It goes without saying, the quarterback who plays the best usually comes out with the victory. If one signal-caller finishes with a 70% completion percentage with 350 yards and a few scores to go with it, chances are his teams beats an opponent rocking a 50 percenter with 175 yards and a few turnovers.

Sure, it's obvious. If Mac Jones keeps up his insanely productive play, the Crimson Tide have a far better chance of beating the Georgia Bulldogs, with or without Nick Saban.

But the point of this column is to show why it's so important against a team like Georgia. Truth be told, it wouldn't be too wild for Jones to outperform Bulldog QB Stetson Bennett statistically and still be on the right-hand column of the record book. Game numbers can be deceiving, and the numbers rarely tell the whole story.

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But against the Kirby Smart lead defense from Athens, quarterback numbers play a vital role in the ebb and flow of games against Georgia.

Week 1: Georgia met Fileipe Franks for the first time as an Arkansas Razorback. Georgia eventually won this game 37-10, but not after Franks and company made a strong effort in the first half. Admittedly, Franks isn't a very accurate quarterback, the throws he did make made a massive difference though, especially his 79-yard touchdown. Still, he was 10 of 24 in the first half, allowing Georgia to stay in the game. He never got on track, and added another interception all but sealing the Hogs' fate.

Bad quarterback play.

Week 2: Bo Nix and the Auburn Tigers make a go at Smart's defense. Nix was off the entire night, which is par for the course. He's a highly inconsistent quarterback with extreme accuracy issues. Completing just 21 of his 40 passes for 177 yards and a pick did the Tigers in.

Bad quarterback play.

Week 3: Tennessee hosted the Bulldogs in what seemed primed to be the upset the Volunteers need to round the corner out of the basement of the SEC. Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano played a solid game overall, but his first-half efforts are what afforded the Vols an opportunity to win the game. Heading into the half with a 21-17 lead, Tennessee had a 39% chance of victory according to ESPN metrics.

In the first half, Guarantano was 21 of 23 passing with two touchdowns. He was playing a truly remarkable game by his standards. However, in the second half, Guarantano turned the ball over on his first two possessions and finished the game with just two more completions on 13 passes.

Bad quarterback play.

It's no secret, Smart's Bulldogs carry one of, if not the best defense in all of college football. Georgia has only allowed an average of 198 pass yards a game, bested only by five Power 5 schools. However, none of the quarterbacks the Bulldogs have faced measure up to Mac Jones as none rank in the top 20 for passing yards, completion percentage, passer efficiency rating, or touchdowns (save for Franks who is 20th in completion percentage and has one less touchdown than Jones.)

Jones holds the highest passer efficiency rating with a whopping 220.3. His 79% completion percentage is second in the land. Only seven Power 5 quarterbacks have more yards through the air. His seven passing touchdowns are tied for seventh, but again only seven Power 5 quarterbacks have more touchdowns, four of whom have top-10 passer efficiency ratings.

Will Georgia's defense be ready for Jones? Absolutely. The last two times The Bulldogs met the Crimson Tide, Smart's gameplan for Alabama neutralized the starting quarterback of the day.

This time, it's up to Jones to be just as ready for the Bulldogs. Number 10's accuracy has produced NFL quality throws, the likes of which Georgia has not seen this season on a consistent basis.

To hold the efficiency ratings and completion percentage Jones has produced shows his consistency. Keep in mind, Bennett has struggled at times in all three games for Georgia.

Should Jones prove to be his usual accurate and consistent self, Alabama holds an edge in the quarterback battle, a battle proven time and time again to be the ultimate difference-maker in the final outcome.

Alabama Career Passing Yards

 

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