ATHENS — While there’s been some national chatter about Ryan Williams’ lack of numbers, you’ll hear nothing but praise from Georgia.

Toasting the 2024 Georgia secondary for 177 yards, including a back-breaking 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, gives the Bulldogs plenty of reasons to overlook the fact that Williams has just one 100-yard receiving performance since that game.

“Yeah, he’s a dynamic receiver,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Williams. “When you got a guy that’s a 100-meter champ, and explosive, and got the ball skills he has, I mean, he possesses all the traits of elite wideouts. Make you miss, vertical threat, quickness, toughness. I mean, he’s an all-around great player, and he’s proven to be an explosive play waiting to happen.”

Williams left Alabama’s season-opener with a concussion. His absence only made things more difficult for the Crimson Tide, as it lost 31-17 to Florida State.

He sat out Alabama’s game against UL-Monroe before making a big return against Wisconsin. He caught 5 passes for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was his first time topping 100 yards in a game since his performance against the Bulldogs.

It was a major get-right game for the sophomore wide receiver.

That same Saturday, Georgia’s secondary had plenty of issues covering in the secondary. Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell torched the Georgia secondary for 177 yards on six receptions. He had three touchdowns as Tennessee racked up 41 points, the same number Alabama scored on the Georgia defense last season.

“Williams absolutely torched the Bulldogs in his first showdown with Kirby Smart, producing three explosive plays, including the famous game-winner,” Andrew Irvins of CBSSports wrote. “He figures to once again see a heavy dose of senior UGA cornerback Daylen Everett in coverage, but a familiar foe could also end up shadowing him depending on how much Smart & Co. elect to use former five-star Ellis Robinson IV.”

Robinson was in coverage of Brazzell’s first touchdown of the game. He later committed a pass interference penalty that would extend a Tennessee touchdown drive.

Georgia also has Daniel Harris it could play at cornerback, but he did not fare all that much better against Brazzell. Harris gave up a 56-yard touchdown at the end of the third quarter, pushing the Volunteers back ahead.

The secondary knows it has to do a better job than it did last time out against Tennessee. It feels the same way about last year’s performance against Alabama, when Jalen Milroe threw for 374 yards, a season-high.

If the Bulldogs are going to win on Saturday, Georgia can’t let Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson pick them apart, even if Simpson has been nearly flawless since the loss to Florida State.

“I think they’re challenging themselves,” Smart said of his secondary. “We’ve done a lot of things with them to challenge them in terms of competition, in terms of drills, in terms of changes. So I’m looking forward to seeing those guys go out and compete. And they got a hell of an opportunity because they got a really good quarterback and skill group to play against.”

Williams isn’t Simpson’s only elite target, as Germie Bernard also plays a key role in the Alabama passing attack. Bernad is actually Alabama’s leading receiver to this point in time, catching 15 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

But you can bet that after last season, Georgia is going to know where Williams is at all times.