Kirby Smart updates status of two players ahead of SEC championship

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media Monday and provided an update on the status of two offensive players ahead of Saturday’s SEC championship game against Alabama.

According to Smart, the plan is to work running back Kendall Milton back into practice this week, while wide receiver Kearis Jackson is likely to play in Saturday’s title game. Milton suffered an MLC injury in practice in October, while Jackson’s ribs were banged up in last Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech.

Milton, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound sophomore, has rushed for 243 yards and a touchdown in 2021, while Jackson – a 6-foot junior – has tallied 174 yards and a touchdown on 13 receptions.

Georgia – undefeated at 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 – and No. 3 Alabama kickoff at 4 p.m. ET Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Paul Finebaum weighs in on Alabama’s SEC championship game chances vs. Georgia

The Alabama Crimson Tide is walking into a rare situation on Saturday. For the first time since 2015, Nick Saban’s squad is playing the underdog. SEC analyst Paul Finebaum weighed in on the Tide’s chances vs. No. 1 Georgia on The ESPN College Football Podcast.

“I would be surprised [if Alabama won], and I haven’t missed too many big Nick Saban games since he arrived in 2007, but this team has lived on the edge too many times,” Finebaum said. “What we saw Saturday in Auburn was similar to what we saw versus Texas A&M, what we saw vs. Florida.

“We’ve seen this pedestrian team, even with the best quarterback in the country – I say pedestrian, I’m going to get yelled at by Nick Saban for being self-absorbed – they look pedestrian and they’re still one of the top three teams in the country, that’s just the standard they have there.”

The one-loss Tide are coming off of a four-overtime win over the Auburn Tigers. However, quarterback Bryce Young hit the ground for a loss seven times, providing Georgia with the blueprint for the SEC title game. No team has scored more than 17 points on the Bulldogs defense so far this season.

Paul Finebaum is confident in the Bulldogs this year but the last time Nick Saban was an underdog vs. Kirby Smart, the Tide dominated with a 38-10 performance led by star running back Derrick Henry.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report.