UGA Football RB Kendall Milton Talks "Physical, Chippy" Practice
Real Georgia Fans Don’t Miss the Dawg Post Newsletter - Sign up now!
ATHENS - UGA Football running back Kendall Milton previewed the upcoming game against Alabama with media on Tuesday and offered the following comments.
On what a win on Saturday would make significant about winning the SEC Championship…
“I feel like it would be super big just for the fact that – Coach Smart pointed it out that we’ve never been able to beat Alabama in Atlanta. That doesn’t just go for the players. That goes for the coaches as well, so I feel like we have a huge opportunity here, and just judging off of today’s practice I feel like we’ve taken that opportunity to heart. This was probably one of the most physical, chippiest practices that we’ve had all year, but it just shows how hungry we are and how much we want it.”
On how much confidence he has heading into the SEC Championship game…
“I have the utmost confidence at this point, but I feel like it’s a whole lot of different factors that go into it. The first thing, I feel like the O-line and kind of the whole team, I feel like that plays a big role because at the end of the day you want to be trusted. You want to be able to know that your brothers believe in you. So before every game, before practice, before today’s team run, our line, they’ll be like, ‘Hey, K-Mil, run that ball like you know how to do.’ They’ll just keep fueling me and keep letting me know stuff. And also at the same time, between Coach [Dell] McGee, Coach [Kirby] Smart, and Coach [Mike] Bobo, when your coach is constantly putting you in a position to have the ball and make plays, it lets you know that they have the trust in you. I’ll let Coach Bobo and Coach Smart know after the games, ‘Thank you for believing in me. Just thank you for letting me have the opportunity,’ because at the end of the day I feel like, speaking for the whole team, everybody just wants the opportunity to be able to be on the field. So I feel like those were probably the two biggest things that led to me being able to have the confidence and be able to trust my game.”
On the opportunity to check off the box of winning an SEC Championship against Alabama…
“To be honest, I feel like it just motivates us that much more, and, like I said, it’s not even just a player thing. It’s also the coaching staff. Even before we got there, it was a thing that wasn’t accomplished, and I feel like the players – every single time we’ve been able to put a new milestone in front of us, I feel like we’ve taken it on very seriously. We’ve taken it very personal, and to see the hunger and just see how dedicated everybody on the team is to this task – not even just the seniors or just the starters or just the people that are playing. But it’s all the way top to bottom, even from the walk-ons, the freshmen that haven’t seen the field this year. It’s a whole buy-in from the whole program, so everybody knows the task at hand. Everybody knows this isn’t something easy that’s going to happen. I feel like winning the SEC Championship is just as hard, if not harder, than winning the National Championship, so I feel like we know the task at hand and it’s just up to us to complete it.”
Eko Poly - Perfect for the backyard, beach or lake
Use the code: “DAWG15” to get 15% off & FREE Shipping!
20-Year Warranty | Made in Georgia
WIN: What’s Important Now
Top-ranked Georgia (12-0, 8-0 SEC) will be looking to capture its 15th SEC title and second straight when it meets No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) Saturday in Atlanta. The Bulldogs completed their third consecutive perfect regular season, which is a school record. Also, the 2023 senior class has tied the school mark for victories as they enter the postseason now 49-3. The 2022 class went 49-5.
The Bulldogs are making their 11th appearance in the SEC Championship Game (SECCG) where they are 4-6. Georgia claimed the 2022 SEC crown when it beat LSU while the others came in 2002 (Arkansas), 2005 (LSU) and 2017 (Auburn). Georgia is making its sixth appearance in the SECCG in the Kirby Smart era where it’s 2-3. The Bulldogs are the visiting team this year.
Georgia’s 14 conference titles rank the second most in the SEC. Georgia will be aiming for its first win over Alabama in an SECCG after falling in 2012, 2018 and 2021. In the all-time series, Alabama leads 42-26-4. The Bulldogs won the last meeting, posting a 33-18 triumph in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game in Indianapolis, Ind.
SECCG Experience
The 2023 team features 14 Bulldogs who have started at least one SECCG and two (Sedrick Van Pran-C and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint-WR) who have started the past two championship games.
Offense (6): Sedrick Van Pran (C/21-22), Brock Bowers (TE/21), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (WR/21-22), Ladd McConkey (WR/22), Tate Ratledge (RG/22), Xavier Truss (LG/22)
Defense (8): Dan Jackson (SS/21), Jamon Dumas-Johnson (LB/22), Kamari Lassiter (DB/22), Smael Mondon (LB/22), Tykee Smith (STAR/22), Nazir Stackhouse (DL/22), Malaki Starks (SS/22), Tramel Walthour (DE/22)
Did You Know? There have been five blocked field goals in SECCG history, and four of them by Georgia. Last year, Nazir Stackhouse blocked a 32-yard attempt and Chris Smith returned it 96 yards for a score.
Balance Signals Success
The Bulldogs are one of only three teams in the country who are ranked in the top 10 in both Scor- ing Offense and Scoring Defense. The Bulldogs rank sixth in Scoring Defense at 15.8 ppg and eighth in Scoring Offense at 39.6 ppg. The other teams are Oregon, who ranks seventh in Scoring Defense (15.9) and second in Scoring Offense (45.2), and Notre Dame as they are ninth in both (16.6 pgg/39.1 ppg).
One of the keys to Georgia’s success is its third down defense. The Bulldogs are ranked second nationally with opponents converting just 27 percent of the time. In SEC action, Georgia opponents were a combined 28-for-95 on third downs (29 percent). The Bulldogs are second nationally in converting third downs (57 percent). Georgia converted 56 of 99 third downs (57 percent) against league opponents.