No. 17 Alabama seeks road redemption at No. 5 Georgia after a string of losses away from homeBy KENNINGTON LLOYD SMITH IIIAssociated PressThe Associated PressTUSCALOOSA, Ala.Ty Simpson and No. 17 Alabama are feeling more confident after recent wins against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin. However, they face a tough challenge against fifth-ranked Georgia on Saturday. Alabama's only road game this season ended in a loss to Florida State. Coach Kalen DeBoer emphasizes the need to overcome adversity on the road. Alabama has struggled away from home, with a 2-5 record since last season. Georgia boasts a strong home-field advantage with a 33-game winning streak at Sanford Stadium.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Quarterback Ty Simpson and No. 17 Alabama are feeling much more comfortable than they did a few weeks ago.
Lopsided wins against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin, plus a bye week, will do that. A much bigger — and likely less relaxing — challenge comes at fifth-ranked and undefeated Georgia on Saturday.
The stakes are understood, with Southeastern Conference and College Football Playoff implications on the line. There's another hurdle for Alabama to clear: winning on the road.
Alabama’s only game away from Bryant-Denny Stadium this season ended with a 31-17 drubbing at then-unranked Florida State. The Tide (2-1) looked a little overmatched as double-digit favorites in the season opener.
The focus since has been about channeling a negative road experience into a more positive outcome.
“I think the first game we didn’t really know what to expect,” Simpson said. “Having a couple of games under my belt definitely helps understand what I need to do to prepare better, understanding what to do to play better and understand my game better. So it’ll be exciting.”
Playing outside Tuscaloosa has arguably been the most difficult part of coach Kalen DeBoer’s brief tenure at Alabama. The Crimson Tide are 2-5 away from home since the start of last season — including stunning losses at Vanderbilt and Oklahoma in 2024 — and those losses have been by an average of 10.6 points.
Conversely, Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) has one of the strongest home-field advantages in college football. The Bulldogs have won 33 consecutive at Sanford Stadium, which is the longest active streak in the country and the second-longest home-winning streak in SEC history. Alabama won 57 in a row between 1963 and 1982.
“I think it’s on the forefront of all of our minds,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “We’ve talked about it and made an emphasis, and yet at the same time, you’ve got to take the next steps forward. Having a mentality of ‘adversity is coming' and how you’re going to be responsive and not reactionary to adversity is a major aspect to overcoming adversity on the road.”
Avoiding any kind of hardship is the key to reversing the trend. Alabama trailed at halftime in four of its five road losses, including first-quarter deficits of 13-0 and 16-0 to Vanderbilt and Michigan, respectively. In total, Alabama’s been outscored 66-41 in the first half of its away losses.
Sustaining intensity has been an area of emphasis as well, particularly regarding Georgia. In last year's game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama needed a late touchdown by Ryan Williams and an interception in the end zone by Zabien Brown in the final seconds to hold off Georgia's frantic comeback following a 34-0 halftime deficit.
“As long as we start fast and finish how we’re supposed to, man, I think we’ll have a good shot at winning,” receiver Germie Bernard said. "We obviously know it’s going to be a crazy environment. We just have to focus on us executing our plays, dominating our own box and doing our 1/11. That will lead us to winning the game.”
As game day approaches, Alabama sounds confident it can play better on the road thanks to the team's recent execution and a shift in mentality.
Opponents aside, Alabama looked stout in its last two outings, winning by a combined score of 111-14. Off the field, a level of buy-in between players and coaches has grown stronger since the Florida State loss, which DeBoer hopes will make a huge difference Saturday.
“I know there’s a high want-to factor this group has; they've shown it in the work,” DeBoer said. “Just ask these guys to empty the tank every single day, and they’ve done that. That’s what we’ve got to do on Saturday.
"We’re going to have to be resilient. Understand that adversity against good football teams is going to happen. Know what our response is going to be, choose our response and understand what that looks like even now, not just when it happens.”
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