Alabama heads to No. 7 Georgia this weekend to take on the Bulldogs as six-point underdogs. The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide will have to contend with a Georgia team that has cruised in the first four weeks of the season.

And after a sloppy performance in a 34-0 win against Louisiana Monroe last week, there are reasons to wonder about Alabama’s chances against a Top 10 team on the road. But that doesn’t mean the Tide didn’t show some things that could breed optimism, particularly on defense where Alabama held the Warhawks to fewer than 100 yards of total offense.

The challenge against the Georgia offense is two-fold. The Bulldogs boast one of the nation’s best running backs in Nick Chubb and have had a remarkably efficient passing game this season as well. You can count on Chubb to rack up yardage. Saturday against Southern was his 12th-straight game with 100 or more rushing yards. But perhaps the Tide’s defensive line can get pressure on quarterback Greyson Lambert to throw him off his game.

Lambert has an efficiency rating of 200.99, completing 76.5 percent of his passes for 733 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. In his past two games, Lambert has completed 33 of 35 pass attempts with five touchdowns.

But last week the Tide faced a quarterback, ULM’s Garrett Smith, who had been putting up similar numbers to Lambert and effectively shut him down. Smith came into the Alabama game completing 79 percent of his passes in two contests. That included the season opener at Georgia, in which he went 23 of 29 for 206 yards.

But against Alabama, Smith found himself continually under pressure and completed just 17 of 37 attempts for 74 yards.

Obviously Georgia provides a stiffer challenge. The Bulldogs have a much better offensive line and Chubb requires serious game planning compared to a Warhawks running game that was nearly non-existent. But the basic principles are the same. If Alabama can pressure Lambert, who was simply an average quarterback at Virginia last year before transferring, perhaps he can be forced into mistakes.

Incompletions by Lambert on early downs, which have been incredibly rare, would help take Chubb out of the mix if Alabama can force third-and-long situations. That responsibility falls largely on the very broad shoulders of the Tide’s outstanding defensive line. Jonathan Allen left the game against the Warhawks with an injury, but is expected back for Saturday in Athens. In his absence Jarran Reed and A’Shawn Robinson continued to step up.

Their play will be huge. Lambert had a tendency to unravel under pressure at Virginia, but that’s not a situation he’s really experienced at Georgia. But the Bulldogs also haven’t faced a defense like Alabama’s yet this season.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Best offensive player: Nick Chubb, So., RB — The nation has had Leonard Fournette fever the past two weeks and for good reason, but it’s not clear cut the LSU running back is the best in the SEC. Chubb has rushed for more than 100 yards 12 times in a row dating back to last season and is as tough to bring down as anyone. Fournette is getting the Heisman hype now, but a huge game against Alabama could swing it back in Chubb’s favor.

Best defensive player: Leonard Floyd, Jr., LB — Floyd has been outstanding this season and has racked up some big numbers even though the Georgia starters have rested in the second half of multiple games this season. Floyd is a tremendous pass rusher from the outside, recording 23 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss so far. He also has two sacks, has broken up two passes and has been credited with four quarterback hurries.

Best special teams player: Isaiah McKenzie, So., KR — Few players are as dangerous in the return game as McKenzie. He’s active in both the kickoff returns and punt returns for the Bulldogs and after taking three back for scores last year, he already has a punt return for a touchdown this season.