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.

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.

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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.”

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.

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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.

Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship wins another prestigious SEC award

Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship has won yet another prestigious SEC award.

Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship has earned yet another prestigious SEC award.

On Thursday, it was announced that Blankenship had been named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for football.

Blankenship is Georgia’s fourth winner of this award. David Greene (2004), Aaron Murray (2013) and Chris Conley (2014) are Georgia’s previous recipients.

With a 3.71 GPA, Blankenship graduated cum laude with a degree in Digital and Broadcast Journalism in 2018 and is currently working toward a master’s degree in journalism.

Blankenship is the school’s all-time leading score, a record he broke this season, and the conference’s second all-time leader in points scored.

He has been named the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week six times this season.