The LSU Tigers will travel to Atlanta and meet the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game from Mercedes-Benz Stadium on CBS. Georgia and LSU face off sparingly in SEC play, only meeting 32 times over the years. There last meeting came in the 2019 SEC Championship game, where the Tigers would pick up 27-point win en route to a national championship run. LSU leads the all-time series 18-13-1.
LSU comes into this heavyweight battle with a 9-3 record after losing the Texas A&M in College Station. The Tigers fell victim to the 12th man, and ultimately blew an opportunity to spoil the party atop the CFB standings. The Tigers trailed at halftime, and failed to recover as the Aggies would pull away for the 15-point win. LSU scores 32.5 points per game, while passing for 241.6 yards per game (106th), and rushing for 191.8 ypg (62nd). The LSU defense allows 21.2 points per game.
Jayden Daniels put it all together with Brian Kelly in Baton Rouge this season. After working out early natural growing pains, the junior quarterback became a real threat in the SEC, and left his mark by ending Alabama’s CFB playoff hopes. Daniels struggled against the A&M defense, and while he will have a stiffer task this weekend, he’s a gamer, and redemption could be on his mind here in Atlanta. Daniels has thrown for 2,566 passing yards with 15 touchdowns to two interceptions, and he ran for a magical 824 rushing yards and 11 scores through 12 starts here in 2022.
It’s been a revolving door at running back for LSU this season due to a lot of injuries. John Emery Jr. has scored three times in the loss to A&M and he’s rushed for 321 yards this season. Kayshon Boutte draws the headlines for the wideout group, as he definitely looks like the great LSU receiver. The junior pass catcher put an early season dispute with Coach Kelly behind him, and rebounded in the second half of the season. Boutte recorded 115 yards in the win over the Gators, and he’s up to 42 catches for 431 yards on the season. Malik Nabers came alive this season, and he leads LSU in receptions (58) and receiving yards (726).
Georgia wrapped up the regular season at 12-0 after defeating Georgia Tech in Athens in Week 13. The Bulldogs got off to a bit of a slow start against the Yellow Jackets but they finished strong to win their fifth Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate matchup in a row. Georgia is scoring 38.3 points per game, while passing for 285.8 yards per game (34th) and rushing for 203.2 ypg (42nd). The Georgia defense is allowing just 11.3 points, which is good for third in the entire nation.
Stenson Bennett wrapped up another undefeated season for the Bulldogs, and they’ve got their eyes set on doubling up as national champions. Bennett’s been consistent again this season, doing everything he’s supposed to do to lead the Bulldogs to victory. Bennett has thrown for 3,151 passing yards with 16 touchdowns to six interceptions through 12 starts this season.
Kenny McIntosh and Daijun Edwards split the backfield work for the Bulldogs this season. McIntosh has really got it going down the stretch, rushing for 143 yards in the win over Kentucky, and gaining 182 yards against GT last week. McIntosh leads the team in rushing (654), and he’s caught 35 passes for 437 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Edwards has rushed for 606 yards and scored seven times. Ladd McConkey leads the team with 46 receptions, while electric tight end Brock Bowers leads Georgia with 645 receiving yards.
LSU is 7-5 against the spread this season, with a 1-3 record on the road. Georgia is 6-6 ATS this season, with a 4-3 record in Georgia. UGA is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games.
Welp, so much for Brian Kelly crashing and spoiling the SEC current power trip. Well atleast to an extent. There’s a chance coach Kelly isn’t able to get his team up for this game and they show up to Atlanta without a pulse. The TIgers were in a great position to return to the CFB with a big effort here, but the loss in College Station to A&M ended all of that, and the odds of them spoiling UGA’s opportunity to repeat are extremely slim.
We can trust Kirby Smart to prepare his team to close the door on another SEC Championship in style here, as all hope went out of the window for LSU last weekend. Take Georgia’s spread confidently here.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
