Tag: SEC football

Matchup preview: Georgia’s offense against LSU’s defense

The Bulldogs’ offense chose a good time to click again, scoring 52 points in last week’s beatdown of Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

We’ve provided a complete statistical breakdown of the SEC Championship Game as well as a prediction of the matchup between Georgia’s defense and LSU’s offense. Today we explore how the Silver Britches’ offense stacks up against LSU’s defense.

The Bulldogs’ offense chose a good time to click again, scoring 52 points in last week’s beatdown of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Georgia averaged only 22 points per game in its six previous contests, not having scored over 30 points during the stretch. This followed a 5-0 start during which the offense scored 42.8 points per game.

LSU’s defense has been inconsistent in recent weeks but found their form last week against Texas A&M, yielding just 169 yards to the Aggies after allowing 304 yards against SEC bottom-dweller Arkansas and a whopping 614 yards versus 4-8 Ole Miss the week prior.

Without injured leading wide receiver Lawrence Cager, Georgia’s offense had to get a bit more creative in their regular season closer. We saw more toss sweeps and end-arounds against from the Dawgs against the Yellow Jackets.

Second-leading receiver George Pickens is suspended for the first half of the SEC Championship following a fight with Georgia Tech defensive back Tre Swilling, which will force Georgia to turn even more toward the run against an LSU secondary allowing a mediocre 2657 passing yards on the season, ranked 56th out of 130 FBS teams.

The Tigers’ defense is ranked 28th in rushing defense; their opponents have gained 1494 ground yards this season.

UGA’s tailbacks have eclipsed 2400 yards, more than any of Louisiana State’s previous 2019 opponents. Over half of those yards have been gained by D’Andre Swift, whose minor shoulder injury hasn’t limited his participation in practice but may limit him in terms of carries.

With a receiving corps already struggling to earn separation missing one-and-a-half of its most productive members and a consequently struggling Jake Fromm, who’s completed under 50% of attempted passes in, expect James Coley’s offense to focus on establishing the run to wear down LSU’s defense going into the second half.

At that point, George Pickens will be available and all bets are off.

Georgia football releases EPIC SEC Championship hype video

Georgia football released an epic SEC Championship hype video of the UGA vs LSU SEC Championship Game.

Saturday at 4 p.m. the Georgia season will be on the line.

Nobody is giving us a shot to beat LSU. Nobody thinks the Dawgs deserve to be ranked No. 4. Nobody thinks Jake Fromm can throw. Nobody thinks our receivers will step up. Nobody thinks Kirby Smart can coach in a big game. Nobody wants to talk about what we’ve done; only what we have not done, which is beat South Carolina.

Nobody believes in Georgia.

But Saturday in Atlanta, the Bulldogs, the only team that has played in the SEC Championship for each of the last three seasons, will have a chance to silence the critics ands prove that defense does still win championships.

If this hype video, which was released by the Georgia football Twitter account, does not get your blood boiling, I recommend seeking help.

It’s time to put or shut up.

Go. Damn. Dawgs.

What the national media is saying about Georgia vs LSU SEC Championship Game

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

Read full story here.

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.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

A guide to SEC FanFare: How to buy tickets, find all the festivities

A guide to SEC FanFare: How Georgia fans can find tickets to all the festivities in Atlanta

The Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers will kick things off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, but first, it’s time for a little tailgating fun.

If you aren’t setting up shop in the Gulch or bringing your RV down to the Marshaling Yards, there’s a pretty neat alternative for prospective tailgaters.

Don’t want to bring a grill, a tent and all the other extra items? Check out SEC FanFare, held in Building C of the Georgia World Congress Center.

Fans can visit the two-day event on Friday from 2 pm to 8 pm and on Saturday at 9 am until 4 pm.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under, but you can also purchase them online here.

Former Georgia football players predict score of UGA vs LSU SECCG

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”

Georgia football SECCG: Expert picks and predictions (UGA vs LSU)

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.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Aaron Murray provides insight into D’Andre Swift’s health ahead of SECCG

Georgia football great Aaron Murray discussed D’Andre Swift’s shoulder injury ahead of the UGA vs lsU SEC Championship.

[jwplayer VPQdTjwq-er0jUifI]

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.”

Aaron Murray explains how Georgia can beat LSU in the SEC Championship

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.

[jwplayer hrjZDt0q-er0jUifI]

Matchup preview: Georgia’s defense against LSU’s offense

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.

Georgia versus LSU: keys to winning the SEC Championship

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:

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.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2