LSU vs. Georgia: Grading the Tigers' Win Against the Bulldogs

It was a slow start—much like the game against Arkansas—but LSU fought back, regained the momentum and never looked back.

So how well did the Bayou Bengals play against Georgia in the 2011 SEC title game? Well, let's just say it was nothing we didn't expect, but at the same time, another wow-factor.

Here are grades for the Tigers in every facet of the game.

Offense

If there's a weakness on LSU, it's their passing game. Other than WR Rueben Randle, there's not much there, plus QB Jordan Jefferson isn't known as a prototypical pocket passer.

However, he's a very good option QB, knows how to buy time on passing plays, and is as good as anyone in the country at scrambling.

That being said, another reason why the Tigers passing game doesn't appear to dominate is their rushing game. The Tigers have four RBs they can use at-will in Alfred Blue, Kenny Hilliard, Michael Ford and Spencer Ware.

And all four would start anywhere else in the country other than Alabama because of Trent Richardson. Against Georgia, all four combined for over 200 rush yards and three TDs.

Not bad considering that Georgia has one of the better defenses in the country and held them without a first down in the first half. But the second half was the exact opposite.

Passing: C

Rushing: B+

Defense

Thanks to their win over Alabama, LSU became the team with the best defense, regardless of the stats.

And against some of the nation's fastest and most prolific offenses (Oregon, Arkansas, Georgia), LSU has completely dominated. If you love defensive football, watching the Bayou Bengals is a treat.

In the SEC title game against the Bulldogs, the Tigers did start off slow like they did against Arkansas, however, it clearly had no affect. After the first quarter LSU was down 10-0 but began to suck the life out of Georgia toward the end of the second quarter.

The Dawgs came out throwing the ball and had success but, as the game progressed, LSU began to suffocate Aaron Murray's WRs, and the windows weren't there. By game's end, Murray had just 163 pass yards (one TD, two INTs) and the Dawgs only compiled 46 rush yards.

Now count in the Tigers forcing three turnovers and the Bulldogs didn't have a chance.

Rush D: A+

Pass D: B+

Special Teams

There's no better special teams in the country than LSU's, and there's no better return man than Tyrann Mathieu.

For the game, the Honey Badger compiled 119 punt return yards, one TD, and averaged almost 30 yards per return.

In the kicking game, punter Brad Wing had another dominant performance by totaling 403 punt yards and averaging over 50 yards per punt. When you consider the field position battle, along with him having a 67-yarder, the Bayou Bengals are unbeatable.

Also, two of Wing's punts landed inside the 20. Maybe Mathieu should drop back deep to return one of Wing's punts, because otherwise neither will be stopped.

Kicking/Punting: A+

Returning: A+

Coaching

Perhaps the scariest part about this year's LSU team is that the 2012 team is expected to be even better. Wow.

Anyway, a lot of that being said comes down to coaching and the recruiting process. In the SEC title game, you saw how well of a recruiter and coach Les Miles has been for LSU.

He and his staff know how to put their players in the best of all possible positions to make plays, otherwise Georgia may have had a chance after the first quarter. And this was a damn good Bulldogs team (winners of 10 straight) that have a great coach in Mark Richt.

Only problem for the Dawgs, however, is that Les Miles knows how to win big games on a consistent basis. This season LSU has beaten eight ranked teams (at the time of that game), and three were in the Top 3 (Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas).

The talent on the field is unreal, but a lot of credit must go to Les Miles and his staff.

Coaching: A+

Overall

After the first quarter, LSU practically played a flawless game. Offensively, they were held without a first down the entire first half but still managed to put up 28 points (other 14 from special teams and defense).

Early on the Tigers defense was allowing Georgia to move the ball well, but were fortunate that the Dawgs choked and dropped some big passes. Now, the Bulldogs putting up around 17-24 points would have been good, but not good enough.

For one, LSU ran off 42 consecutive points and held Georgia scoreless after the first quarter. That being said, it may have been another slow start, however, even if the Dawgs don't drop some passes, the Bayou Bengals win 42-21 or something.

Nonetheless, you could also see that LSU may have not been completely focused early on. Well, once they did get focused, it was game over.

Offense: B-

Defense: A

Special Teams: A+

Coaching: A+

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27