The #2 Georgia Bulldogs will face off against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide on the road on Saturday night. Kickoff for this pivotal SEC matchup is at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
This will be the first time in Kirby Smart’s career that he will be facing the Crimson Tide without seeing Nick Saban on the other side. Kalen DeBoer will get his first taste of SEC Conference action as well.
Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach Kirby Smart Using SEC Championship Game Loss As Motivation Ahead Of Alabama Crimson Tide
A season ago, Georgia was undefeated heading into the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. The Crimson Tide had one loss at the time to the Texas Longhorns and it had been a couple of years since the Bulldogs lost a game.
The Bulldogs were coming off back-to-back National Titles until they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. Because of the Texas Longhorns winning the BIG12 Title and Alabama winning the SEC Title, it knocked Georgia out of the college football playoff entirely last season.
Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart spoke to reporters on Monday in Athens, Georgia, and said:
“No, I mean, I don’t think we chase the past at all. I think that you watch the tape, two different teams. We’re focused on what we can do to be our best this week. The ghost we’re chasing is past performances this year, and what we can do to clean that up, and how we can be more efficient. I wouldn’t say it’s anything to do with them.”
Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon also spoke to the media about the SEC Championship Game from a season ago. Mondon said:
“It lingered a lot. “Personally, just because it kind of stopped us from getting to where we wanted to go, you know, with our goals for last season. So it lingered a lot with me, and I know with a lot of other guys.”
The Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide feel different on paper. However, what is the same is that Carson Beck is the starting quarterback for Georgia, and Jalen Milroe is the starting quarterback for Alabama,
Must Win Game For the Bulldogs
There is no doubt that this is a must-win game for both teams, but it feels like more of a must-win game for the Georgia Bulldogs. The first reason is that they need to get the SEC Championship Game loss out of their heads against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The second reason is that Georgia has a ridiculously tough schedule. If they were to lose to Alabama, there is going to be a lot of outside noise about Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs potentially missing the playoffs this season. They also have to face the Texas Longhorns, the Ole Miss Rebels, and the Tennessee Volunteers this year in SEC Conference play.
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