Joel Klatt questions Alabama’s chances to beat Georgia in SEC Championship

Joel Klatt believes Alabama faces a big hurdle if it is to take down Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are set to compete for a conference title for the third time in the past six seasons, with Alabama winning both of the previous matchups in 2018 and 2021.

Georgia got its revenge with a 33-18 defeat of the Crimson Tide in the 2021 national championship, and haven’t lost since. If the Bulldogs can beat Georgia Tech this Saturday, they will surpass Alabama for the SEC’s longest winning streak with 29 straight victories.

That would set up an interesting chance for Alabama to not only snap the winning streak but also potentially make the College Football Playoff with a win in the SEC Championship. Klatt joined On3‘s Andy Staples on Monday to discuss the matchup, explaining why he thinks the Crimson Tide will have a tough time keeping up.

“(Jalen) Milroe will have to play out of his mind,” the FOX Sports analyst said. “The style of offense that ‘Bama’s gonna have to play against Georgia is not the style of offense that Georgia generally struggles with, if they do struggle. You’ve got to have an elite passing attack to play with them. That’s what ‘Bama had in ’21 when they beat ’em. That’s what they didn’t have in the national championship game because of the injury to Jameson Williams.

“Then that’s what Ohio State had before Marvin Harrison left the game last year. The only other real game where you can say, ‘Georgia probably should have lost that game.’ I don’t know if ‘Bama is built, this year, to go ahead and beat Georgia.”

Alabama has been fairly average in the passing game this season, ranking ninth in the SEC with 229.0 air yards per game. They’ve made up for it with Milroe’s rushing ability, but that may not be as effective against a Georgia team that ranks 23rd in the country in run defense.

That’s not to say Milroe hasn’t had big games as a passer this season. Against Texas A&M, the SEC’s No. 1 run defense, he threw for 321 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Despite rushing for -31 yards, he found a way to get things going on the passing attack. The same could be said for Week 11 against Kentucky when he finished with 234 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

He’ll need a repeat of those performances to give Alabama a chance to beat Georgia in the SEC Championship. Kickoff for the contest is set for 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.