To understand quarterback Jalen Milroe’s mindset before a game like Alabama football vs. Georgia, you have to understand the mottos that have become his backbone.

It’s “prepare like you’ve never won before.” It’s “hate losing more than you love winning.” It’s the repeated refrain that “it takes 60 minutes” to win a football game.

“I learned this when I was younger," Milroe said. "You don’t rise to the occasion. You fall back to your level of training.”

For a game of this magnitude, each of these phrases have turned into war cries for Alabama ahead of its first foray into SEC play in the Kalen DeBoer era, facing a Georgia team built with all intentions of mirroring the Nick Saban-era Crimson Tide.

But Milroe’s mantras are not unique to Georgia. Nor are they his alone.

When asked about Milroe’s mindset heading into Georgia week, Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan emphasized preparation and consistency no matter the opponent.

“That’s really what the message is to the players is (to) focus on being your best every day of preparation," Sheridan said. "So that when you get to Saturday, you feel prepared to go put your best foot forward and compete at a high level."

It's a message Milroe has adopted and embraced.

“The mentality, it never changes no matter who the opponent is,” Milroe said. “It’s all about honing in on us, worried about us. You know, the cliche motto is, ‘All about us.’ It’s just so true when it comes to improving as a football team.”

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It’s a cliche that’s worked for Milroe and the Crimson Tide.

Over the course of the first three games against Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin, Milroe said, the Alabama offense’s “chemistry has improved so much,” chemistry that’s translated into efficiency and explosion, chemistry that’s translated into an Alabama touchdown every nine plays, on average.

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“We just have the mindset of being starving,” Milroe said. “Every rep that we have, (we're) maximizing every opportunity. Because it takes four quarters. You never know when the opportunity presents itself to be successful.”

In Milroe, DeBoer feels he has a quarterback that understands the process toward success in SEC play, one that never wavers from his day-to-day or week-to-week schedule, one that is unrelenting in his quest for improvement both schematically and technically.

“He wants to be the best. He wants to be elite,” DeBoer said. “I love how he just focuses on the right things and keeps the main thing the main thing."

On Saturday, Milroe will have his opportunity to be elite, a moment, he said, he’s always dreamt of.

But even in the anticipation of the atmosphere and his return to conference play, Milroe remains grounded in those mottos, those mantras that have remained consistent no matter the opponent on the other sideline

“This is our first test in the SEC,” Milroe said. “So it’s a great opportunity for us as a football team to have this game. It’s so important for us to have fun, play fast, free and fearless. And acknowledge it’s going to be a hard task and it’s going to take 60 minutes of football.”

No. 4 Alabama takes on No. 1 Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What is Jalen Milroe's mentality before Alabama football vs Georgia?