DeBoer against tough road opposition would be an A-minus.
One Alabama Football problem that affected most of the Tide's road struggles going back to the 2021 season is inadequate offensive line play. Alabama will have a most difficult problem beating Georgia if the problem occurs again. Can Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb scheme around it? The most optimistic answer is maybe. For the past five seasons, Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lines have been plagued with false start penalties in hostile environments and against speedy edge rushers. No scheme can overcome that problem.
Alabama Football vs. Georgia
So far, the 2025 season indicates Georgia has slipped in producing edge pressure on opposing quarterbacks. After the Austin Peay game, David Pollack, talking with Greg McElroy, said, "I saw something that I think is a big concern that we’re going to be talking about after the Alabama game and for the Georgia season. Who can rush the passer, Greg? As much as we want to talk about Alabama, like I saw a bunch of guys that couldn’t win.”
Pollack added that against Tennessee, Georgia had to increase its blitz frequency, resulting in leaving the Bulldogs' secondary vulnerable. Joey Aguilar was not the best quarterback in that game, but he passed for 371 yards on the Bulldogs.
There will be bizarrely costumed, barking Georgia fans in Sanford Stadium on Saturday night. There will be no demons. Just two highly talented, determined football teams waging a fierce battle. The contest should be one of the best in the 2025 season.
Note: Team records provided by Sports Reference