LSU’s offense faces off with Georgia’s ‘D’
the board.
The last LSU team to go undefeated during the regular season was the 2011 Tigers, who were totally stifled by Alabama in the national-championship game. That team lost 21-0 and did not even cross midfield until the closing minutes.
What a contrast to this team, which has twice eclipsed 60 points, scored at least 50 in four other games and has been held below 36 just one time.
The Tigers have no intention of backing off against the Bulldogs, though Burrow offered a bit of a caveat.
“We’re going to keep our same mentality,” he said. “We’re going to attack, we’re going to go fast, we’re going to throw the ball down the field, but also understanding this is one of the best defenses in the country, so you’re going to have to take what the defense gives you and march the ball down the field. They’re not going to give you anything easy.”
Georgia’s previous opponents can attest to that.
The Junkyard Dawgs are surrendering a puny average of 10.4 points — second only to Clemson — and have recorded three shutouts for the first time since 1981. They have not given up more than 17 points in regulation (their only loss, a 20-17 setback against South Carolina, went to double overtime).
“We’ve done some amazing things as a defense in this regular season,“Georgia safety J.R. Reed said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us this game.”
As is always the case with the SEC championship, the winner is surely headed to the College Football Playoff.
But many pundits believe LSU, which has high-quality victories over Alabama, Florida and Auburn, has already done enough to claim a spot.
So a Georgia upset could mean a postseason two-fer for a conference that already holds super-sized influence over the college football landscape.
“We’ve got to finish the SEC championship, and then let’s see where we’re ranked,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “None of that stuff matters right now. We’ve got to win this football game. This is a big football game for our team, and that’s all we’re thinking about.”
SHORING UP: LSU’s 35th-ranked defense looked like a liability much of the season — particularly in mid-November at Ole Miss, when the Tigers allowed 614 yards and 37 points.
The last game was a different story, however. LSU surrendered just 169 yards, picked off three passes and came recorded six sacks — one for a safety — in a 50-7 rout of Texas A&M, which came in averaging 32.1 points per game.
“Too bad it came late in the season, but it’s only going to get better,” edge passrusher K’Lavon Chaisson said. “There’s too many high-caliber players on this defense to where we shouldn’t be clicking how we wanted to click.”