Pat McAfee, David Pollack pick winner of Georgia vs LSU SEC Championship

Pat McAfee and Georgia football great David Pollack picked the winner of the UGA vs LSU SEC Championship Game today while on College GameDay

After calling the Dawgs on the set of College GameDay, Pat McAfee gave his prediction for the winner of the Georgia vs LSU SEC Championship Game.

He noted Georgia’s incredible defense and he commented on Rodrigo Blankenship being the best kicker in the country, but in the end it was Joe Burrow’s crazy success this season that ultimately led him to pick LSU.

Accompanied by David Pollack, a Georgia football great, the two previewed the game today. Pollack mentioned that Georgia will need James Cook to step up and make some plays as a pass catcher with George Pickens and Lawrence Cager out (Pickens is missing the first half). He also discussed how playing fast and getting D’Andre Swift might be the key for Georgia to win.

He did, however, also pick LSU to win today.

How Georgia football’s defense can limit LSU QB Joe Burrow

UGA’s defense allows 10.4 PPG. It’s the best defense LSU has seen all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best the Dawgs will face in 2019.

Georgia’s defense is giving up 10.4 points per game and is by all metrics the best defense LSU has played all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best that the Dawgs have faced in 2019 and is led by Joe Burrow, who will likely have his name inscribed onto the Heisman Trophy in a few short weeks.

Burrow has completed an insane 314 of his 401 passing attempts (78.3%), has thrown an even more insane 44 touchdowns, and has amassed 4366 passing yards, enough to make him the SEC record holder for passing yards in a single season.

Those numbers are staggering and present a daunting task for the Silver Britches. But if any unit can possibly limit Joe Burrow, it’s the Bulldogs’ smothering defense.

The Tigers’ quarterback is poised and methodical with an ability to scramble outside the pocket the extend plays. He keeps his eyes downfield and has the speed to roll out and tuck the ball for quick gains to the sideline.

For the Junkyard Dawgs to diminish Burrow’s prowess, they need to keep him in the pocket. Rushing three men while dropping eight, including a spy linebacker eyeing the quarterback, keeps Georgia’s defense in a man free alignment that can negate big plays and contain Louisiana State’s explosive offense.

In 2019, several SEC West teams have used this formation in attempt to confuse Burrow to no avail, but Georgia’s speedy and physical defense possesses better athletes than any defensive group the Tigers have seen thus far, save for Alabama (which is debatable).

All of this is much easier said than done against a team with the Southeastern Conference’s best performing signal caller and an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, which includes Biletnikoff Award finalists Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. If Georgia’s secondary can maintain man coverage downfield while the front seven can keeping a spy on Burrow, they can hand LSU their first loss of the year.

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.

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”

WATCH: Mike Leach signs extension at Washington State

The Washington State head coach just signed a contract extension to keep him in Pullman, Wash. through the 2024 season.

Mike Leach is not leaving the Pacific Northwest for the SEC or any other football job this season, or for a while. The Washington State head coach just signed a contract extension to keep him in Pullman, Wash. through the 2024 season.

Leach is the first coach to lead the Cougars to five consecutive bowl games and has an overall record of 55-46 in eight seasons leading the program.

The new contract will pay Leach $4 million per season. The 58-year-old coach has been discussed in conversations around the Arkansas, Ole Miss and Missouri head coach openings.

Leach interviewed for the Tennessee opening ahead of the 2018 season but was not hired after negotiations fell apart when AD John Currie was fired and replaced by Philip Fulmer.

Jags pair Alabama teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Henry Ruggs III in new mock draft

The Jags land one of college football’s top connections in a new mock draft by The Draft Network.

The Jacksonville Jaguars fanbase went from being excited about the 2019 season because of the addition of quarterback Nick Foles (well, some of them) to wanting it to end due to his poor play. Now, the Jags are in a position to undergo sweeping changes — and rightfully so, which points to a reset.

Many draft pundits will keep this in mind with their mocks for the remainder of the season and beyond, which means there will be some quarterbacks mocked to Jacksonville early despite Foles’ contract and the potential of Gardner Minshew II. A prime example is the mock draft that Jonah Tuls recently compiled at The Draft Network, which has the Jags taking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammate in receiver Henry Ruggs III.

8. Jaguars, Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

Tagovailoa goes to Duval. Before you rule this out as too far-fetched, professional teams still have no idea what Tagovailoa’s medical reports look like; and I would be willing to bet there is a decent chance he is going to be off some boards. If Tagovailoa ends up falling and has to take a redshirt year in 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars make the most sense as a landing spot. They are financially tied to Nick Foles, and he can serve as the bridge quarterback for Tagovailoa. This would give him all the time he needs for recovery without rushing a comeback.

20. Jaguars, Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

Regardless of the Jaguars drafting a quarterback early, this offense needs playmakers. Henry Ruggs might be the fastest player in the draft, but I don’t think people realize how good of a wide receiver he is. His finishing consistency at the catch point is among the best in this class, and he is far too underrated as a route runner. Pairing the likes of Ruggs with Tua in the first round would be a dream for fans in Jacksonville.

Of course, as mentioned there are a lot of things that need to be cleared up with the first being Tua’s decision to declare in 2020. There is also his injury situation (hip) and each team’s medical staff understanding the severity of it. The Jags must also find out what they have in Gardner Minshew II this month.

However, as we pointed out in a mock draft analysis from October, the next front office (if there is a change) will have no ties to any of the quarterbacks on the roster, and if they fall in love with a specific quarterback prospect, they should go ahead and get their guy.

Statistically, Tua is a player who has improved in terms of accuracy over his career, garnering completion percentages of 63.6 (2017), 69.0 (2018) and 71.4 (2019) while at Alabama. The pundits at The Draft Network also like his pocket presence and throwing ability on all three levels.

Ruggs is a player our own Daniel Griffis has previewed in the past. At 6-foot-0, 190 pounds, Ruggs has elite 4.2-4.3 speed, has excellent body control and is an issue to bring down in the open field. With DJ Chark Jr. continuing to develop into a No. 1 receiver, Ruggs could be a solid No. 2 in time for the Jags and add speed to what is already one of the fastest receiving corps in football.

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.