Alabama will have one of its most important unsung pieces available for Saturday night’s showdown with Georgia, even with a broken arm.
Pete Thamel reported Saturday morning that tight end Josh Ford is expected to play against the Bulldogs after getting hurt last week in Alabama’s win over Mississippi State. The Oklahoma State transfer went down with the injury, but he’s still on track to suit up in Tuscaloosa.
Ford’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but his value to Alabama has been obvious from the start. The junior tight end has been a tone-setter in the run game, using his 6-foot-6, 260-pound build to create lanes and serve as an extra blocker for QB Keelon Russell. Among blocking tight ends, he’s right near the top.
He’s also shown enough as a pass-catcher to keep defenses honest. Ford’s only catch this season went for a touchdown against South Carolina, so opponents still have to account for him near the goal line and in short-yardage situations. Even so, with the arm still broken, Alabama likely won’t ask him to do much beyond the role he’s already been filling.
The matchup itself carries plenty of weight for Alabama, which is looking to get revenge after Kirby Smart’s Georgia team beat the Crimson Tide in last season’s SEC title game in Atlanta. Both teams have started fast, but this is easily the biggest challenge either has seen so far.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
In Other News...
Georgia Heads To Alabama With A New Problem On Both Sides
Georgias trip to Alabama comes with another layer of concern after the latest SEC injury report showed wide receiver Isiah Canion will miss the matchup, his third straight game out with a leg injury. He is among a group of Georgia players ruled out, and the list also includes Thomas Blackshear and Chauncey Bowens, thinning the Bulldogs depth for one of the biggest games on the schedule.
For a team heading into a hostile road setting, the issue is not just one absence but the accumulation of them. Georgia has to sort through multiple unavailable pieces on both sides of the ball while preparing for an Alabama team that will surely press every weakness, leaving the Bulldogs with little margin for error before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Got Extra Fuel Before Its Biggest Alabama Test
The buildup around Georgias meeting with Alabama got a little more pointed this week when the College GameDay crew made its picks for the SEC heavyweight showdown. Three of the four panelists, including Nick Saban and Bryce Young, leaned toward Alabama, adding another layer of outside doubt to a game that already carries major weight in the SEC Championship race and the College Football Playoff picture.
Saturday nights kickoff at 7:30 p.m. EST gives Georgia the chance to answer all of that on the field. A win would give the Bulldogs a major edge in both races, while also offering the kind of resume boost that can define the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Still Have One Big Concern About Saturday's Storm
Hurricane Isaias has already forced a ripple of changes across the college football schedule, with seven games adjusted as the storm strengthens and moves toward landfall near Pensacola Beach. West Floridas home game was canceled outright, while other matchups in the Carolinas and Alabama were pushed to earlier or later kickoff times as schools and leagues tried to work around the weather.
For Georgia fans, though, the biggest eye-opener is that Saturday night in Tuscaloosa is still on the board in its original primetime slot. The Georgia-Alabama matchup remains scheduled as planned, even if game day operations have been adjusted, leaving plenty of attention on how the storms path and the surrounding conditions could still affect one of the weekends marquee games. [Read more 🡒]