The Georgia Bulldogs' defense will face their biggest challenge of the season on Saturday, Oct. 10 as Georgia plays the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has the second-ranked scoring offense in the country and is coming off an impressive 56-23 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Alabama has scored at least 45 points in every game this season and a big reason why is star quarterback Keelon Russell. Russell is in his first season as a starter, but he's already posting video game numbers.
Russell has a 91.0 QBR to start the season, which is third-best in the country. Russell is a speedster with dual-threat capabilities. He has passed for 970 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions over his last three games. The 6-foot-3, 210-quarterback is explosive
and has scored a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games including a 57 yard touchdown against Florida State.
"I knew about him in high school and watched his high school tape," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Russell, who is a former five-star recruit out of Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. "I knew he was an elite player, probably the best quarterback in the country coming out. Then, he kind of goes away and disappears for a year and reappears.
"He's unbelievable, savvy, arm strength, pocket awareness. People will make him out to be a runner. He doesn't run unless he has to, and he can. He scrambles to throw, scrambles to run. He's accurate and smart. He's very talented."
Russell played in just two games in 2025 behind starter Ty Simpson, who ended up as a first-round NFL draft pick. Russell has burst on to the scene as a starter that looks capable of leading the Crimson Tide back to the College Football Playoff.
Georgia's pass defense will be put to the test against Alabama. The Crimson Tide have posted 14 or more points in seven of their last eight quarters and scored three touchdown passes of over 30 yards against South Carolina.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Alabama star QB Keelon Russell
