SEC Championship Game: 5 Ways Georgia Can Pull the Upset

Everyone seems to think that LSU beating Georgia is a foregone conclusion. The Bulldogs certainly have not bought into that notion.

They have won 10 straight games, their defense ranks fifth nationally in yards allowed per game and Isaiah Crowell and Aaron Murray are two of the most talented players at their positions in the conference.

But there is a reason why they are the underdogs in this game. In order to pull off the upset, five things are going to have to happen.

Stay Rested on Defense

The most challenging part of stopping LSU is staying fresh in the defensive front seven. The Tigers will run the ball up the middle all day before breaking an option outside to extend a drive and it is taxing on the defense’s endurance to say the least.

Georgia can combat this three ways: holding the ball on offense for longer, forcing three and outs or get quality play out of the backups. However, if the defensive front seven keeps giving up medium chunks of yards and first downs, the game is as good as done.

Win the Turnover Battle

LSU leads the nation in turnover margin and it is a large part of its offense—it ranks 13th in scoring but only 62nd in yards per game.

Georgia is not too shabby in turnovers either, ranking second in the conference behind the Tigers, but it simply cannot allow Tyrann Mathieu and company to get interceptions and fumbles. The Bulldogs need a nearly flawless game to get a win and turnovers can kill momentum and upset chances.

Make Special Teams a Non-Factor

Brandon Boykin is an electrifying player, so he will either have to match LSU’s special teams or Georgia will have to play better coverage and kick better.

Tyrann Mathieu ranks seventh nationally in punt returns and Morris Claiborne is 15th in kickoff returns. Punter Brad Wing is one of the best in the game and kicker Drew Alleman has only missed two field goals on the year.

For Georgia, Blair Walsh and Drew Butler have been wildly inconsistent. This all has to change for the Bulldogs to win.

Score in the Red Zone

Believe it or not, LSU is a terrible team in the red zone, ranking 110th out of 120 teams. Georgia probably won’t get there very often, so when it does, scoring touchdowns—not field goals—will be of the utmost importance.

As stated before, Blair Walsh has not been reliable this season so putting the game on his foot is not the best way to go about it—just look at what happened to Alabama.

Play Smart

Sometimes a team can come into a game too energized and the emotions of the moment get the best of the players. Penalties, dropped passes and blown coverage on defense simply cannot happen.

Georgia is right in the middle nationally in penalty yards per game, but everyone who is not a kicker or on the offensive line has played really well for the Bulldogs all season and seem to be getting better every game. This game has to be a culmination of all of their progress in order to win.