Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said he knows what he’s up against with the Georgia defense.

“Disciplined, sound, multiple in what they do, excellent third-down package, coverage schemes are different than most people,” Grubb said this week, asked what challenges the Bulldogs’ defense poses.

“They understand how to travel in nickel and get people in different structures for their coverage, and I think that’s a huge part of what they do.

“They’re physical up front, they get vertical and they do a great job. They are well-coached, they have good players and they play hard, it will be a huge test.”

The No. 6-ranked Crimson Tide (5-0, 3-0 SEC) plays host to No. 2-ranked Georgia (5-0, 3-0) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The matchup of the Tide’s offense against the Bulldogs’ defense has been much anticipated, as Grubb looks to move the ball against Glenn Schumann’s defensive calls.

Grubb has added a twist to the Alabama offense with the utilization of the “I-formation,” hoping to complicate Georgia defenders’ assignments while adding more preparation to the Bulldogs’ preparations this week.

“It’s something all the way back to the spring we put some time and effort into,” Grubb said. “Talking to our defensive staff, the run fits are different, the linebackers’ vision on what their keys are can be different.

“When you’re talking about (number) 12 (Keelon Russell) being under center and handing off the football in I-formation versus being in Gun Zone reads, it’s another element of things that defenses have to look at and respect and work hard at.”

Alabama is averaging 186.4 yards per game rushing this season — up from 104.1 yards per game last season.

Georgia ranks third in the nation in run defense, yielding 57.4 yards per game on the ground.

Grubb said it’s important the Crimson Tide win at the line of scrimmage to give Russell an opportunity to make plays out of different formations.

“For Keelon to be able to be able to do those things and operate under center and utilize the boot (-leg) game as well,” Grubb said, “has been a big-time plus for us.

“There’s some excitement when guys see that (I-formation) and they get juiced up running the football like that.”

That said, Grubb knows how well Kirby Smart’s defense will be prepared.

“Georgia does what they do well, it’s a scheme that all the players have been in for a number of years,” Grubb said. “When you see defenses that have been coached so well for so long, it’s players and coaches understanding the system and being able to execute it.

“So all the way back to spring, when they are trying to get young players involved, there’s players on the roster that are like, ‘hey this is how we do this,’ “ he said.

“There’s confidence in how they execute, and I think that’s one of the biggest things, you just know they’ll be in team run (drills) twice a week executing those things and taking a lot of pride in how they stop the run.”

Ultimately, Grubb believes Alabama has the power to determine the outcome.

“For us, it’s executing the things we do well with our confidence,” Grubb said, “and try to knock them off the ball, that’s the game.”