Stetson Bennett discusses Georgia's history against Alabama

Georgia has had plenty of chances to beat Alabama over the years. There was the 2012 SEC championship game when the Bulldogs lost 32-28 and the 26-23 heartbreaking defeat in the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship just to name a couple. Kirby Smart’s teams have been right there with the Crimson Tide, but just haven’t been able to get over the hump and hand Nick Saban’s program a loss.

Just over a month after Alabama beat Georgia, 41-24, in the 2021 SEC championship game, the longtime opponents are set to face off yet again next Monday in the 2022 College Football Playoff national championship. While the Tide easily took care of business against the Bulldogs in the SEC title game, Georgia’s focused on putting together a much better performance this time around.

That’s most certainly the case for Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who’s yet to beat Alabama while piloting the Bulldogs’ offense. After throwing a pair of interceptions in the SEC championship game, Bennett was asked if he keeps the history of Georgia’s losses to Alabama in the back of his mind when coming into another big matchup with the Crimson Tide.

“Maybe I’m not capable of holding that weight on my shoulders, but, no, I’m just treating it as a football game,” Bennett said. “Do I know that means a lot to a lot of people? Yes. Am I trying to play some kind of savior by winning a national championship for millions of people? No. I don’t think that’s my job. My job is to go out there and throw completions to very talented people we have on this team. And I think it’s as simple as that.

“So, yes, I know it means a lot to a lot of people. Is it just another game? No, I’m not silly. But I don’t think for 20-year-old kids you can put that kind of pressure on yourself because you might go crazy.”

Bennett: ‘I’m preparing my butt off’ for Alabama

Heading into Monday night’s game, Bennett made it clear that he’s working hard to prepare for facing Alabama again. After completing 29-of-48 passes for 340 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in his last outing against the Tide, it’s no secret that Bennett would like to clean up his play some – especially in the national championship game.

“I’m just treating it as another game and I’m preparing my butt off, and everybody on this team is,” Bennett said. “But the reason we’re doing that is because we respect the heck out of Alabama and the team they are. And we know we’ll have to give it our best shot to win this game.”

No. 1 ranked Alabama and No. 3 Georgia are scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. ET Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with ESPN carrying the national broadcast. The Bulldogs are three-point favorites, with the over/under currently set at 52 total points.