Tennessee Football: Jeremy Pruitt’s play calling in spotlight against Georgia running back core.

Georgia and Alabama face off for the national title tonight. Can Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt’s play-calling deliver the Tide another title?

When the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide face off in the national title game, Tennessee football fans are going to have their eyes on their new head coach, Jeremy Pruitt. They will want to see see how he can stop the Dawgs on the ground in his final game as Alabama’s defensive coordinator.

Georgia and Alabama are averaging almost the same amount of rushing yards per game (260+ yds). Both have elite defenses.

In the national limelight, most are focusing on the “master/apprentice” Saban vs. Smart. But Pruitt’s play calling is what Tennessee fans are anxiously awaiting to see. In no other circumstance can you imagine Vols fans pulling for Alabama.

Yes the Vols have coaches on both defenses (Kevin Sherrer and Pruitt) so fans should be happy either way. But this will be fun. Last week, Jeremy Pruitt’s play calling limited the No. 1 team in the country at the time (Clemson) to a mere 6 points. That didn’t come from a touchdown either. The Tigers had to settle for a field goal on both “scoring” drives.

Thinking in that light, you can only imagine a vague threat to Georgia. Lots of teams have “off games”. Georgia (in my opinion) is a much better team than Clemson. Maybe I’m biased to the SEC, but If you compare Georgia and Clemson’s losses, the Bulldogs are a clear favorite.

UGA lost to a propulsive Auburn team, who also beat Alabama this season. Clemson had to take a rough loss to Syracuse on the chin. There really is no debate.

But what does Pruitt’s success from last week against the Tigers mean for the Bulldogs tonight? Well, Georgia is going to have to rely on true freshman quarterback, Jake Fromm, a lot more than usual. His efficiency must be sharp and his thinking fast. Why?

Pruitt held Clemson to only 64 rushing yards.

ESPN said it best when Bama’s defense forced Clemson to play on a slant. They took away the running game and forced the Tigers take risks and put the ball in the air. I would not be surprised if we see Georgia in the same circumstance.

Pruitt is no stranger to the Bulldogs strengths. He’s as sharp of a defensive mind as any. I can  guarantee he’s anticipating a run game with Sony Michele, Nick Chubb, D’Andre Swift and a towering offensive line.

However, Georgia Head coach, Kirby Smart, has always involved an element of surprise. Starting the South Carolina game with an onside kick was brave and smart. Jake Fromm is also a mighty threat to the Crimson Tide and could present problems if he’s efficient on every platform.

Ultimately, I expect the Tide to stifle Georgia’s strengths, which is pretty exciting for Tennessee football fans. If Georgia doesn’t get something going immediately, consider it over. They have to be competitive from beginning to end. You don’t come back against Alabama. It’s almost like a spider catching it’s prey. Once you’re in the web, you don’t get out.

With that said, here’s my final score prediction: Alabama 28 Georgia 20.