Georgia tests Smart’s Alabama history

01What Happened

When Georgia visits Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 10, two 5-0 teams will meet in the biggest SEC game of the season so far — and Kirby Smart will get another chance to beat the opponent that has defined his conference record.

Smart is 2-7 against Alabama. His two victories came in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game and last season’s SEC Championship, leaving him without a regular-season win over the Crimson Tide. Georgia can take an early edge in the SEC race with a victory; a loss would extend Smart’s drought and damage the Bulldogs’ path to the playoff.

The game also tests whether Georgia can remain unbeaten against an Alabama offense led by Russell, a first-year starter who already has 15 total touchdowns in five games.

02Why This One Matters

Georgia beat Vanderbilt 38-14 on Saturday, Oct. 3, while Alabama won 56-23 at Mississippi State. The results left both teams 5-0 entering a game that puts Georgia’s rushing depth against Alabama’s front seven and Russell’s dual-threat production against the Bulldogs’ defense.

Russell won the starting job over Austin Mack in the summer. He has completed 71% of his passes for 1,414 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in five starts. He has added 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries.

His best stretch came after the first two games. Russell threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score against Florida State on Sept. 19, then passed for 365 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina and 285 yards and three touchdowns at Mississippi State.

03What Most People Are Missing

Georgia’s answer may be its ability to keep Alabama defending different runners. The Bulldogs average 213 rushing yards per game, have topped 200 three times and have scored 16 rushing touchdowns.

Nate Frazier leads Georgia with 211 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries. Quarterback Gunner Stockton has added 122 yards on 20 attempts, and four other Bulldogs have topped 100 rushing yards this season.

04What the Coaches Can Actually Change

Georgia’s run plan has to include Stockton often enough to make Alabama account for him. The larger question is whether the Bulldogs can run successfully without making the offense predictable.

Lawson Luckie gives Stockton a reliable outlet in the passing game. Luckie caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas on Sept. 19, then added 43 receiving yards against Vanderbilt. He has six catches this season, but his recent production makes him a logical part of Georgia’s answer against Alabama’s pressure and run focus.

On the other side, Georgia must limit Russell’s rushing lanes without giving his 71% passing attack easy opportunities. Alabama’s quarterback has already shown that keeping him in the pocket is not enough; the Bulldogs have to make him work for both the throws and the scrambles.

05The Pate State Read

Josh Pate’s preseason bracket placed Georgia as the No. 1 seed and Alabama at No. 10, so this matchup directly tests that projection.

Georgia has the stronger argument when the game becomes a test of depth on the ground. Alabama has the more obvious individual problem for the defense in Russell, who has turned a summer quarterback competition into one of the SEC’s most productive starts to a season.

Smart’s record supplies the pressure, but not the prediction. His two Alabama wins came in championship games. A third would be his first regular-season victory over the Crimson Tide and would put Georgia in a stronger position in the SEC race.

06What to Watch Next

- Georgia’s rushing total: the Bulldogs have gone over 200 yards in three games. - Luckie’s involvement after six catches through five games. - Whether Russell’s legs create the same production he has posted so far: 184 yards and four touchdowns.

For Smart, the assignment is simple to describe and difficult to complete: beat Alabama in the regular season for the first time.