SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: ALABAMA VS GEORGIA

November 27, 2023

Malachi Moore

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Alabama Crimson Tide

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Malachi, please take a moment to give us your general thoughts on the upcoming SEC Championship game.

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, just a great opportunity for our team. It's definitely going to be a tough one, and we just have to make sure going into this week we're championship-level preparation and championship-level mindset and just coming in each and every day ready to work and really prepared and get ready to go out there for a heavyweight fight on Saturday.

Q. What have you seen on film of Brock Bowers and also the transfer wide receiver from Missouri Lovett?

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, Brock Bowers is definitely a great player for them. He lines up in many different positions, and I think that's going to be big in this game because when he's at receiver, he runs receiver routes and he's basically like an added receiver on the field, and when he's in the C area and playing tight end, he does a great job being physical in ball protection, and also he's a very tough runner and he also runs tight end routes when he's in the C area, along with the sliders that they have, and it's going to be key to know where he's at at all times because he's a big part of their offense.

And Lovett, yeah. He's definitely an explosive receiver for them, as well. I see him making a lot of big-time plays and a lot of big-time catches down the field and explosive plays, and he's a good route runner, fast, has good hands, and he does a good job of getting yards after the catch.

Q. When you guys rally up before the game, who among the players delivers the final message, and if it isn't Jalen, when did you see him becoming more of a leader, because there was a game this season he didn't even play?

MALACHI MOORE: You're talking about the South Florida game?

Q. Yes.

MALACHI MOORE: Oh, can you repeat the question?

Q. When did you see Jalen becoming more of a leader this season?

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I would say the USF game just to see him how he handled the situation, how he was still there for his teammates, still talking, hyping us up, being positive on the sideline. I think that's when I realized how much of a leader Jalen was and how much of a great teammate he was.

Q. What did that show you, that he still did that and didn't even set foot on the field?

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, it shows you a lot about who he is as a person. He's a great guy. He's a great teammate. He's always there for us through the good, bad, ugly. Yeah, he's a team player first, and he always has his brothers' back.

Q. Did you get a chance -- I was going to ask you about Jalen Milroe just in general and his talent; obviously he's become somewhat of an iconic figure with that great play. You guys have obviously known about him for a while. Do you have a moment when you saw Jalen and realized who this new quarterback was on the team or just how special and gifted he is?

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I'd like to say the Texas A&M game because I actually got injured that game and I was in the locker room for a little while after halftime and I come out and I see he's thrown the ball for like 250 yards, and as I'm out there, he just keeps bombing and bombing it. That's when I seen the team get really comfortable with himself and trust in himself and his abilities.

Q. To follow up, I know that players don't have a vote unless they're former Heisman winners, but is Jalen a guy that we should be taking a look at right now the way he's playing? That's an award that's broadly defined as the best player in college football. Should he be considered for that award, as good as he's playing for Alabama?

MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I would think so, just because of, like you said, how well he's been playing. He's been playing better each and every week, and I think that's important. He's preparing the right way each and every week, and he really goes out there and gives our team the best chance to win, and he does a great job of getting the ball to our playmakers and also making plays when he has to make plays and also making the right decisions at times.

Q. You mentioned about this being a heavyweight fight. What's your memory of the last time you played Georgia and what they've done since then as you've watched them from afar?

MALACHI MOORE: Last time we played Georgia was in the Natty. They're always going to be a tough, physical team. They're going to try to run the ball on offense, be physical, establish the run game, and then hit you with explosive passes as the game goes on, and defensively they do a good job of trying to stop the run and also do a good job of making sure all of them are on the same page in their coverage assignments.

They're just a well-coached team, very talented across the board on offense and defense, and like I said, it's going to be a fun match-up on Saturday.