Nick Saban weighs in on what makes Georgia's top-ranked defense unique

Nick Saban is facing one of the biggest challenges of his storied career on Saturday. He’s tasked with finding ways to put up points on the Georgia Bulldogs’ No. 1-ranked scoring defense, which is currently holding teams to 6.9 points per game.

“Look, I think (Georgia is) outstanding,” Saban said on Monday. “And maybe they have simplified things, but they’re still really aggressive and do a lot of very, very good things that have made them the best defense in the country.

“They’ve got a really good scheme in terms of how they pressure the quarterback. They mix up the coverages in the back end quite a bit. They’ve been very effective with the way they play pass defense all year long. So, it’s going to be very challenging for us. It’s about protecting, whether it’s man to man, zone, reading it, throwing the ball to the right guys. There’s a lot of things that go with that.”

Alabama had a rough time protecting quarterback Bryce Young on Saturday versus Auburn. The Tiger defenders got home seven times in the four-overtime victory for the Tide.

Jordan Davis poses big threat

The Bulldog defense is led by defensive tackle Jordan Davis, a Heisman candidate and a shoo-in for the top rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. Davis has 24 tackles this season with 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

“I think the guy’s one of the most dominant players in college football,” Saban said of the senior DT. “He’s about as good a player as I’ve seen in a long time as an inside player on any college team.”

The Crimson Tide owns a six-game win streak versus Georgia and must keep it alive to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama kickoff at 4 p.m. ET Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Saban, Tide dealing with limited RB unit

Nick Saban will have a hard time using a balanced attack versus Georgia on Saturday. The Crimson Tide could have just one scholarship running back available this weekend: sophomore Trey Sanders.

Following the injury to starter Brian Robinson, Sanders stepped up and made some plays in his absence – rushing for 23 yards on 10 carries and tallying two catches for 12 yards. For the 2021 season as a whole, Sanders has totaled 221 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries for the Tide.

Reporters asked Saban on Monday during his weekly press conference if he has ever been down to just one scholarship running back.

“Well, to answer your question, the first part is no,” Nick Saban said. “The second part is we have to coach the players that we have. We’ve got to get them ready to play the game. There’s nothing else we can do about that. Injuries are a part of the game.”