SEC Championship 2011 Highlights: LSU's Tyrann Mathieu Strikes Heisman Pose

The final box score of the 2011 SEC Championship Game will give the lion's share of the credit for LSU's big win over Georgia to the play of Kenny Hilliard, Alfred Blue and the Tigers offense.

But don't be fooled—as always, this win was all about Tyrann Mathieu, who once again performed like a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, even if there's no way he'll get an invite to New York City next weekend.

Mathieu was up to his usual tricks on defense and special teams, putting the Bayou Bengals in position to maul the Bulldogs over the final 36 minutes of the game. The Honey Badger started LSU's run of 42 unanswered points with a dazzling 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, during which he evaded tacklers left and right while waiting patiently for blockers up-field.

The Dawgs seemed ready to recapture momentum after halftime with a 70-yard kickoff return by Branden Smith, but, once again, the Honey Badger came to the rescue, recovering an Aaron Murray fumble at the Georgia 27-yard line to set up an eventual touchdown run by Hilliard.

Then, after a three-and-out by UGA, Mathieu fielded a 43-yard punt by Drew Butler and dodged, ducked, dipped, dove and dodged his way for 47 yards, to the Georgia 17, once again leaving Hilliard with an easy trip to the end zone.

Mathieu even managed to impact the game when he wasn't on the field. At one point in the third quarter, Mathieu was sidelined with an apparent wrist injury, thereby enticing Murray to pick on Tharold Simon, Mathieu's backup. Instead, Simon picked off a pass from Murray at the 30-yard line.

Yet another "victory" for The Honey Badger. 

Mathieu may not have the gaudy statistics of a Trent Richardson or an Andrew Luck, but he is every bit the worthy Heisman Trophy contender that they are. Few players have impacted the outcomes of as many games as dramatically as Mathieu. He may not touch the ball 20-to-30 times per game, but he's practically guaranteed to turn in at least two or three pivotal plays every time he takes the field.

Which, from his particular position of scarce contact with the pigskin, is as impressive as any 200-yard rushing day for Richardson or four-touchdown performance by Luck, if not more so.

And, if the usual rule of the best player on the best team garnering serious consideration for college football's most prestigious individual honor still applies, then Mathieu is as deserving a pose-striker as there is in country this season.

Now, Mathieu isn't likely to get so much as a plane ticket to the Big Apple, much less the ballot counts, to so much as sniff the Heisman.

But if LSU wins the BCS National Championship and Mathieu once again plays a key role in the outcome, then he will go into his junior year as one of a handful of preseason favorites to walk away with the Heisman Trophy next December.