ATHENS -- There’s some great video still circulating on the Internet of Richard LeCounte and DeVonta Smith going against each other one-on-one in a U.S. Army All-America game practice in 2017. In it, not only does LeCounte get the best of Smith, he actually shoves the heralded wideout several yards out of bounds, where Smith eventually falls over an aluminum bench.
In an actual game, LeCounte certainly would’ve drawn a flag. But in this particular case, he was the recipient of a bunch of hoots and hollers and pats on the helmet from his fellow All-Americans. That day, Smith just calmly got up and trotted back to his side of the field.
Smith has had the last laugh in their encounters since then. A year later, Smith caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime against Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship game. Of course, he also was heavily involved in the Crimson Tide’s come-from-behind win over the Bulldogs in the 2018 SEC Championship game.
Now seniors, LeCounte and Smith surely will run into each other again as their powerhouse programs collide again Saturday night. This time it will be a regular-season matchup as No. 2 Alabama (3-0) plays host to No. 3 Georgia (3-0) in Tuscaloosa (8 p.m., CBS).
Smith is a featured player in what has been one of the more dynamic wide receiver corps in Alabama history over the past four years. LeCounte is the free safety and play-caller for a Georgia secondary that likewise is considered one of the best ever assembled by the Bulldogs.
It should make for some great television, if nothing else.
“Their secondary is very, very good. That’s why they’re one of the best in the country in terms of pass-efficiency defense,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday. “They’ve got good players, they’re really well-coached and they mix things up. They disguise things well and get good pressure up front with their pass-rushers, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
It will be challenging for LeCounte and Georgia as well. Though only three games into the season, Alabama’s offense is shaping up to be one of the most prolific ever. That’s saying something a year removed from LSU’s meteoric ride to the 2019 national championship.
The Crimson Tide is averaging 51.0 points per game, and quarterback Mac Jones is throwing the ball all over the yard. Jones is completing passes at a 79.5 percent clip for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns. His passer-efficiency rating of 220.3 leads college football.
Bama’s receiving corps helps. Smith has a team-high 27 receptions and is averaging 105.3 receiving yards per game. Jaylen Waddle has added 19 catches and is averaging 132 yards a game. The Tide lost Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs to the NFL off last season’s team. But the new addition making a name for himself is John Metchie, a sophomore from Brampton, Canada, who had 181 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Texas A&M.
That’s not to mention running back Najee Harris. The SEC’s leading rusher (115.7 ypg) also has seven receptions on the season. Bama averages 385 yards passing per game.
Impressive stuff, for sure. But every discussion about Saturday’s matchup has begun and ended with, “but we haven’t played a team like them yet.”
That’s exactly what Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday when asked about fielding one of his best defenses this year. “We haven’t played a team that’s that powerful on offense yet,” he said.
“You look at (Alabama’s) scores and you say, ‘Man, there’s a lot of ball being played over there,’” LeCounte said. “But, you know, I can’t really speak for the other teams or anything like that. I just make sure that our defense is ready to play on Saturdays. As long as we keep the other team under 13 (points), that’s our goal."
Asked to clarify, LeCounte said that goal applies to Alabama as well.
That would be monumental. The Crimson Tide scored on nine of their 11 possessions in a 63-48 win over Ole Miss on Saturday. Smith had 13 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns in that game. One of his scores came on a 14-yard run.
Likewise, Smith expects the going to be tougher against Georgia.
“It’s not going to be an easy game,” he said. “They’re going to come out there and give us their best. It’s pretty much the same guys, the secondary. They’re athletic, they’re smart, they’re very technical.”
It’s a lot of the same guys as last year anyway. LeCounte, a 5-star prospect out of Liberty County, now mans the safety position so masterfully occupied by J.R. Reed the previous three seasons. LeCounte will make his 22nd consecutive start Saturday, and 32nd overall. He’s tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
Joining him in the back third is sophomore Lewis Cine, another former Army All-American, as well as what is thought to be the fastest group of cornerbacks Georgia has ever assembled in Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes, D.J. Daniels and Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson and senior Mark Webb swap time at the Star position, depending on whether the situation calls for a coverage specialist or a run-stuffer.
As a group, they’ve played well, but imperfectly. They’ve fallen victim to “explosives” three times. One was a busted coverage by LeCounte in the opener, which resulted in a 49-yard Arkansas touchdown. The other two came at the hands of Tennessee on well-placed throws against good man-to-man coverage.
The pressure will be even greater not to let Alabama’s receivers behind them Saturday.
“Here at Georgia, we pride ourselves on keeping our composure and keeping things in front of us,” LeCounte said. “We want to make sure we play the next play like it’s our last play.”
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