A preview of the Georgia vs Alabama football game from a statistical perspective.
The biggest matchup of the entire college football weekend and one of the most anticipated matchups of the entire season is happening in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Georgia Bulldogs are making the trip to the Alabama Crimson Tide to take on Kalen DeBoer in his first year with the program. So as the game approaches, here is a statistical preview of the game.
🧵: What the stats say about Georgia’s matchup against Alabama.
One thing that Georgia fans can feel good about in this macthup is Kirby Smart’s track record when he gets a week or more to prepare for an opponent. Over his career, he is 16-2 in thos football games, averaging 36.4 points per game and allowing an average of 19.4 points per game. Smart has not lost one of these football game since Texas in 2018 as the 2020 Florida game did not have a bye week before hand like they normally do.
From a general perspective, both of these teams are good on both sides of the ball. Georgia is currently averaging 31.7 points per game and allowing just an average of six points on defense. The Dawgs are the only team in the country that has not allowed a touchdown yet. Alabama is averaging 49 points per game and an average of 8.7 points on defense.
Georgia is also averaging 402.3 yards of offense per game and just 202.3 yards on defense which ranks 3rd in the country. Their opponents are averaging 3.5 yards per play. Alabama is averaging 466.7 yards on offense and 248 yards on defense which ranks13th in the country. Their opponents are averaging 3.37 yards per play.
Two of the nation’s top quarterbacks will be facing off this weekend and a lot of eyes will be on them in this game. Against conference opponents in his career, Carson Beck has thrown for 2,844 yards, 15 TDs, 4 INT and completed 72.2% of his passes. Milroe against conference opponents has thrown for 2,072 yards, 15 TDs, 4 INT and completed 65.5% of his passes.
Against ranked opponents in his career, Beck has thrown for 1,582 yards, 11 TDs, 1 INT and completed 72% of his passes. Milroe against ranked opponents has thrown for 1,227 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INT and completed 64.5% of his passes.
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Road and home splits can sometimes be a good indicator of how well an offense and defense travels, and Georgia under Smart and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo have fared pretty well in this comparison as a duo. On the road last season, Georgia averaged 35 points per game and allowed an average of 18.2 points per game. For context, at home they averaged 42.7 points per game and allowed an average of 13.7 points on defense.
Alabama has been one of the most explosive offenses in the country thus far and Georgia’s defense will have their hands full keeping their track record against explosives clean this weekend. On offense, Georgia has 16 20+ yard plays, nine 30+ yard plays and four 40+ yard plays. Alabama has 20 20+ yard plays, 11 30+ yard plays and seven 40+ yard plays. On defense, Georgia has allowed two 20+ yard plays, one 30+ yard play and zero 40+ yard plays. Alabama has allowed three 20+ yard plays, zero 30+ yard plays and zero 40+ yard plays.
If there was one major area of concern for Georgia fans heading into this matchup, it would be third downs on both sides of the football. Georgia is converting just 39.4% (13/33) of the time on third down this season. Opponents are converting 39% (16/41) of the time against UGA. Alabama is converting 52.5% (21/40) of the time on third down. Opponents are converting 16.3% (8/49) against Bama.
Some concerns came out about Georgia’s offense following their performance on the road against Kentucky two weekends ago, but Smart’s history as a head coach would say that doesn’t need to be the case. Since 2017, UGA has failed to score >20 points in a game eight times. In the games immediately following those eight performances, Smart has a 7-1 record and his offense is averaging 37.2 points per game. Georgia has also scored less than 20 points multiple times in a season just once under Smart since 2017.
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The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
