Georgia defensive line faces toughest test yet against Tide

ATHENS - Georgia defensive end David Pollack doesn&#39;t expect many surprises from Alabama. The Crimson Tide will run straight at the Bulldogs, and that&#39;s fine with him. <br> <br> ``Any time you face a team that&#39;s going to come right at you, it&#39;s fun,&#39;&#39; Pollack said. ``There&#39;s no secret about what they&#39;re going to do.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 22nd-ranked Tide (4-1) are averaging 249 yards rushing and nearly 35 minutes of possession each game, best in the SEC in both categories. Their offensive linemen weigh an average of 303 pounds, including tackle Wesley Britt, who&#39;s 6-foot-8 and 312 pounds. <br> <br> Pollack, however, weighs 264 and hasn&#39;t had a problem against bigger opponents so far this season. His four sacks and six breakups are the most on the team, and his interception in the end zone against South Carolina on Sept. 14 helped secure a 13-7 victory. <br> <br> Even though Pollack might not get a chance to add to his sack total against Alabama on Saturday, he looks forward to turning his attention to the run. <br> <br> ``That&#39;s really what&#39;s it all about,&#39;&#39; he said. ``When you have to rush the quarterback every down, you get tired a lot faster. But when they line up and run it right down your throat, that&#39;s a challenge I look forward to.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The No. 7 Bulldogs (4-0) have used their eight-man front to shut down the run, allowing just 90.5 yards a game. <br> <br> ``Once you get fatigued, your level of play goes down, so if we have enough guys we can rotate in there, we can keep them fresh,&#39;&#39; coach Mark Richt said. ``We do have numbers there. If they&#39;ll fight while they&#39;re in there, and we do a good job of substituting, we&#39;ll have a chance.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Georgia has another advantage against the Tide&#39;s ground game: Bulldogs offensive coordinator Neil Callaway held the same position at Alabama for three years, and before that coached the offensive line, before joining Richt&#39;s staff after the 2000 season. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s helped out, as far as talking about the personnel,&#39;&#39; Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. ``It&#39;s more telling us about the characteristics of the kids, like which kid has good feet, which kid makes the best adjustments ... things like that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Bulldogs have never won in seven trips to Alabama, and they&#39;re 0-6 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, site of Saturday&#39;s game. The Tide also are the only team to shut out Georgia in the past 17 years, doing it in 1991 and 1995. Overall, Alabama has won the past three meetings and holds a 35-22-4 advantage in the series. <br> <br> ``This will be a true measuring stick for us,&#39;&#39; Garner said. ``We&#39;ve to see if we&#39;re going to step up to the plate and accept the challenge. There&#39;s not going to be any doubt that it&#39;s going to be a physical, bloody-your-nose type of game. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re going to have to respond to that.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/10/189361