Trent Dilfer on Mac and Cube
CC: When you view football teams...how do you assess the quality of the team when you watch an opponent? What makes you look at a team and gain respect for them and how good of a football team they are?
Dilfer: Most people would say personnel. I would say coaching translated on to the field. Georgia....what makes them so good....yes, they are very talented....but they take the drill work and apply it down in and down out. The technique, the discipline, the eye-work, the punching, the shedding, the tackling. Like all the boring things no one wants to talk about, they do it all. They take all these highly talented kids. They convince them this is how you win and they go do it. It kind of looks like NFL football.
Cover 3
Kanell: Georgia will try to take away the deep ball and Milroe's ability to run. They have the secondary to do the first one. I think it boils down to the last one. Can you prevent the big play, the third down conversions, the 40 yard rushing TD? Can they take that away? That's what it comes down to. Their DL has not been great. During this dynasty the first year the defense was the core, then you kind of saw it evening out on both sides last year, and now the offense seems to be carrying the bulk of the water. Their D has still been really good. Not saying it's not good, but not what it was.
Fornelli: I'm optimistic about their ability to slow Alabama down. As far as the areas they attack, the Bama O is not that different than the Tennessee offense and we have seen Georgia able to smother that the last two years. I think they'll see if Jalen can hit some singles. "Ok Jalen, we know you can hit the long ball. Show me you can hit some singles." The secondary is the strongest part of the defense, but they have been bitten a few times because the pass rush takes too long, or at least longer than they used to. But on the other side, can Bama get enough stops on this offense? This is a really tough offense to stop right now. Earlier in the year they were really struggling to run the ball. That's no longer the case. They are balanced. You stop one thing they got a lot of other places they can go to beat you elsewhere. It's a really tough offense to stop right now.
Patterson: And Georgia's LBers, this is a big game for them. Can they step up and make plays on Milroe? If they get a really, really big game out of that defensive front, it might not be close.
Elliott: Georgia's defense is not the robot it has been the past few years. They move around some, get out of gaps some. There are ways you can move the ball on them that I think match up good for Alabama with what they do. It's just gonna come down to how does Georgia's run blitz stuff work. Can they keep Milroe in the pocket? Milroe has improved as a thrower. I don't think he scares Georgia as a thrower. I think he scares Georgia as a thrower on the run due to the coverage looks Georgia will have to run to account for his legs. I think UGA is excellent in coverage, so they should be able to hang with Bama's receivers. Bama has the highest blue chip ratio in the country. They have dudes. But their offense stalls at times. I think they can move it on Georgia some. How many third and longs can Georgia force? Cause then I think it really shifts into Georgia's favor.
On the flip side, the kind of run game that has hurt Bama's defense is not exactly what Georgia does. Can Georgia just line up and run at this defense, because I think Bama has the best defense in the country. They given up some plays this year, so maybe I'm wrong. But player wise, Turner and Braswell are freaks, they have nice cover guys, have solid LBers. Georgia's not gonna just be able to throw it all over the yard. They will need to make some plays one on one. Getting Bowers back helps a ton. This is a game where you go to him when you need him and you'll probably need him a lot.
Kanell: What team had the most success against Alabama in their backyard?
Elliott: Texas? LSU?
Kanell: I was thinking Texas. Cause the Texas gameplan looks more similar to Georgia than the LSU gameplan.
Elliott: Are those the only two good QBs Bama faced this year? Dart didn't have his receivers healthy.
Patterson: The only red on Alabama's defense this year are those two games: Bama and LSU.
Elliott: And those two teams moved it on them, so maybe I'm wrong about Bama's defense. Maybe when they face a decent QB they give up a lot.
Patterson: If Alabama comes out and plays its best game, I think it can win. I think Georgia can win without its best game. I think Bama needs its best game.
Fornelli: To be fair to Alabama, I think everybody needs their best game to beat Georgia.
The Ruffino and Joe Show
Joe: I was gonna come in here and be conservative about this. But you know what, I don't give a damn. The Bama fans already don't like me. I'm gonna be as realistic as possible. I don't think Alabama has a chance to win this football game. We can sit and talk about how Saban rallies in revenge type situations. He flourishes in these spots where there's deficiencies on the roster and he still finds ways to win. Their defense is terrific. Both corners are gonna be first round picks. Turner is a first round pick. They are gonna get after Beck. They are gonna force maybe a surprising amount of turnovers by Georgia. Georgia may have one or two in this game and Bama will need that to win this game. But Bama's offense lives and dies on running the football, Milroe scrambling, and hitting the deep ball. Every other avenue does not work well for them. And they beat teams because they have to choose to stop Milroe from running or cover the deep ball. But Georgia has the secondary to cover Burton on the deep throws. And they have the DL and LBers to play the run effectively enough and play good enough contain. If Auburn with their roster can do what they did last week, Georgia will have no issues.
