Gambles pay off
LSU converts on four 4th downs to beat No. 2 Georgia
BATON ROUGE, La. — Joe Burrow passed for 200 yards and had two short touchdown runs, LSU’s defense staggered Georgia’s normally prolific offense, and the 13th-ranked Tigers beat the No. 2 Bulldogs 36-16 on Saturday to give coach Ed Orgeron a signature victory.
Five fourth-down decisions by Orgeron influenced the result. LSU converted all four times it ran an offensive play on fourth down, sustaining three drives that produced a total of 13 points.
In another instance, Orgeron called timeout and elected to punt on fourthand-2 after the offense initially remained on the field. That decision pinned Georgia at its 4, and Kristian Fulton’s interception of Jake Fromm’s pass shortly afterward set up another of Cole Tracy’s five field goals.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 133 yards for LSU (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), and Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 108 yards, including a 41-yard snag of a pass rifled over the middle and between converging defenders. That catch set up Burrow’s second TD in the fourth quarter.
Nick Brossette added a short touchdown in the final minutes after Burrow’s 59-yard scamper. Fans rushed the field, ignoring pleas not to do so from the public address announcer, as the game ended.
Fromm had by far his worst game this season, completing 16 of 34 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Behind from the beginning, Georgia (6-1, 4-1) was unable to turn to its running game as much as it might have preferred. Averaging about 245 yards, the Bulldogs finished with 113 at LSU, led by D’Andre Swift’s 72 yards. Elijah Holyfield scored Georgia’s first touchdown late in the third quarter.
Georgia could tumble a number of spots in the Top 25 poll, depending on how much voters weigh its relatively unimpressive schedule prior to visiting Death Valley.
LSU, which dropped from fifth after losing at Florida a week earlier, could very well climb back into the top 10.
The Tigers haven’t lost two straight since Orgeron took over for Les Miles four games into the 2016 season and now are 7-0 immediately after a loss.