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Here is what the national media is saying about Georgia football prior to the UGA vs LSU SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
This week, we wrote about what the LSU media is saying about Georgia prior to the SEC Championship Game.
Now we are looking at what the national media has to say about the game and their objective forecast about what will happen on Saturday in Atlanta.
Eddie Timanus of USA TODAY Sports
Title: Bold predictions for Week 15 in college football
LSU-Georgia has the potential to be close, but it won’t be, either. Georgia’s defense is outstanding, but it will be on the field too long.
Former Georgia football players predicted the score of the UGA vs LSU 2019 SEC Championship Game on Saturday from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia is back in the SEC Championship for the third season in a row, and has faced a different opponent each time.
In 2017, the Dawgs had Auburn, last season it was Alabama and now it’s LSU.
For LSU, this is the Tigers’ sixth SEC Championship Game appearance and fourth against the Bulldogs. For Georgia, this is our eighth, which is the most of any SEC school since 2000.
The last time Georgia and LSU met in Atlanta it was 2011. Georgia was riding a 10 game winning streak into the Georgia Dome and actually outplayed an LSU team (for the first half) that would go on to play for a national championship.
The final score read 42-10, but if you remember we had a dropped touchdown and Tyrann Mathieu actually let go of the football prior to crossing the goal line on a punt return that was called a touchdown. That’s a 14 point swing. The game’s leading receiver was Tavarres King, who provided us with a score prediction below.
The next time the two teams played, Georgia pulled off one of the greatest wins in the history of the program, beating the sixth ranked Tigers 44-41 after a last minute touchdown from Justin Scott-Wesley, who is also with us in this post.
And most recently, it did not go so well for the Dawgs when they met the Tigers in Baton Rouge. Georgia was routed last season in Death Valley by a score of 36-16. It just was not Georgia’s day.
But now, a new breed of Bulldogs stands ready to bring home yet another SEC Championship. It won’t be easy, but if the defense plays like it has all season and Georgia can control the clock, then I like the Dawgs to win it.
We asked a few former Bulldogs to give us their score prediction, and though the rest of the country is picking LSU, these guys stayed loyal to the G.
Predictions:
WR Tavarres King: “Tough one but I’m going to say 34-31 Dawgs”
WR Justin Scott-Wesley: “Dawgs by three”
S Corey Moore: “34-28 UGA”
RB Keith Marshall: “31-27 Dawgs”
LB Dannell Ellerbe: “24-20 us”
TE Arthur Lynch: “41-38 Georgia”
“Tight ends have their first true breakout game to make the difference and catch LSU off guard.”
TE Jeb Blazevich: “24-17 DAWGS”
TE Orson Charles: “28-10 Georgia”
OL Hunter Long: “20-17 Dawgs”
DT Toby Johnson: “28-10 UGA”
“Win or go home and I know we ain’t going home.”
DT Mike Thornton: “30-27. Comes down to a big kick at the end. Dawgs survive”
WR/PR Damien Gary: “24-21 Dawgs”
K Marshall Morgan: “37-31, Dawgs on Top!”
“My guy Hot Rod will have his leg sniper dialed in and go 3-3 casually! Let’s go!”
LB Ryne Rankin: “24-21 Dawgs. Hot Rod going to send us to the playoff!”
DT John Atkins: “21-14, Georgia”
OL Austin Long: “30-24 DAGWS ON TOP!”
OL Ty Frix: “36-31 UGA”
Five reasons why the LSU Tigers will beat Georgia football on Saturday in Atlanta
This is it folks, the game we have all been waiting for. Georgia will take on LSU in Atlanta, with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.
Though Georgia is a heavy underdog amongst the media and even in Vegas, we still think the Dawgs will put up a great fight against the Tigers.
We gave you our five reasons why Georgia will pull off the upset, so now, it’s time for our five reasons why LSU wins, unfortunately.
Bare with us, this does not mean we are picking the Tigers on Saturday. However, it’s time to discuss the strengths LSU has below.
Let’s get to it.
The UGA Wire staff has put together a list of expert picks and predictions ahead of Georgia Football’s game vs LSU for the SEC Championship.
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have won the SEC East three straight years, earning them their third straight SEC Championship game vs LSU, this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Besides former Bulldog Justin Fields and Ohio State, LSU has been the hottest team of the 2019 college football season. The #2 Tigers are 12-0 on the season including wins over Florida, Auburn and Alabama.