Ruffino: Don't do that Joe. Don't pigeonhole yourself. Georgia didn't look much better in Jordan Hare eight weeks ago.
Joe. Okay, I'll retract the last statement. They only realistic way Alabama wins this game is if they keep Georgia under 20 points or they score over 24. I don't think there is a world where they do that against Georgia's defense.
Ruffino: Let me say this, because I'm gonna pick Georgia to win. Georgia fans, I love ya. Just hear me out. I've been telling you every single week, "Do not count out Nick Saban." And what do people do every single week? "Oh, hell. They got Tennessee this week. They got LSU this week."
Joe: And I was this person.
Ruffino: You were this person. And I know Daniels was f'in that defense up. But I think this is Nick Saban's best coaching job with the limitations they have at QB. And you need luck and they got that last week. I don't think they will win. I do think that this is the best defense that Beck has seen all year.
Joe: Best D that either team has seen all year.
Ruffino: I agree. I'm not sure that some of the things Carson has done will work against this d. And I think they can get home. But there is one thing no one is accounting for. When you have a QB that can run and scramble and pick up first downs with their legs against Kirby or Nick, that has been their kryptonite. But don't forget about that little guy on the sidelines. And he and Steele are gonna throw things at Beck that he has never seen before. Now in the end I think he will make the plays to win the game. He is the better QB. And we talk about Bama and Auburn, but Georgia struggled with Georgia Tech and....
Joe: I don't agree with that. If Tech played Auburn right now they would beat them.
Ruffino: They would not beat Auburn. Do not discredit Bama. Don't say there is no chance. There is a chance.
Joe: I have watched Beck improve on a weekly basis. He does not have a bad game. How many times have we watched Milroe get bailed out. His best performances have come against some of the worst defenses Bama has played. We don't want to talk about his performance against Ole Miss, A&M, the first half against Tennessee and twice against Auburn he ran past the LOS for multiple yards and tried to throw the ball. And we forget about that because of a miracle play. There is a difference between these two QBs and the impact they provide to this game. Rees has to call the best game he's called all season to win this game. They can't make mistakes. They can't turn the ball over. They can't take more than three sacks. They can't because of the matchup that they are dealing with.
Ruffino: I agree with that. Milroe is not gonna do what he did to LSU vs. them. They're gonna get after him. Georgia is the only team in the country with a top ten offense and defense. I don't think it's a good matchup for Bama. But I will say I haven't seen Georgia play a team this good. I'm interested to see how they react to it.
CC: When you view football teams...how do you assess the quality of the team when you watch an opponent? What makes you look at a team and gain respect for them and how good of a football team they are?
Dilfer: Most people would say personnel. I would say coaching translated on to the field. Georgia....what makes them so good....yes, they are very talented....but they take the drill work and apply it down in and down out. The technique, the discipline, the eye-work, the punching, the shedding, the tackling. Like all the boring things no one wants to talk about, they do it all. They take all these highly talented kids. They convince them this is how you win and they go do it. It kind of looks like NFL football.
Cover 3
Kanell: Georgia will try to take away the deep ball and Milroe's ability to run. They have the secondary to do the first one. I think it boils down to the last one. Can you prevent the big play, the third down conversions, the 40 yard rushing TD? Can they take that away? That's what it comes down to. Their DL has not been great. During this dynasty the first year the defense was the core, then you kind of saw it evening out on both sides last year, and now the offense seems to be carrying the bulk of the water. Their D has still been really good. Not saying it's not good, but not what it was.
Fornelli: I'm optimistic about their ability to slow Alabama down. As far as the areas they attack, the Bama O is not that different than the Tennessee offense and we have seen Georgia able to smother that the last two years. I think they'll see if Jalen can hit some singles. "Ok Jalen, we know you can hit the long ball. Show me you can hit some singles." The secondary is the strongest part of the defense, but they have been bitten a few times because the pass rush takes too long, or at least longer than they used to. But on the other side, can Bama get enough stops on this offense? This is a really tough offense to stop right now. Earlier in the year they were really struggling to run the ball. That's no longer the case. They are balanced. You stop one thing they got a lot of other places they can go to beat you elsewhere. It's a really tough offense to stop right now.
Patterson: And Georgia's LBers, this is a big game for them. Can they step up and make plays on Milroe? If they get a really, really big game out of that defensive front, it might not be close.
Elliott: Georgia's defense is not the robot it has been the past few years. They move around some, get out of gaps some. There are ways you can move the ball on them that I think match up good for Alabama with what they do. It's just gonna come down to how does Georgia's run blitz stuff work. Can they keep Milroe in the pocket? Milroe has improved as a thrower. I don't think he scares Georgia as a thrower. I think he scares Georgia as a thrower on the run due to the coverage looks Georgia will have to run to account for his legs. I think UGA is excellent in coverage, so they should be able to hang with Bama's receivers. Bama has the highest blue chip ratio in the country. They have dudes. But their offense stalls at times. I think they can move it on Georgia some. How many third and longs can Georgia force? Cause then I think it really shifts into Georgia's favor.
