Nick Saban raves about balance, playmakers in Georgia's offense ahead of SEC Championship Game

When looking at the Georgia offense ahead of the 2023 SEC Championship game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban sees two main things: Balance and playmakers. And it’s a potent combo that he and his staff will need to slow down on Saturday to win the league.

Georgia can line up and run behind a stout offensive line like most years, Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. And that, in concert with wideout Ladd McConkey and tight end Brock Bowers is a scary combination.

“I think this is the most dynamic offense we’ve had to face all year long. Because they have great balance. They have a good offensive line, they’ve got good runners, they can run the ball. Then Carson Beck is an outstanding quarterback. Really makes good decisions, quick decisions, gets the ball out of his hand, hasn’t been sacked much, and then he’s got some mismatch players down the field. You mentioned both of them, that are hard to guard. They do a great job from a scheme standpoint of putting those guys in positions where they have opportunities to make plays and they’ve made ’em — tons of ’em,” Saban said.

Bowers has 51 catches for 661 yards and seven total touchdowns in nine games this year. McConkey has 26 catches for 418 and a pair of touchdowns in seven games. Both he and Bowers have missed time at various points this season due to injury and their statuses for Saturday aren’t certain.

But if they play, the Georgia offense should be as scary as ever.

And what makes it all sing, Saban said, is the way that offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has it all tied together.

“And this a really, really good offensive football team, all the way around. I mean run, pass, play action pass, taking shots down the field, I mean they’re really well tied together and they do a good job with execution. These guys are really well coached and they’ve got good players and they execute well,” Saban said.

Saban lauded the growth of his quarterback this year

Saban once again spoke about the development of Jalen Milroe, his redshirt sophomore quarterback. He started by going back to Milroe’s ‘benching’ in their third game this season and noted how that changed the trajectory of his year because of how he responded to that decision.

“Well, I hate to use the term that he was ever benched. I think it was an opportunity to see what other players could do,” explained Saban. “He responded the right way and worked on trying to become a better player at his position to be able to distribute the ball to the players so they could make plays.”

Milroe has answered since that day in Tampa by helping ‘Bama win nine straight to end the regular season. His play has been central to that successful stretch. He has been putting up nearly 270 yards per game while also posting 26 touchdowns overall.

To Saban, that speaks volumes about who Milroe has been as a player as the season has progressed. He has made all the plays, whether throwing or running, to put the Crimson Tide in this position.

“I think that he just had to make plays,” said Saban. “He’s a great ad-lib guy when it comes to the play breaking down. He is a great athlete, he is fast, he is physical. But he has got a great instinct for that. That’s what makes him most dangerous.”

“He’s also a good passer. He has become a very good processor of reading coverage and throwing the ball to the right guy. All these things have contributed to his transformation as a player, our transformation as an offensive team – the production that we’re getting from the quarterback position and the execution we’re getting from that position,” said Saban. “That has elevated the confidence of everybody on the offensive te