Daniel Shirley: Greyson Lambert set to face biggest test yet

Each game of the Georgia football season has turned into a weekly evaluation of Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert.

So far, so good.

But the focus on Lambert kicks into high gear Saturday as the Bulldogs host Alabama in an SEC showdown.

Lambert has performed well through his first four games with the Bulldogs, especially since the first half of the game against Vanderbilt when he went 0-of-7 throwing the ball. Since that time, Lambert has completed 44-of-49 passes, and that includes a record-setting 24-of-25 performance against South Carolina and a 9-of-10 performance against Southern last week.

In both games, Lambert didn’t face much pressure and had wide-open windows to find his receivers. Both of those things should change Saturday against Alabama and Nick Saban’s defense.

The Crimson Tide might not be the same Crimson Tide they were a couple of years ago when they were winning national titles, but they are still the Crimson Tide, after all. And that typically leads to a tough night for opposing quarterbacks.

Saban and his defensive staff are known for making things tough on quarterbacks with their elaborate schemes and talented players. While Mississippi’s Chad Kelly picked apart Alabama a couple of weeks ago, the Crimson Tide defense didn’t get much help from its offense, which lost five turnovers.

If Georgia can get five turnovers Saturday, that would be a big help, of course. But that’s not likely to happen. So Lambert and the Georgia offense are going to have to work hard to deal with the talented Alabama defense.

If the Bulldogs can continue to follow the same game plan they have used the first four games, they can have success. That starts with the offensive line dominating, opening holes for Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and even Keith Marshall, while keeping Lambert upright with a clean pocket from which to throw.

Lambert was not sacked in his showcase performance against South Carolina, and if that happens again against the Crimson Tide, it will be a huge accomplishment for the Georgia offensive line and the Bulldogs will win the game easily. If not, Georgia can still win the game, but it will be much more difficult.

And win or lose, we’ll be talking about how Lambert fared in his biggest test yet.

Contact Daniel Shirley at 744-4227 or dshirley@macon.com

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Daniel Shirley: Greyson Lambert set to face biggest test yet ."