TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Kirby Smart referred to Keelon Russell as “the new-age college quarterback that everyone wants to play with.”

Thing is, Smart’s No. 2-ranked Georgia team is playing against him at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium (TV: ABC).

The Bulldogs will look to slow Russell and No. 6-ranked Alabama in a myriad of ways, but as Smart noted, there is no ideal plan.

“It’s frustrating because you search for ways and you think there’s these perfect answers: Rush three, drop eight, rush seven, drop none, you can go four- or five- (man rush) and play zone or man (coverages),” Smart said. “You can do all these things, and he can still beat everything you do, so what you have to do is execute and have a good plan around him, pitch to him, and you have to score points, too, because they score points, too.”

It’s not just coach speak, as more SEC head coach speak would indicate when it comes to describing Russell, a second-year quarterback making his sixth start.

“He’s got great anticipation, he’s incredibly accurate, his eyes are always up on his progressions,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday,

“He’s able to do a lot of things you can’t coach.”

Kentucky coach Will Stein, another victim of Russell’s elite play this season, agrees.

“He’s one of the best players in the country, regardless of age, he can run it he can throw it,” Stein said. “He has the height, weight, speed to be a dynamic player for a long, long time.”

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer sees a bright player now and an even more elite player in the future in Russell.

“He’s special, he can make all the throws, he can run,” Beamer said. “What’s impressive about him is he continues to get better; look at him at Kentucky compared to how he played against us.

“I’d hate to compare him to anyone, there’s been some great ones in this league, (but) I would imagine he’s a future first-round draft pick.”

Smart knows all of that, and the Georgia players know it and are prepared for it, too.

“You can’t get down on yourself, you can’t lose momentum, because they have good players, they’re going to make plays,” Smart said. “The key is how our kids respond to when they do make plays.”