Alabama Football Expecting Different Challenge from Georgia in 2023
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Dec. 4, 2021, Alabama rolled into Mercedes-Benz Stadium as an underdog against a 12-0, No. 1 Georgia team.
The Crimson Tide essentially ran the Bulldogs out of the building, rolling to a 41-24 win to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Bryce Young, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy the following week, accounted for 461 total yards and four touchdowns. Alabama forced Stetson Bennett into two interceptions, including one that Jordan Battle returned for a touchdown.
That is the last time Kirby Smart and Georgia lost a football game. 37 days after getting embarrassed by the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs won their first national title since 1980. Georgia won the national championship again in 2022-23.
Since the 2021 SEC Championship, things have changed. It seems like the Bulldogs have taken the sport by the neck, and the only team standing in their way off the near-unheard of three-peat is yet again Alabama, in the same stadium. Once again, the Crimson Tide is an underdog, and a hefty one, for the Crimson Tide's standards.
Of course, both rosters are almost completely different. But the mindset and the message remains the same, and there may be some veterans that can deliver that.
"I think this is about this team how they prepare for this game," Saban said Monday. "Not very many guys on this team [were] on that team. Some of the guys that were on that team understood what championship preparation is really all about, and I think their leadership and our message is going to be that's exactly what we need in this game. But it's hard to draw comparisons from people who didn't have that experience sometimes. Hopefully, some of the older guys on the team will be able to give us the leadership that we need to be able to get that message across."
Georgia is favored by nearly a touchdown, which for Alabama, is a lot. The Bulldogs were also favored by six points in that game two years ago, though. Georgia has earned it, setting the SEC record with 29 consecutive wins last week.
"It's definitely a feeling that 'Yeah, we want to be the team to [break the streak]," linebacker Deontae Lawson said on Monday. "But we also know what comes with that, nothing else matters but what goes on on the field."
The Bulldogs are probably better than they've ever been, especially on offense. Carson Beck leads a highly-efficient offense that doesn't make many mistakes.
"I would say they kind of got similarities," defensive back Malachi Moore said on Monday. "They like to run the ball a lot and they also have explosive plays. And I just think they do a good job getting the ball to their playmakers. [Beck] does a great job of managing the offense and making sure everybody's on the right page and making the right plays."
Moore and defensive end Justin Eboigbe were both on the team that knocked off Georgia two years ago. He understands this is a brand new game.
"What happened two years ago has nothing to do with what we’re going to do this weekend. It has nothing to do with how we’re going to perform," Eboigbe said Tuesday. "It’s cool to compare the past, but the thing is, that’s a different Georgia team, it’s a different Alabama team. That Alabama team isn’t gonna win the game for us this weekend. We have to win this game, we have to do what we have to do in order to come up victorious after this weekend."
