Jordan Davis on what beating Alabama would mean to him, Kirby Smart

A win over Alabama in the national championship would mean the world to Georgia, defensive lineman Jordan Davis explained Saturday.

Georgia has struggled against Alabama, suffering several heartbreaking losses over the last few years. The last time Georgia and Alabama faced off in the national title game was perhaps the most painful of them all: Georgia, the 2017 SEC champions, led 13-0 in the first quarter and later led 20-7 — only to blow the lead and watch Tua Tagovailoa lead Alabama to an overtime victory. But the Bulldogs have a chance to avenge each of their painful losses on Monday. A win over Alabama would finally bring a national championship to Athens for the first time since 1980.

“Definitely beating Alabama would be an accomplishment, not only for me but for Coach Smart and everything,” Davis said. “I’ve had three shots at Alabama and I haven’t beaten them yet. So that’s speaking for myself. As a team, winning the national championship, that’s what we’re grinding for, what we’re working for all season. Of course it’s going to be an amazing feeling. We haven’t won a national championship since 1980.”

When Davis leads Georgia onto the field against Alabama, the Bulldogs can only hope that this game has a different outcome than the last. Georgia, previously undefeated and the No. 1-ranked team in the country, faced Alabama as 6.5-point favorites in the SEC Championship game, only to lose in blowout fashion. Despite an early-game lead for Georgia, the Bulldogs fell 41-24 to the Crimson Tide behind Bryce Young’s 421-yard- four-touchdown performance.

“To be able to do this and have a regular season like we did and just come out on top,” Davis said of the potential national championship on the line, “at the end of the day it will be an amazing feeling and it’s one of those things you work hard for.

Davis had an impressive 2021 campaign of his own for the Georgia Bulldogs, amassing 30 total tackles (16 solo stops) and two sacks, good for a first team All-SEC nod, the Outland Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award. But as a 6-foot-6, 340-pound defensive lineman, Davis acknowledged how difficult it can be to track down a mobile quarterback like Young — so he’s taking every possible step to ensure that he’s ready.

“Not a lot of kids on this team – I was fortunate enough to be a state champion in high school. But some kids, they haven’t been a champion ever,” Davis said. “So for them to win, it kind of puts a lot of things in perspective, because you come to Georgia to be your best and be elite. When you win a national championship, you’re considered the best and elite. That’s one of the goals we’re trying to reach. And we have a chance at that on Monday.”