Kirby Smart knew Keelon Russell’s talent well before the Alabama quarterback became one of the SEC’s emerging stars.
The Georgia head coach watched Russell closely during his career at Duncanville High School in Texas, where he developed into one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects. Russell spent his freshman season at Alabama largely out of the spotlight before earning the starting job this fall.
Now five games into Russell’s first season as the starter, Smart has seen that talent translate to the college level.
“He’s just unbelievable,” Smart said. “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. But he scrambles to throw, scrambles to run. He’s accurate, smart. He’s very talented.”
That combination presents one of the toughest challenges Georgia’s defense has faced this season when the No. 2 Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa for Saturday night’s top-10 matchup against Alabama.
Russell finding his stride
Russell’s season has been a steady progression from talented young quarterback to one of the SEC’s most productive players.
In his first career start against East Carolina, Russell completed 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards without a touchdown or interception. He did plenty of damage with his legs, however, rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown.
His first SEC road start at Kentucky brought some growing pains. Russell threw two interceptions and was sacked four times, finishing with only 188 passing yards.
He hasn’t thrown an interception since.
Russell followed the Kentucky game with three of his best performances of the season. He threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns against Florida State, then erupted for 365 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina. He completed more than 76% of his passes in both games.
Last Saturday at Mississippi State, Russell showed another step in his development. In a difficult road environment against an unbeaten, ranked opponent, he completed 16 of 22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns, then added another score on the ground in Alabama’s 56-23 win.
Through five games, Russell has completed 71.2% of his passes for 1,414 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Smart has noticed the growth.
“You’ve seen the growth just from the first game all the way through,” Smart said. “The talent this guy has is pretty incredible, and they’ve got really good scheme around him.”
Keeping Russell contained
Georgia defensive lineman Elijah Griffin sees a familiar player when he watches Russell.
“Keelon Russell, he’s that guy,” Griffin said. “Really quick. Reminds me of Jalen Milroe a little bit, obviously. But we’ve got to keep him in the trap, and he’s a great football player.”
Keeping Russell contained is easier said than done.
His rushing numbers show he can hurt defenses with his legs, but Smart believes labeling Russell simply as a running quarterback misses what makes him dangerous.
Russell’s ability to extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield forces a defense to remain disciplined after the initial pass rush. One defender losing leverage or leaving coverage too early can be enough for Russell to turn a broken play into an explosive one.
That puts pressure on every level of Georgia’s defense, particularly a defensive front that will have to balance creating pressure with maintaining its rush lanes.
The Bulldogs will also have to deal with an Alabama offensive line Griffin believes has improved as the season has progressed.
“They’ve always had a great offensive line unit,” Griffin said. “I think year by year, they just continue to get better at that.”
Georgia embraces the challenge
Georgia has plenty of respect for Russell and Alabama’s offense, but Griffin doesn’t want the Bulldogs treating Saturday night as something bigger than it is.
That can be difficult considering the opponent, the environment, and the attention surrounding the matchup.
“We don’t put our opponents on a pedestal,” Griffin said. “No matter who we’re playing, from the lowest tier to the highest tier, we all approach it the same.”
That doesn’t mean Georgia isn’t looking forward to the challenge.
Russell has looked increasingly comfortable with each passing week, and Alabama will give Georgia’s defense a chance to see how it measures up against one of the fastest-rising quarterbacks in the SEC.
Griffin said the Bulldogs have no plans to shy away from what awaits them in Tuscaloosa.
“We’re super excited because we don’t back down from any challenges,” Griffin said. “We run to the storm, and we don’t run away from it.”
