3 reasons Georgia football will not leave Atlanta empty-handed

Georgia football takes on LSU in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, and unlike the 2021 squad, this group won’t leave Atlanta without the trophy on the bus. This team got a rude awakening last year and now knows it cannot overlook the SEC Championship opponent. At the same time, this year’s opponent is one of the final squad’s on the Dawgs’ revenge tour list.

It’s year one of the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge, and he wound up in Atlanta after taking down Alabama. That feat is impressive, but that Tide squad is not the same kind of team that Georgia is. The last two times Kelly faced off with the Dawgs resulted in losses — those two incredible Notre Dame games in 2017 and 2019.

Head coach Kirby Smart knows how to game plan for a Kelly football team, and while LSU has a lot of talented guys, Georgia has more. On paper, Georgia has a massive advantage, but it is a scrappy LSU team with enough grit and tenacity to cause problems.

What will Georgia need to do to beat the Bayou Bengals? This game should be one that Georgia handles with ease, but it’ll take these three things for that to happen. Here are the three reasons we think the Dawgs beat LSU on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game.

Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett will have one of his best games of the year

The Dawgs offense is one of the best units in college football. Not to mention, they protect starting quarterback Stetson Bennett too. Georgia’s offensive line is one of the best in the country, as they’ve given up seven sacks all year long. Only Oregon has fewer sacks at four.

That protection is one of the reasons Georgia’s offense will see a strong performance. It helps set up the rest of the offense that’ll be ready to strike through the air on running the ball.

Georgia averages 203 rushing yards and 285.83 passing for a total of 488.8 total offensive yards a game.

Regardless of whether the Dawgs go with the rush-heavy game plan or one that features Bennett, it’ll be a good day for the offense. Our sub-headline says Bennett will have one of his best games yet, and we stand by that. He will complete a high percentage of his passes, have multiple explosive plays and use his legs to make some big plays against the Bayou Bengals.

Georgia’s offense stems from him, and Bennett succeeds in big games like this. It’ll be his time to prove himself worthy of an SEC title after last year’s loss.

Georgia football will see its defense pressure Jaylen Daniels a lot

The Dawgs once again have the No.1 in the nation scoring defense, giving up just 11.3 points a game. While this year’s group hasn’t caused as much havoc regarding sacks, they are still putting pressure on quarterbacks. Through 12 games, the Dawgs have recorded 191 quarterback hurries, 72 tackles for loss and 23 sacks.

Jalen Carter will be a force on Saturday against the Tigers. He has 19 quarterback hurries, but it makes a difference when he is on the field. Carter will make Jaylen Daniels question every single decision. This whole defense will make him do that.

LSU likes to run the ball, as they average 192 rushing yards a game. The Tigers average 241.6 passing yards as well, so they do both reasonably well. However, they haven’t faced a group like Georgia yet. The Dawgs are so disciplined and know how to shut down the run. Plus, that secondary is still one of the best ones because they get thrown against a lot due to the front seven making opponents one-dimensional.

Georgia puts the pressure on Daniels and the rest of the offense. When they do that, it’ll force turnovers and keep the ball in the Dawgs’ hands. The more times Georgia gets the ball on offense, the more scoring opportunities.

Georgia football wants to stay perfect, and LSU has nothing left to fight for in 2022.

This game is a massive one for Georgia, which means they will show up with a point to prove. The Dawgs will be prepared for this game, and they will be looking to take home that trophy. After falling short last year, doing it two years in a row is the last thing Smart wants to see from his team. Not to mention, LSU doesn’t have anything to play for anymore. Their playoff hopes died last week when they lost to Texas A&M, so that will play a factor this week.

Nothing will deter Georgia from staying focused this weekend. The Dawgs want to win this title so badly that they will do whatever it takes to get the victory. Georgia has the power to make it happen and will. The spread is rather large, but Georgia covers. It could get ugly in Atlanta this weekend, and only for the Bayou Bengals.