Georgias gut-wrenching history with Alabama isnt weighing on Kirby Smart – al.com

From questions about previous Georgia losses to the lack of late-game adversity, Kirby Smart sounded exasperated by the end of his Sunday teleconference with reporters.

His top-ranked Bulldogs have cruised through an unbeaten regular season only to find an old nemesis waiting in the same old place. Smart wasnt buying either premise from concern over how theyd handle a close game to the way Alabamas managed to come from behind in the last two Atlanta meetings and beat Georgia when the spotlights the brightest.

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If there was a time for the Bulldogs to end a six-game losing streak to Alabama, this is the moment and Smart isnt thinking much about the past failures in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

I dont think theres any overlap between the two, Smart said. I know people want to make it that, make it some kind of overlap. Every year is independent of the previous.

Georgia last beat Alabama in 2007, Nick Sabans first season in Tuscaloosa when Smart was the defensive backs coach. The Crimson Tide have taken the last six -- twice in the SEC title game and once in the CFP final -- by an average score of 36-24.

All three Atlanta games have been gut wrenching for the Bulldogs beginning with a 2012 league championship game. Smart, then the Alabama defensive coordinator, was among the first to sprint off the bench to celebrate the game-winning stop just yards from a Georgia win.

The Bulldogs led that one 21-10 in the third quarter before AJ McCarron, Eddie Lacy and Amari Cooper led that comeback for a 32-28 win. After destroying Georgia, 38-10 in 2015 to hasten the fall of Mark Richt and Smarts move to Athens, the two met twice in the calendar year 2018.

Georgia led both times at halftime, 13-0 in the playoff championship in January and 21-14 in December, before backup quarterbacks changed the game in last-second Crimson Tide wins.

And then a year ago, Alabama faced a 24-20 halftime deficit in Bryant-Denny Stadium before pulling away for a 41-24 win. Bundle those last three games and Alabamas outscored Georgia 31-0 in the fourth quarters.

Saban, like the assistant who worked 12 years under him at LSU, the Miami Dolphins and Alabama, puts little stock in those games factoring into Saturdays.

I think thats whats happened in the past in games really doesnt have a lot of impact on what happens in the future, Saban said. I think that youve got to line up and play well in this game. What happened last year doesnt matter. What happened the year before that doesnt matter. Youve got to play well in this game. So thats the challenge that we all have.

There was quite a bit of turnover for Alabama offensively since last years win over Georgia while Bulldog quarterback Stetson Bennett is back for his second shot at the Tide.

The former walk-on was 18-for-40 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in what was his first big-game experience. Hes completing 65% of his passes this season with 21 touchdowns to five interceptions after September starter JT Daniels got hurt and hasnt retaken the job. Bennett explained Monday the difference between the player he was last October in Tuscaloosa and the one wholl be in Atlanta on Saturday.

Just the understanding, more understanding of football and what a game takes to win, Bennett said. Knowing that individual plays are hard to win a game but theyre very easily lost. Thats where most games, especially at the college level, are won and lost is by losing them, not by individual plays winning them.

So not pressing and trusting everybody else on our team and defense and offense and knowing that I dont have to go out there and win the game on an individual play. Its OK to throw the ball away or run and get two or three yards. And just not to press.

But is there a matter of a mental hurdle between Georgia and win over Alabama? Smart doesnt think so and that was clear when he was asked if hed confront the past failures with his team.

I dont know what you mean confront, Smart said. Do you talk about it? We talk about the opponent every week we play somebody, right? But we focus on ourselves. We focus on execution. We dont focus on history.

I think every team is independent of the previous. So I mean, it is what it is.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

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Georgias gut-wrenching history with Alabama isnt weighing on Kirby Smart - al.com