Downpour conditions for the Alabama-Georgia game might have been bad for fans, but with scouts from 10 NFL clubs on hand to evaluate players like Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, they were ideal.
Ragland and Reed, both of whom returned to play as seniors despite receiving second-round grades last winter from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, led a dominant Alabama defense in a 38-10 win. They led the Crimson Tide with eight tackles each to help keep Georgia star rusher Nick Chubb largely in check until he broke an 83-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter after the game was already in hand. The muddy conditions, combined with Georgia's run-based offense, were ideal for the 250-pound Ragland and the 310-pound Reed to play downhill defense and stay out of open-field tackling situations. Reed, especially, was problematic for the Georgia offensive line.
"I thought the whole (defensive) front seven did a good job," said UA coach Nick Saban. "You don't stop running backs like those guys have if the linebackers aren't doing a good job, and the defensive line's not doing a great job."
Offensively, Alabama running back Derrick Henry, a junior, posted career-highs in carries (26) and yards (148), and his 30-yard touchdown run in the first half gave Alabama a 10-3 lead. Henry has rushed for more than 100 yards in Alabama's three biggest games of the season to date, against Wisconsin, Ole Miss and now Georgia.
UA quarterback Jake Coker completed 11 of 16 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown, with most of that production going to freshman receiver Calvin Ridley (5 for 120).
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