Georgia football lost the SEC Championship in a blowout to LSU, and they didn’t look or play like the Bulldogs we’ve seen in the second half of this season.
In a mistake-filled game, Georgia football lost to LSU 37-10. The Bulldogs turned the ball over, dropped passes, and gave up sacks while Georgia’s defense lost contain on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and was not playing fundamental football like they had been all season. The whole team looked out of sync.
Jake Fromm once again struggled with his accuracy. He was once again overthrowing and underthrowing his receivers. He started the game completing just three of his first nine passes. He ended the game completing just 20 of his 42 passes for 225 yards one touchdown and two interceptions.
Fromm did injure his ankle in the second quarter. Stetson Bennett came in for just one throw and nearly threw an interception.
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There were also a few drops and errors made by the receivers. It was not all on Fromm, but a junior quarterback should not be making some of the mistakes Fromm is still making in his third year as the starter.
All week we had been told that Swift was healthy, practicing, and doing all the coaches were asking of him. Turns out that coaches must not have been asking him to do much. Swift touched the ball all of five times for 31 yards, but those weren’t the worst numbers of the game for Georgia by far.
Breaking it down makes it seem even worse than it was while watching.
Georgia’s offensive line got manhandled all game by LSU’s large front. Georgia’s rushing offense managed just 85 yards on 25 carries, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry, and if that weren’t bad enough they also gave up three sacks, including the one causing Fromm to twist his ankle.
Even though he sat out the entire first half, George Pickens led the Bulldogs in receiving. He caught four passes for 54 yards and also scored the Bulldogs only touchdown.
Georgia’s offense wasn’t the only unit that was off in this game. The defense allowed the most points (37) they have all season and the most yards (481) they have all season.
LSU’s first two plays were back to back first downs. Even when Georgia was able to bat a pass down at the line of scrimmage it went right back into the hands of Burrow who then scrambled for another first down. This should have been a sign for Georgia fans of how this game was going to go.
Joe Burrow had his way with Georgia’s secondary. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 349 yards four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He added another 53 yards rushing and was only sacked twice.
Justin Jefferson was the recipient of most of Burrow’s throws. He totaled seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia’s defense gave up their first collective 100 yards rushing to a team. They allowed LSU to rush for 132 rushing yards. Most of which went to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who had 58 yards. However, the defense still did not give up a rushing touchdown.
The mistakes were not limited to just the offense and defense, Georgia’s most consistent player on special teams also had some blunders. Rodrigo Blankenship missed two field goals, one from 52 and the other from 37. He was one for three on the night.
This was a very disappointing ending to an otherwise awesome season. This is not how we wanted it to end, but for the second year in a row, it looks like Georgia is headed to the Sugar Bowl. Their consolation prize for winning the SEC East, but not winning the SEC.
Kirby Smart is now 1-2 in the SEC Championship, losing his last two. He is also 0-3 in his last three postseason games. He is 2-3 in the postseason as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs.
It is great to beat your rivals every year, but at some point, winning with consistency in the postseason has got to become a reality.