Only Georgia’s oldest players were alive the last time the Bulldogs beat rival Alabama in Athens, Ga.It’s been 22 years since the Bulldogs took down the Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium.Saturday night presents a chance for No. 5 Georgia to end its home woes against visiting No. 17 Alabama, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart knows how much his team can benefit from the partisan crowd’s energy in a Southeastern Conference showdown.”Being at home is an advantage,” Smart said. “Going on the road is hard. Playing at home, it helps. The atmosphere helps. The crowd noise helps. Being familiar with your surroundings helps, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to go play football. It comes down to matchups. Certainly glad it’s at home, but we’ve still got to play well.”Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) enjoyed a week off after its thrilling 44-41 overtime victory at No. 15 Tennessee on Sept. 13.In his first full season as the Bulldogs’ starter, quarterback Gunner Stockton has thrown for 721 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He also has run for 124 yards and three TDs.”He’s a physical kid. He’s tough. He’s gritty,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said of Stockton. “He makes the right decisions the vast majority of the time. And so he has certainly brought an element to their run game that maybe they didn’t have as much with Carson (Beck) a year ago. And I think that’s something that certainly we’re going to have to account for.”After an ugly season-opening loss at Florida State, Alabama (2-1, 0-0 SEC) has temporarily silenced its doubters with blowout wins over UL-Monroe and Wisconsin. The Crimson Tide prepare to hit the road for the first time since their 31-17 setback in Tallahassee, eager to push their way back into the conversation of national elites.”Going to Athens, it’s going to be a great atmosphere, great environment, and something our guys are looking forward to,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “You can tell with the way we’ve practiced, just high energy and looking forward to the challenge.”
