SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME No. 3 LSU (11-1) vs. No. 5 Georgia (10-2) at Atlanta Saturday, 8 p.m. EST (CBS) Georgia Dome (71,500) There's a lot on the line for both teams, but the pressure is clearly on LSU. The Tigers have a chance to break the BCS, pass USC and earn a date with Oklahoma in the national title game with a victory. But for LSU to have a shot at the Sugar, the Tigers must beat Georgia for the second time this season. The Tigers squeaked by the Bulldogs 17-10 in Baton Rouge on Sept. 20, but winning in what is basically a home game for Georgia will be much more difficult. Both teams are no strangers to the SEC championship game; Georgia won it last year and LSU took the title two years ago. It is a matchup of the two top defenses in the nation -- LSU is No. 1 in scoring defense, yielding 10.6 points per game; Georgia is No. 2, giving up 11.8 -- and this is where the game will be decided. Key Matchup LSU DT Chad Lavalais Sr., 6-3 , 292 Stats: 54 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6 sacks What a season it has been for the former prison guard. With a quick initial burst and immense strength, Lavalais can blow up many plays and cause nightmares for opposing quarterbacks. vs. Georgia OT Daniel Inman Fr., 6-7, 321 Speaking of nightmares, this freshman is likely to have them if he doesn't play the game of his life. Inman will have to be on his toes and must find away to keep Lavalais from getting a consistent push into the backfield. While LSU's defense is clearly its strength, the Tigers can also light it up on the offensive side. LSU leads the SEC with 35 points per game and seasoned quarterback Matt Mauck (2,550 yards and a single season school-record 27 TDs) is very accurate and doesn't get rattled under pressure. The running game is average, but LSU has the advantage of rotating in three backs: Justin Vincent (683 yards, 7 TDs), Joseph Addai (461 yards, 2 TDs) and Shyrone Carey (338 yards, 6 TDs). On the outside, wideout Michael Clayton (960 yards, 9 TDs) is the best receiver in the SEC, but Devery Henderson (790 yards, 11 TDs) and Skyler Green (485 yards, 5 TDs) are also breakaway threats. It's no secret what LSU is going to do on defense: bring it. The Tigers are extremely athletic and fast and can cover a lot of ground. Chad Levalais, a finalist for the Outland and Ngurski Awards, is the anchor. But the Tigers also have another play wrecker in defensive end Marcus Spears. Add superb cover corner Corey Webster, who has six interceptions this season, and this defense is stacked. Georgia has been hampered by injuries and it's really taken a toll on the offensive end. When the Bulldogs played LSU earlier this season, three key starters didn't play, including wideout Fred Gibson. He's in this game, and that will make a big difference. Quarterback David Green has been erratic this season, throwing for 2,761 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. But he is 31-7 as a starter and has played in plenty of big games before. The running game is average and Michael Cooper (685, 6 TDs has steadily improved throughout the season. But for Georgia to win, Green has to be able to throw the ball downfield to Gibson, Reggie Brown or Damien Gary. While the offense has struggled, Georgia's defense has helped keep it in games. In addition to being No. 2 in scoring defense, the Bulldogs are fourth in total defense, giving up just 261.9 yards per game. David Pollack (77 tackles, 9 tackles for loss), a finalist for the Lombardi award, is the unit's leader. But this aggressive, sure-tackling D is much more than Pollack. Linebacker Thomas Davis leads the team with 119 tackles, linebacker Odell Thurman has 100 tackles, including 14.5 for loss, and safety Sean Jones (102 tackles, 5 interceptions) is the leader of the secondary. This is going to be a hard-fought, competitive game that could go either way. Usually, I have a gut or strong feeling either way on these things, but not in this one. And whenever that happens the team I pick usually goes down and I kick myself for days. That said, Georgia is not playing as well as LSU is right now. If the Tigers can't get up for this game, they don't deserve to play in the Sugar Bowl. The partisan crowd at the Georgia Dome will give the Bulldogs a lift and it may come down to the final minute, but LSU is simply a better team. The Tigers will win a thriller and will stir the pot in a brewing BCS controversy. The Pick: LSU 21, Georgia 20 B.J. Schecter is an associate editor for Sports Illustrated. Marquee Matchup appears every Friday on SI.com during the season.
I like this guy's thinking...Only he misquoted our offensive total... It's gonna be 35-20...Not 21-20...
more CNN love...LSU 26 UGA 17 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/football/ncaa/12/05/weekend.pickoff.15/index.html
Only 9 touchdowns versus 8 interceptions. Mauck has, what - 27 TD's to 11 Int's? LSU defense stops the Jawja running game and this guy won't beat us with his arm. I'm feeling pretty good about this game.
They were also inaccurate about our "average" running game by leaving out Broussard and Edwards. Most notably Broussard with his 300-some-odd yards and 4 TD's.
Re: Re: Love from CNNSI I'm glad someone else is seeing this stat too ... no way this game is even close with LSU offense red hot
