Georgia's mammoth Jordan Davis admits he 'wasn't doing enough' in SEC title loss

Jan. 9—Georgia nose tackle Jordan Davis on Saturday didn't guarantee a victory over Alabama in Monday night's national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound senior did assure those on a Zoom call previewing the showdown that he is in much better shape compared to last month's Southeastern Conference title contest in Atlanta, where the Bulldogs were shredded for 536 yards and Davis appeared gassed on multiple occasions.

"It was definitely a wake-up call," Davis said. "I had to look at myself and realize I wasn't doing enough. I try not to let things get to me and affect me like that, but that game definitely stung a little bit."

Davis entered that game as one of college football's top stories, with the former three-star prospect out of Charlotte, North Carolina, using his imposing frame to affect so many opposing offenses throughout Georgia's 12-0 regular season. He even possessed the possibility of earning an invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, a rarity for his position, but all went quiet on that front after the Crimson Tide's 41-24 triumph.

The awards circuit was still quite kind to Davis, who landed the Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award, and his presence certainly was felt during Georgia's 34-11 win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl national semifinal on New Year's Eve. Davis had an impressive tackle for loss against the Wolverines, who scored their lone touchdown with fewer than five minutes remaining.

"Every game you go into you expect to win," Davis said. "Not winning that game in the SEC championship hurt a little bit, but you knew we had another opportunity. With a new opportunity, you have a chance to be different, so I took the opportunity to be different, and it has paid off for me.

"I feel better. My body feels better. I'm doing the little things, like getting in the training room and icing up — the little things that make you a better football player. I'm ready to showcase that on Monday."

Davis, who has 30 tackles, 12 quarterback hurries, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks this season, emphasized his point Saturday by stating he was going to run right after his Zoom appearance.

"It's definitely about pushing yourself to this next level," he said. "This is for all the glory, and if you're not pushing yourself to the absolute limit, then what are you here for?"

The ageless Saban

Alabama coach Nick Saban was 58 years old when he guided the Tide to the national championship of the 2009 season. He's now 70 years old seeking a seventh national crown in Tuscaloosa and an eighth overall, having led LSU to the 2003 title.

How does he stay so successful, and so ageless?

"I think it all starts with the respect that we have for him, obviously, and what he's produced throughout his entire career and what he's meant to this program and to this state," sophomore quarterback and Heisman winner Bryce Young said. "It really starts with the respect we all have for him, but it also speaks to how Coach Saban has adapted over the years. The game has changed since he's been coaching, and the landscape of football in general has changed.

"For him to be able to adapt multiple times in his career is not easy for guys who have been doing it for so long."

Junior safety Jordan Battle respects how comfortable Saban is with players young enough to be his grandchildren.

"He fits in with us very well, and he gets to know us," Battle said. "I know in this generation that there is a lot of attitude in kids, but somehow when we come to Bama and Coach Saban is talking, everybody is focused on what he's saying and everybody buys in to what he's saying."

Ticket prices falling

According to TicketIQ, the cheapest ticket to Monday's game has dropped sharply in recent days.

Hours before the semifinals on New Year's Eve, the cheapest ticket to the title game was $1,314, but that figure dropped to $829 moments after both Alabama and Georgia had advanced. The two semifinal losers, Cincinnati and Michigan, are much closer to Indianapolis and were making their first College Football Playoff appearances.

As of Saturday afternoon, the cheapest ticket on TicketIQ was going for $461.

Cellphone throwback

The most publicized object heading into Monday's matchup is the flip phone owned by Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who explained Saturday why he opted for a device with limited capabilities.

"They actually still sell them at Verizon stores," he said. "Apparently a lot of old people still use them. In June or July, I had bunch of school and football coming up, and I was spending an hour on my smartphone a day, and doing what? Doing nothing. Doing nothing that's going to help me.

"I had thought about this for years, and I just didn't want anything to get in the way of my focus. I still have a laptop and a tablet for email and anything important like that. It was strictly to help me out with time management."

Stopping the run

For all the well-deserved praise bestowed on Georgia's defense this season, it's actually Alabama that heads into Monday night with better stats against the run.

The margin is razor slim, with the Tide yielding 82.14 rushing yards per contest compared to 82.36 by the Bulldogs. Alabama has held its past three foes — Auburn, Georgia and Cincinnati — to an average of 68.3 rushing yards.

"We're really big on stopping the run and how many yards they get per game and holding them to a certain amount of yards," Alabama sophomore outside linebacker Will Anderson said. "We work in spring ball, summertime and in fall camp on technique and making sure we're getting up in the box and everybody is staying in their gaps. It's one of the biggest goals that we have, and I think we've been doing a really good job of stopping the run.

"We definitely want to carry that over into this game."

Rinse and repeat

Alabama is making its fourth appearance in the national championship game in five seasons, with a third title the objective.

The Tide's 2017 signing class, which included Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith, made history by producing eight NFL first-round draft picks. That class also included current Alabama running back Brian Robinson and defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis.

Robinson actually played in the first national championship meeting between Alabama and Georgia in the 2017 season.

"We had to make several adjustments in that game on both sides of the ball," Robinson said, "and I remember during that game that Najee had a chance to step up and play a big role with some carries in the game as a freshman. Tua got a chance to come in during the second half and lead the team.

"Everything wasn't going perfect for us that day, so we had to make some adjustments."

Robinson will play in his 66th career college game Monday, and like many of his previous ones, there is plenty at stake.

"I want to lay it all on the line for my team and for my school," he said. "This will be my last time suiting up for Alabama, and I just want to leave no doubt that this university is truly in my heart."

Odds and ends

Bennett's grandfather, Buddy Bennett, was Tennessee's defensive backs coach in 1970, when the Volunteers went 11-1 and won the Sugar Bowl in Bill Battle's first season as head coach. ... Anderson on Monday being declared "Will Anderson Day" at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia: "I couldn't ask for a better support system back at home." ... Georgia picked up a 2022 commitment Saturday afternoon from Earnest Greene, a 6-5, 330-pound interior offensive lineman from Bellflower, California. Greene is the nation's No. 40 overall prospect on the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.