INDIANAPOLIS — No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia are set to meet on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in the College Football Playoff National Championship. This game marks the second meeting in over a month between the two powers, with the Crimson Tide defeating the Bulldogs 41-24 in the SEC Championship Game back on Dec. 4. In that conference title tilt, the stout Georgia defense was stymied by an Alabama offensive line that stepped up in a big way after being lit up like a Christmas tree the previous week in a quadruple-overtime win over Iron Bowl rival Auburn.
The Bulldogs are led on offense by former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and a versatile rushing attack that can make any defensive coordinator’s head spin. A win on Monday will give coach Kirby Smart his first national title and the Georgia program its first since freshman running back Herschel Walker led them to college football glory in 1980.
So what will it take for Georgia to break the four-decade drought? Let’s break down the five keys of the game for the Dawgs.
CFP National Championship predictions: Expert picks for Alabama vs. Georgia
1. Fix the glitch
The Bulldogs defense entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the first game against the Crimson Tide with enough hype to fill the Peach State. The front seven was touted as one of the best of all time, and polishing off an unblemished regular season seemed like a mere formality. Instead, they were unable to sack Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young once as the star sophomore sewed up the Heisman Trophy and set multiple SEC Championship Game records in the process.
That has to change.
“They did a good job, number one. [Young] did a good job of moving around in the pocket, of creating time,” Smart said. “He’s really…
..
