Bulldogs claim crown, cement top ranking
ATLANTA — On most Saturdays, University of Georgia coach Kirby Smart belongs in an era before jeans were designer, music was vinyl, and phones had a dial tone. His teams play a brand of defense that has largely been swept into the game’s historical dustbin and the Bulldogs’ rock ‘em, sock ‘em run game is misaligned in this age of outrageous sideline-to-sideline offense.
But on this upside-down last weekend of conference play, it figures the normally reliable Bulldogs almost got caught up in the chaos. Favorites USC of the Pac-12 and TCU of the Big 12 were upset because their defenses had more holes than a yard-sale blanket. And then Georgia’s defense splintered against a backup quarterback.
Georgia built a 35-10 halftime lead, then watched its indomitable defense wobble in the second half, before a blast of run-game offense finished off No. 14 LSU (9-4) in the SEC Championship Game, 50-30, before 74,810 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It was sloppy, not the way we usually play, and our pride a little hurt,” linebacker Smael Mondon said, “but live to fight another day.”
Georgia, the defending national champion, and winners of 31 of its last 32 games, should be considered a favorite to repeat when the College Football Playoff field is announced Sunday, Saturday’s uneven performance notwithstanding. The Bulldogs could be right back here for a national semifinal Dec. 31.
“This has been a different group. You guys (media) have tried to label them, tried to figure ‘em out, tried to analyze ‘em. They do what they have to do, and they do it well. They care about each other and they really do it for each other,” Smart said.
Georgia’s identity is firmly attached to its defense, which has led the nation in scoring defense three of the last four years. The Bulldogs replaced eight starters on defense and still led the country in points allowed per game (13.3), but they needed run-game muscle to put away the Tigers.
The Bulldogs got 255 yards on the ground, including 113 yards and 77 yards, respectively, from running backs Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett, who has been playing college football six seasons, was superb, completing 23 of 29 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns. He was a disaster in the SEC title game in 2021 in a loss to Alabama, but then led his team to the national title in the playoffs.
“When it’s the SEC Championship, you kind of got to play confident. If you don’t, then they’re going to beat you,” Bennett said. ”Winning the SEC championship, there’s only one of those. It’s a banner. It’s the same thing as a national championship, just a little bit smaller scale.”
Bennett had to be on his game because LSU brought its backup slinger, freshman quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on in the second half and he threw a brief scare into Georgia. Playing for injured starter Jayden Daniels, Nussmeier threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia signposted in the first half that its defense was prepared to carry the day as usual as it built a 25-point cushion. The Bulldogs had seven tackles for loss and held the Tigers to 3 yards rushing and 2 of 7 third-down conversions.
There were disruptions galore. Outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss blitzed and sacked Daniels on third down to thwart one drive. LSU tried to salvage the possession with a field goal, but Georgia’s 6-foot-3 defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse blocked the kick, and Christopher Smith picked up the ball and went 96 yards to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
On another possession, LSU faced third-and-one, and running back Josh Williams was driven into the turf by defensive end Tramel Walthour. Then there was the possession where an LSU receiver was smacked as the ball hit his hands, and the ball was plucked out of the air for an interception.
The Bulldogs rarely lose altitude because they can tackle in space, build a wall against the run, close quickly against the short passing game to stymie run-after-catch yards, win oneon-one in the secondary, and send waves of 5-star talent from the bench.
They can lose focus, however. The secondary got soft and sloppy and Nussmeier, who came off the bench to start the third, started slinging the ball all over the field. He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Malik Neighbors to make it 35-17, then took LSU down to the Georgia 5-yard line.
The Bulldogs remembered who they were. They stopped a 4th-and-one run and then turned around and marched 95 yards for a touchdown. Their momentum was re-established and they avoided the same calamity that took down USC and TCU.
“It hurts giving up that many points, a lot of misplayed balls, and miscommunications,” linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson said. “But one down, two more to go. We’re on to the next game.”