Nick Saban addresses Trey Sanders' play following Brian Robinson injury

After primary Alabama running back Brian Robinson suffered a left leg injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Iron Bowl win over Auburn, fellow Crimson Tide running back Trey Sanders stepped up and made some plays in Robinson’s absence.

While Robinson finished with 16 carries for 71 yards and made three receptions for 29 yards, Sanders also put up some solid numbers – rushing for 23 yards on 10 carries and tallying two catches for 12 yards.

Following Alabama’s win, a 24-22, four-overtime classic, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was asked about Sanders’ play in his postgame press conference.

“He did a good job,” Saban said. “He did a nice job with catching the ball. He did a good job in block protection, especially on some critical passing situations. When they blitzed, he made great pickups and ran the ball fairly effectively. So, we were pleased.”

With Robinson’s status uncertain for Saturday’s SEC championship game against No. 1 Georgia, Alabama might have to turn to Sanders to be its primary back vs. the Bulldogs. A sophomore, Sanders has totaled 221 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries this season for the Tide.

Saban praises Georgia’s pass rush

It’s no secret that Georgia is the best team in the country as its 12-0 record and No. 1 ranking present it, and a big reason for the Bulldogs’ success throughout the 2021 season has been because of their dominant defense.

Looking specifically at Georgia’s defensive unit, one of the team’s strongest areas on that side of the ball is its pass rush, which Saban had plenty of praise to give to.

“To me, they’ve got some really good rushers up front. They do a great job of pressuring the quarterback,” Saban said on Sunday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference. “They’ve got really good scheme in terms of how they pressure the quarterback. They mix up the coverages in the back end quite a bit. They’ve been very effective with the way they play pass defense all year long. So, it’s going to be very challenging for us. It’s not just about throwing the ball. It’s about protecting, whether it’s man to man, zone, reading it, throwing the ball to the right guys. There’s a lot of things that go with that.

“When we play the best, we have some kind of balance on offense, which really wasn’t the case last night. So, it’s going to be important for us to be able to create that as well.”

No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama kickoff at 4 p.m. ET Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.