‘Georgia’s Defense Is Just So Good’: CBS Sports’ Houston Nutt Previews SEC And Conference USA Championships

(CBS DFW) — Week 14 of the assemblage shot play brings plentifulness of league title action. Ten championships are connected the line. Bowl games and the College Football Playoff volition travel successful the weeks to come, with bids inactive perchance riding connected this weekend’s results.

CBS and CBS Sports Network person a mates of beardown matchups connected the schedule. Top-ranked and undefeated Georgia meets fourth-ranked Alabama successful the SEC Championship. Western Kentucky, riding a seven-game winning streak, faces the formerly ranked University of Texas astatine San Antonio (UTSA) successful the Conference USA Championship. CBS’s Norm Elrod talked to CBS Sports’ Houston Nutt astir the matchups.

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SEC Championship:

#1 Georgia @ #4 Alabama, Saturday, December 4, 4:00 p.m. ET connected CBS

The Georgia defence has lone allowed 4 teams to scope treble digits. That said, they haven’t faced galore elite offenses. Tennessee did people 17 points a fewer weeks back. What does this Georgia defence bash that makes it truthful hard for opposing offenses?

They person an unbelievable front, wherever they tin play that beforehand seven, without blitzing truthful much. And erstwhile you tin unreserved 4 and past screen with seven, it gives you specified a large advantage. But present Kirby mixing successful the portion pressures with these blitzes, it tin support a backmost truthful off-balance. And they person the velocity to get home. And erstwhile you tin unreserved the mode Georgia tin unreserved the passer, it tin beryllium disruptive. They’re truthful bully astatine mixing things up. But the biggest happening is Jordan Davis and that front. They don’t request overmuch help. And erstwhile you don’t request overmuch help, it conscionable gives the secondary much cushion and assistance to beryllium capable to halt the walk and explosive plays. But Kirby loves to bring it, helium loves to bring five, six, adjacent a seventh guy. He’ll support them disconnected balance. They’ve done a bully job. Very fewer teams person been capable to score. So I can’t hold to spot this game.

How should the Alabama offense, led by Bryce Young, onslaught this Georgia defense? Should their caller struggles against Auburn rise concerns?

That’s 1 movie Kirby volition ticker existent hard. I thought Auburn did an unbelievable occupation of playing defence against Alabama. Derek Mason had a large plan. And so, saying that, you tin stake that Alabama volition beryllium very, precise focused.

One of the astir important things is Jameson Williams. Jameson needs to enactment connected the field. You person to person velocity outside, due to the fact that they tin instrumentality distant your champion plays. One of the champion things to bash against a Georgia team, erstwhile you tally truthful fast, is to get them moving early. What I mean by that is simply a reverse successful the archetypal 10 plays, boots and waggles, determination the launching point. Georgia is truthful bully that, if you’re vanilla, particularly early, you’re going to beryllium down the count. So it’s very, precise important that you get disconnected and enactment with the count. And what I mean by that is 4 yards, 4 yards, 3 yards. You can’t get 2nd and 12, 3rd and 12 with this bunch, due to the fact that they conscionable odor blood. They’re truthful good.

So I would premix it up early, screens, draws, boots, and waggles, a reverse early. Misdirection screen, get buys successful abstraction aboriginal and truly effort to get the defence running. That’s your champion accidental to get against this bunch. One happening that radical don’t cognize astir is the secondary of Georgia. Why? Because the beforehand is truthful good, and precise fewer teams person been capable to get the shot down the tract consistently, due to the fact that they get location with the rush. It’s important that the backmost has a clip timepiece and beryllium capable to premix things up, particularly aboriginal on.

Georgia hasn’t played a adjacent crippled since their Week 1 triumph implicit Clemson. Alabama has been tested by Florida, Texas A&M and Auburn. This seems similar the SEC Championship matchup that was destined to happen. How bash you spot it playing out?

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Georgia’s defence is conscionable truthful good. The happening is I inactive judge that Bryce Young is truthful bully too, with his wide receivers. If they tin get the shot disconnected and determination things astir — effort to get them disconnected equilibrium and trial the secondary early. If you tin get immoderate tract presumption and transverse that 50 a fewer times, it volition beryllium a full antithetic ballgame.

The 1 happening astir Georgia is they get you backed up. They triumph tract position. They artifact a punt, and each of a abrupt it’s downhill and you’re looking up retired of the well. You’re you’re having specified a hard clip staying connected the field.

I deliberation it volition beryllium adjacent for a half. But Georgia’s defence is conscionable truthful elite and truthful fast. They springiness you truthful galore problems. I conscionable don’t however Alabama, close now, for 4 quarters, tin enactment connected that tract and nutrient points. Nobody has yet. But it’s hard to number retired Bryce Young. I’m a large believer successful Bryce Young, but helium has to person that clip artifact successful his head. I’m going to thin toward Georgia.

Conference USA Championship:

Western Kentucky @ UTSA, Friday, December 3, 7:00 p.m. connected CBS Sports Network 

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers-University of Texas San Antonio Roadrunners

UTSA’s nonaccomplishment past week ruined their undefeated play and dropped them retired of the apical 25. How bash they retrieve against Western Kentucky successful the Conference USA Championship?

What happens is, erstwhile you suffer your archetypal crippled aft you’ve been undefeated each twelvemonth long, you person a antithetic focus. So Western Kentucky is catching UTSA astatine the incorrect time. They’ll beryllium truthful laser-focused. They’re hurting from that loss. They haven’t experienced it each year. So this timing, if you’re UTSA, you’d astir apt deliberation that this mightiness truly assistance us. If you’re Western Kentucky, you person to support doing what you’ve been doing. Zappe has been great. These guys are amusive to watch. They cognize however to get the shot up and down the field. You tin stake that UTSA volition travel with a laser-focus, and they’ll beryllium acceptable to get that medicine, that 1 dose of medicine. And that’s a win.

Western Kentucky started the play 1-4, with their past nonaccomplishment coming against UTSA. What has led to their existent 7-game winning streak, and tin they marque it 8 wins successful a enactment against UTSA?

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When you look astatine Western Kentucky, it conscionable looks similar a wholly antithetic team. If you look astatine the archetypal 3 oregon 4 games, they weren’t playing precise clean, missed assignments, loss-of-yardage plays. But, each of a abrupt you look astatine these past four, five, six games, Zappe precise accurate. The crippled is clean. He gets them retired of the incorrect play, gets into the close play. Quick release. Things look truthful good, and Western Kentucky is playing bully defence arsenic well. So, erstwhile you person that together, you commencement to believe. When you support getting amended astatine the extremity of the year, there’s assurance that’s built. Confidence, and they’ve cleaned things up. And Zappe has been outstanding.