Georgia comes into the game a bit banged up and not exactly peaking at the right time. The Dawgs will be without senior WR Lawrence Cager who underwent ankle surgery as well as freshman WR George Pickens who was suspended for the first half for on-field incidents. Those are the Dawgs top two receivers on the year.
D’Andre Swift also left the Georgia Tech game with a shoulder injury but should hopefully be back for Saturday’s matchup.
LSU QB Joe Burrow has been putting up exceptional numbers for the Tigers as he currently sits in 2nd for the Heisman Trophy race. Burrow has a total QBR of 93.4 and has thrown for 4,366 yards, 44 TDs and 6 INTs on the season.
Kirby will need to draw up a near flawless game plan and Jake Fromm needs to find his guy in a shallow receiving core if the Dawgs want to pull this one out and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The UGA Wire staff has put together a list of score, stat and game predictions ahead of Saturdays matchup.
Here are the picks:
The money makers:
#2 LSU (-7.5) vs #4 Georgia
Game pick: If you think LSU will win and cover, write LSU. If you think LSU will win but not cover, LSU*. If you got Georgia winning, write Georgia.
Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Georgia
Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com- HBTFD
James Morgan: UGAWire.com- LSU*
Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- LSU
Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Georgia
Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- LSU*
Over/under (54.5)
If you think the total will go over, over. If you think the total will go under, under.
Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Under
Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com- Under
James Morgan: UGAWire.com- Over
Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- Over
Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Over
Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- Under
Score prediction:
Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Georgia 27, LSU 24
Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com- Georgia 24, LSU 20
James Morgan: UGAWire.com- LSU 34, Georgia 27
Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- LSU 35, Georgia 24
Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Georgia 31, LSU 28 OT
Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- LSU 26, UGA 20
Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.
Georgia football great Aaron Murray discussed D’Andre Swift’s shoulder injury ahead of the UGA vs lsU SEC Championship.
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D’Andre Swift has been dealing with a shoulder injury for part of the season and re-injured it after fumbling during Georgia’s win over Georgia Tech last weekend.
The injury is described as a shoulder contusion, which is something that only time will allow to fully heal.
But time is not on Swift’s side, so when he plays this weekend he will be doing so in some pain.
Aaron Murray, while on his show powered by CampusLore, provided some insight into Swift’s current health status, citing a “little birdie in the locker room.”
Georgia football great Aaron Murray explains how the Bulldogs can win the UGA vs LSU SEC Championship Game.
Georgia’s all-time leading passer Aaron Murray played in two SEC Championship Games during his time as a Bulldog.
In 2011, Murray actually played against LSU, a team that had a smothering defense and an average offense. This year, it’s the other way around.
Nobody is giving Georgia much of a shot in this game, despite its defense being the best in the nation.
Murray, when breaking down the Georgia vs LSU matchup with former Bulldog punter Drew Butler, made mention of how defense has always won championships and then pondered whether or not that will still be the case on Saturday.
On their show, the Punt and Pass Podcast, powered by CampusLore, Murray went into detail on how Georgia can win the ball game. He noted that the Bulldogs coaching staff has to let Jake Fromm, who has struggled at times this season, just go out there, sling the ball around and do his thing.
Watch the clip here.
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Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense. LSU is ranked second in total offense. Something’s gotta give.
Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense behind playoff locks Ohio State and Clemson and playoff hopeful Utah. They’ve given up the fewest touchdowns (12) in FBS.
LSU’s offense is led by Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner who recently broke the Southeastern Conference record for passing yards in a single season.
The Tigers are ranked second in total offense and thus poses the greatest threat that the historically great 2019 Georgia defense has yet seen.
Something’s gotta give, right?
It’s worth noting that LSU’s main offensive strength plays well against the Georgia defense’s primary weakness whereas the Silver Britches’ defensive strengths play well against LSU’s offensive weakness.
Maybe the Tigers shouldn’t be labeled a “pass first” offense, but they have attempted 25 more passes than runs on the year (438 to 413). The Dawgs’ secondary has been great but is at times prone to giving up chunk yardage in quick passing plays. As we saw against Auburn, Georgia’s cornerbacks tackle well but occasionally have trouble covering in quick-release short-yardage scenarios.
