ATHENS – Much has been written this week about how Georgia has to find answers for Alabama’s Bryce Young and Jameson Williams on Monday night in the College Football Playoff Championship game. But in Tuscaloosa, they’re trying to figure out what to do about No. 19.
That would be Brock Bowers, the Bulldogs’ record-setting freshman tight end.
Bowers hit the Crimson Tide with 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in a 41-24 Georgia loss one month ago. That and some of the other things Bowers did contributed to the Bulldogs rolling up 449 yards and 24 points at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
With the way Georgia’s defense typically plays, that would be more enough to secure victory. Alas, the combination of Young and Williams was too much to overcome.
One can be sure, the Tide aren’t taking chances. They want to find a way to neutralize Bowers, who became a first-team All-American his first season with the Bulldogs.
Credit: ArLuther Lee
Credit: ArLuther Lee
“I think this guy is one of the premier players in college football,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I know he’s just a freshman, but this guy’s got great size, he’s a good blocker, he’s physical, he’s tough and he’s got wide receiver skills in every way, shape or form, which makes it difficult being a bigger guy for bigger guys to cover him, and it makes it also difficult for smaller guys to cover him. So, this guy is just a phenomenal football player all the way around. They do a good job of featuring his talents as well.”
Bowers generally draws safeties and linebackers in coverage. But, increasingly, the Bulldogs have split him out wide to draw even more favorable matchups. He can run with corners, but they typically can’t match the size and strength of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound athlete.
Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken doesn’t expect any radical looks from the Tide defense.
“They knew (about Bowers) going into the last game,” Monken said. “So, we don’t anticipate a heck of a lot different. Maybe in terms of where he’s located or different calls based on formation sets and what we do to get him the ball. But outside of that, to think that they’re going to line up two guys over him and double team him would be a stretch.”
Bama defenders seem to concur.
“Just play sound, fundamental football, be able to tackle, cover him in space,” linebacker Henry To’o To’o said this week. “He’s a tremendous player, so it’s going to be a huge challenge for us. He did a lot of things against us last game.”
Heading into the final game, Bowers already holds Georgia records for receptions in a season by a tight end (52) and touchdown catches in a season (12). He leads the Bulldogs in touchdowns scored, with 13.
Williams’ transformation
Speaking of Jameson Williams, Alabama star split end has been five times more production with the Tide in one season than he was in two seasons at Ohio State. In 10 games as a Buckeye, Williams had 15 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns. In 14 games at Bama this season, he’s recorded 1,507 yards and 15 TDs on 75 receptions.
What changed?
“I would say I learned to go way hard,” Williams said. “I’m a real good competitor, but being around guys like this and guys on the team, on the defense, are forcing me to bring out way more than I ever had with these practices and how things go. So, I would say I learned to go way harder than I ever did, really, coming to Alabama.”
Georgia certainly couldn’t stay with Williams in the first matchup. He caught seven passes for 184 yards and scored on receptions of 67 and 55 yards.
Williams said he got more “over-the-top” coverage from the Bulldogs late in that last game. He expects to get even more attention this time.
“I feel we will have plans to get around it,” Williams said. “But it’s something that we just have to work on this week in practice and game plan for. Hopefully, we’ll get to the game Monday and everything works out well.”
Familiar foes
Georgia and Alabama will be meeting for the fifth time in the past four seasons. The Tide won the previous four matchups, twice in the SEC Championship game, once for the 2017 national championship and in Tuscaloosa last year.
There is not quite as much cross-over on the coaching staffs as there once was. Jay Valai, who coaches defensive backs for Alabama, was a quality-control defensive coach for Georgia in 2016 and 2017. And Doug Marrone, who coached the offensive line for one season at Georgia under Jim Donnan, is the Tide’s offensive line coach. Marrone was a head coach and offensive line coach in the NFL for many years before returning to the college game under Saban this year.
Scott Cochran is the newest former Alabama coach on Georgia’s staff. The Tide’s longtime strength-and-conditioning coach joined the Bulldogs as special-teams coordinator last year. But he took a health-related leave of absence before the season and has since rejoined the team in a quality-control capacity. Former South Carolina coach Will Muschamp assumed Cochran’s role among the 10 on-field assistants.
