Nine observations from Georgia’s aspiration-crushing SEC Championship loss to LSU
Georgia’s inept offense could only squeak by for so long. It likes to chop wood, but instead got taken to the woodshed and carved by a buzzsaw.
That buzzsaw is LSU (13-0), and it pounded Georgia (11-2) in every facet with a 37-10 blowout on the usually-exhilarating SEC Championship stage. LSU claims the victory by the fourth-largest margin of victory in game history.
A total rout. A true mismatch of offensive philosophies. A sign of Georgia lagging behind in college football’s evolution. Most brutal of all, an embarrassment for the nation’s No. 4 program.
“We lost,” running back D’Andre Swift said. “We lost last year. We have to do a better job of finishing in the future.”
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow outpaced his opposing number by a million miles. A healthy team always beats out one ravaged with injuries. Georgia has to re-evaluate after two-consecutive SEC Championship losses and missing the goal of a College Football Playoff berth yet again.
Here are nine observations from Georgia’s defining loss to LSU, which cemented itself as the SEC’s runaway train.
1) Georgia misses plenty of opportunities. From the first drive, it became evident. Georgia had a chance to jump out quickly, but quarterback Jake Fromm missed opportunities to Tyler Simmons, Matt Landers and Demetris Robertson. From then on, it only continued. Two missed field goals. A few whiffed sacks. Those small miscues could’ve resulted in a significant difference.
“We had about five or six (drops),” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “You could’ve said those should be caught. We would’ve been more explosive if that’s the case. When we had really good wideouts, we were more explosive.”
2) What’s to blame for the injury bug? Eight. Count it. Eight players collapsed to the turf with injury for the Bulldogs throughout play. Some of them returned, and some were significant names — like quarterback Jake Fromm. Georgia did not see the return of linebacker Walter Grant (concussion), wide receiver Kearis Jackson (ankle), defensive back Tyrique Stevenson (unspecified) or wide receiver Dominick Blaylock (knee). Stevenson and Blaylock were removed on medical carts, and a string of injuries ravaged the Bulldogs — not that it would’ve mattered too much to the result. Maybe the artificial turf of Mercedes-Benz Stadium played a factor, but Georgia hasn’t faced such unfortunate circumstances this season.
3) For the second-consecutive season, the Bulldogs face consolation. This season began with “Do more.” It ended with “Who knows what to do?” Georgia got truly exposed in its second loss of the season, and LSU revealed itself as a formidable College Football Playoff contender. Georgia, however, will fall short of its goal and end up in a New Year’s Six bowl game for the second-consecutive year. Some players called the season a success, others wouldn’t be satisfied without more meaningful games.
Those aspirations have sputtered and Georgia will either end up in the Sugar Bowl as the second highest-ranked SEC program, or in the Orange Bowl as the third-highest if Florida jumps the Bulldogs after the blowout. Georgia would likely face Baylor in New Orleans or Virginia in Miami. Georgia’s last consolation bout, the 2018 Sugar Bowl against Texas, resulted in a distraction-laden 28-21 defeat.
“We come together,” offensive guard Solomon Kindley said. “We win together, we lose together. We have to keep a better mindset and come closer together.”
4) Go ahead and give Joe Burrow the Heisman. The dude is a force in LSU’s fast-paced spread scheme of offense. He picked apart Georgia’s secondary, and the Bulldogs even started seven defensive backs — including freshmen Stevenson and Lewis Cine — in an effort to try and contain it. To no avail as Burrow recorded 347 passing yards and four touchdowns to be the first to throw four touchdowns since Auburn’s Cam Newton in 2010. Georgia, who hasn’t faced a quarterback close to Burrow’s stature this season, also relinquished 46 rushing yards to Burrow. He squashed any hopes of a Bulldog pass rush and shredded his opposing defense.
5) You have to wonder about this offense. Is this the wake-up call for Georgia to get past the 1990s and evolve into a modern style of offense? The pro-style works in some facets, especially with Georgia’s big-bodied offensive line, but something has to give. LSU didn’t change for the longest time under head coach Ed Orgeron, but one year of reformation under offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and passing-game coordinator Joe Brady led to immediate results.
6) And in return, the defense struggles. For a while, you wondered how the defense held up with Georgia’s offense unable to sustain longer drives. LSU took advantage of that fatigue. The Tigers accrued 481 yards, the highest total Georgia allowed this season. It’s not even close, either, as Tennessee had the second-most yardage with 313 on Oct. 5.
“Not good enough. We didn’t play to a high standard today,” inside linebacker Monty Rice said. “Burrow makes plays. That’s what he has done all year.”
7) An unceremonious end for Rodrigo Blankenship. He had been so clutch for Georgia through four years, especially in this building with the 2018 national title game kicks. Against LSU, Blankenship had one of his roughest performances since 2016. He missed field goals from 52 and 39 yards — his first miss from less than 40 yards this season — and penalized for a kickoff out of bounds in the fourth quarter. Blankenship still has a bowl game to say farewell to a career, but his last meaningful action had a sour note.
8) D’Andre Swift isn’t at full strength. There are no two ways around it, and Smart overestimated — or blew smoke at — his availability. The first ominous sign was when senior Brian Herrien started over him, although Georgia has done that on previous occurrences this season. He received a few receiving touches, but only had one rush for no gain through a half.
“It has been bothering me all week,” Swift said. “I went out to do what I could for my teammates. I definitely wanted to try, because every opportunity I get I’m going to make the most of it.”
9) Burrow jabbed the dagger in the Bulldogs’ heart. LSU reclaimed possession after Blankenship’s second miss, and Georgia had a semblance of a pass rush — finally on the first play. Burrow, however, dodged sack attempts from Travon Walker and Jordan Davis. He scrambled around the pocket and fired toward wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson hauled in the pass, raced horizontally past Georgia defenders and stepped out of bounds after a 71-yard reception. That resulted in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson cement the victory for LSU. It might’ve served as Burrow’s Heisman shining moment, too, as the longest pass in SEC Championship history.
“He’d just squeeze out of it,” safety J.R. Reed said. “We had a lot of guys on him, and he broke like three, four tackles. He extends a lot of plays.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 7:54 PM.