Without opponents stacking the box in anticipation of a possible pass, LSU’s air attack in turn opens things up for a group of tailbacks who have accumulated more yards than any of the Bulldogs’ prior competion excluding Kentucky (who have rushed for over 3000 yards this season despite only gaining 160 ground yards in a rain-plagued contest in Athens).
Behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s 1233 solo rushing yards, the Tigers have combined for 2299 yards on the ground.
Georgia’s defense is second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 71 ground yards per game and having allowed only 16 plays of over ten yards rushing this season. They’ve given up just 852 yards this year. The Junkyard Dawgs have proven they can contain tailbacks.
With a Heisman hopeful and one of the most talented group of wide receivers in college football, LSU will almost certainly attempt more passes than runs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday. Now more than ever, expect Ed Orgeron’s Tigers to go to the air against a defense that can stop tailbacks before they get a chance to run.
For a full statistical breakdown of how the Dawgs match up against the Tigers, click here.
The Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers face off in another classic SEC Championship Game. Kirby Smart will try to slow down LSU’s Joe Burrow
The Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers are set to face off in another classic top-five SEC Championship match-up. LSU is favored, but both teams are facing arguably their biggest challenge of the season. It’s the best defense LSU has seen and the best offense Kirby Smart and Georgia will face all season.
Georgia must win the turnover battle, get off the field on third downs, and put pressure on Joe Burrow. Georgia will have to look to limit Burrow the way the Auburn Tigers did weeks ago. Georgia’s defensive line hasn’t gotten the recognition that Auburn’s defensive line has received, but Jordan Davis, Tyler Clark, and Devonte Wyatt have been rock-solid inside. The defense has yet to allow a running back to rush for a touchdown all season (Bo Nix scored the only allowed rushing TD).
At the very least, Georgia must shut down LSU’s run game and make the Tigers offense one-dimensional. LSU will be tough to stop, but sacks can throw any offense off schedule. LSU’s offensive line allows significantly more sacks than Georgia’s elite offensive line:
Not that it has hurt #LSU AT ALL but the Tigers are giving up a sack every 16.2 pass attempts…
Not that it has helped #UGA AT ALL but the Bulldogs are giving up a sack every 38 pass attempts…
Crazy how one offense has flourished while other has struggled.
— Jake Rowe (@Rowe247) December 5, 2019
Georgia is eighth in the SEC with 26 sacks. The Bulldogs must disrupt the timing of LSU’s passing game. LSU will be willing to abandon the run game, like they did in their road game at Texas, if they don’t have any success running the ball. LSU ran the ball at-will against Auburn, Florida, and Alabama. Joe Burrow was a large factor against the Crimson Tide touting fourteen carries. LSU will try to involve him in the run game if they can’t get the dynamic Clyde Edwards-Helaire going.
Here are five reasons why Georgia football beats LSU in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta.
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With the biggest game of the year in college football on the horizon, Georgia vs LSU in the SEC Championship, we preview five reasons why the Bulldogs could take down the Tigers on Saturday.
Nobody is giving the Dawgs a chance this weekend, but key players on this team have defied the odds for the past three seasons.
I have faith. Here’s why:
Georgia Football full injury report ahead of the SEC Championship Game this Saturday December 7th @ 4:00 p.m. on CBS.
Last Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech was the largest margin of victory Georgia has ever beat the Yellow Jackets by, but it didn’t come without a price.
As if losing WR Lawrence Cager for the rest of the season to an ankle injury wasn’t bad enough, the Dawgs star RB and engine to their offensive game D’Andre Swift got placed on the injury report for the first time all season. On top of that WR George Pickens got himself suspended for the first half of the SEC Championship Game by the SEC for throwing punches.
All of this sounds like bad news for Dawgs fans, but Kirby Smart has faced a little bit of adversity in his time in Athens. Kirby has lost his offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, top 5 receivers, a 1,000 yard rusher, a Jim Thorpe Award winner and has nearly 70% freshmen and sophomores on his team this year (youngest in all of SEC).
All of this and he still has the Bulldogs playing for a College Football Playoff for the third year in a row. Pretty incredible if you ask me.
Here’s Georgia’s full injury report ahead of the 2019 SEC Championship Game against LSU.
