ATHENS — Georgia shouldn’t need any extra motivation when it takes the field against Alabama on Saturday in the SEC championship game.
Alabama has owned Georgia since Kirby Smart took over, as the Crimson Tide are 7-1 against Smart. That includes a 24-21 win in Athens earlier this season.
Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan referenced that earlier win when speaking to reporters on a teleconference call on Monday.
“Of course, it’s the SEC Championship, it’s a big deal,” Keenan said. “We’ve already beat this team before. We going to go out there and make sure we do the same thing. But we going to make sure we handle business on our own end and not leave it up to the committee to make decisions for us.”
Alabama is currently ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings and a loss to Georgia could possibly put them in danger of falling out of the College Football Playoff if certain results occur.
Keenan is well respected by Georgia, as he’s viewed as one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC. He played 37 snaps in the earlier matchup this season against Georgia.
His play was a big reason Georgia’s offense couldn’t get much going in the first meeting between the two teams. Keenan expects the trenches to decide the game once again.
If that ends up being the differentiator, it would be a big advantage for Alabama in Keenan’s eyes.
“Especially in SEC play, the trenches, it kind of get nasty and that,” Keenan said. “It’s definitely going to be a great battle, one for the centuries, like it always is when Alabama and Georgia plays. I think that’s like the mismatch of the game.”
Georgia could be without one of its top offensive linemen in center Drew Bobo. He is dealing with a lower leg injury that prevented him from playing in the second half of Georgia’s win against Georgia Tech this past Saturday.
If Bobo cannot go, look for Malachi Toliver to step in against Keenan and the Alabama defensive front.
“I mean regardless of who’s there, Drew — whether it’s him, Cortez, Malachi, Donnie — whoever it is, we’ve got to block the people in front of us,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Sunday. “And you know a lot of times on the offensive line, it’s not a single block all the time. So there’s guys that can help you there.”
When Smart was asked specifically about Keenan on Sunday, the Georgia coach was complimentary of what the Alabama defensive tackle brings to the table.
“Yeah, he’s a really strong, stout, physical player,” Smart said. “Does a great job, always has, and he’s a force to be reckoned with. Really good football player.”
We’ll see if Keenan can back up his talk on Saturday, when Alabama and Georgia meet at 4 p.m. ET in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC.