Kirby Smart on trailing Alabama at halftime in SEC Championship: 'We've been in this situation before'

With the SEC Championship on the line, Georgia finds itself trailing Alabama 17-7 at halftime. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart knows the game is far from over, however.

This isn’t the first time this season that the Bulldogs have faced a halftime deficit, and each time they’ve come back to win in the second half. In fact, they’ve trailed at some point in seven of their eight SEC games this season.

Speaking with CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell at the break, Smart revealed the message he’ll send to his team in the locker room.

“Come out and play,” he said. “We’ve been in this situation before. This team’s been in this situation before. We get the ball to start the second half. We knew that the whole time. We’re gonna take it and be aggressive with that and come after it.”

Georgia started off the game strong to force a three-and-out on the opening drive. The Bulldogs then went down to score in only eight plays to take an early 7-0 lead after Kendall Milton broke free for a 15-yard score.

After that, however, it was all Alabama.

Despite a shaky offensive start, the Crimson Tide went on to settle in and score a field goal on their third drive. That would be the beginning of 17 unanswered points as quarterback Jalen Milroe appeared to find his footing as the game went on. Milroe went on to finish the first half 6-of-12 passing for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“We had good emotions and momentum swings early and then it slid the other way,” Smart said. “Their quarterback made some good plays and we haven’t converted on offense on third-and-shorts.”

After scoring on its first offensive drive, Georgia went three-and-out on the next two and then missed a field goal on the third. That included a stop on third-and-2, and it’s clear the Bulldogs need to do a better job at the line of scrimmage to give themselves a chance.

Still, as Smart mentioned, this team has been here before. Georgia trailed South Carolina 14-3 in the SEC opener before going on to win 24-14. Similarly, the Bulldogs founds themselves losing to Auburn in the third quarter but managed to scrap out a 27-20 victory.

Although the stakes are certainly much higher here, having gotten through those past games should gives Kirby Smart confidence Georgia can turn it around in Alabama to win the SEC. With a 29-game win streak and conference title on the line, it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out.