On the flip side, the kind of run game that has hurt Bama's defense is not exactly what Georgia does. Can Georgia just line up and run at this defense, because I think Bama has the best defense in the country. They given up some plays this year, so maybe I'm wrong. But player wise, Turner and Braswell are freaks, they have nice cover guys, have solid LBers. Georgia's not gonna just be able to throw it all over the yard. They will need to make some plays one on one. Getting Bowers back helps a ton. This is a game where you go to him when you need him and you'll probably need him a lot.
Kanell: What team had the most success against Alabama in their backyard?
Elliott: Texas? LSU?
Kanell: I was thinking Texas. Cause the Texas gameplan looks more similar to Georgia than the LSU gameplan.
Elliott: Are those the only two good QBs Bama faced this year? Dart didn't have his receivers healthy.
Patterson: The only red on Alabama's defense this year are those two games: Bama and LSU.
Elliott: And those two teams moved it on them, so maybe I'm wrong about Bama's defense. Maybe when they face a decent QB they give up a lot.
Patterson: If Alabama comes out and plays its best game, I think it can win. I think Georgia can win without its best game. I think Bama needs its best game.
Fornelli: To be fair to Alabama, I think everybody needs their best game to beat Georgia.
The Ruffino and Joe Show
Joe: I was gonna come in here and be conservative about this. But you know what, I don't give a damn. The Bama fans already don't like me. I'm gonna be as realistic as possible. I don't think Alabama has a chance to win this football game. We can sit and talk about how Saban rallies in revenge type situations. He flourishes in these spots where there's deficiencies on the roster and he still finds ways to win. Their defense is terrific. Both corners are gonna be first round picks. Turner is a first round pick. They are gonna get after Beck. They are gonna force maybe a surprising amount of turnovers by Georgia. Georgia may have one or two in this game and Bama will need that to win this game. But Bama's offense lives and dies on running the football, Milroe scrambling, and hitting the deep ball. Every other avenue does not work well for them. And they beat teams because they have to choose to stop Milroe from running or cover the deep ball. But Georgia has the secondary to cover Burton on the deep throws. And they have the DL and LBers to play the run effectively enough and play good enough contain. If Auburn with their roster can do what they did last week, Georgia will have no issues.
Ruffino: Don't do that Joe. Don't pigeonhole yourself. Georgia didn't look much better in Jordan Hare eight weeks ago.
Joe. Okay, I'll retract the last statement. They only realistic way Alabama wins this game is if they keep Georgia under 20 points or they score over 24. I don't think there is a world where they do that against Georgia's defense.
Ruffino: Let me say this, because I'm gonna pick Georgia to win. Georgia fans, I love ya. Just hear me out. I've been telling you every single week, "Do not count out Nick Saban." And what do people do every single week? "Oh, hell. They got Tennessee this week. They got LSU this week."
Joe: And I was this person.
Ruffino: You were this person. And I know Daniels was f'in that defense up. But I think this is Nick Saban's best coaching job with the limitations they have at QB. And you need luck and they got that last week. I don't think they will win. I do think that this is the best defense that Beck has seen all year.
Joe: Best D that either team has seen all year.
Ruffino: I agree. I'm not sure that some of the things Carson has done will work against this d. And I think they can get home. But there is one thing no one is accounting for. When you have a QB that can run and scramble and pick up first downs with their legs against Kirby or Nick, that has been their kryptonite. But don't forget about that little guy on the sidelines. And he and Steele are gonna throw things at Beck that he has never seen before. Now in the end I think he will make the plays to win the game. He is the better QB. And we talk about Bama and Auburn, but Georgia struggled with Georgia Tech and....
Joe: I don't agree with that. If Tech played Auburn right now they would beat them.
Ruffino: They would not beat Auburn. Do not discredit Bama. Don't say there is no chance. There is a chance.
Joe: I have watched Beck improve on a weekly basis. He does not have a bad game. How many times have we watched Milroe get bailed out. His best performances have come against some of the worst defenses Bama has played. We don't want to talk about his performance against Ole Miss, A&M, the first half against Tennessee and twice against Auburn he ran past the LOS for multiple yards and tried to throw the ball. And we forget about that because of a miracle play. There is a difference between these two QBs and the impact they provide to this game. Rees has to call the best game he's called all season to win this game. They can't make mistakes. They can't turn the ball over. They can't take more than three sacks. They can't because of the matchup that they are dealing with.
Ruffino: I agree with that. Milroe is not gonna do what he did to LSU vs. them. They're gonna get after him. Georgia is the only team in the country with a top ten offense and defense. I don't think it's a good matchup for Bama. But I will say I haven't seen Georgia play a team this good. I'm interested to see how they react to it.
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