LSU dominates Georgia in SEC title game, 37-10

How good is LSU? How good is Joe Burrow?

First question first – LSU has been the most impressive team in the nation.

Second question – Burrow is a great college football player, the best in the country.

The Tigers senior quarterback threw all over the vaunted Georgia defense. He completed 28-of-38 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Burrow also ran 11 times for 41 yards. He even caught one of his own passes for good measure.

Georgia had not allowed more than 20 points to any team this year and that was in overtime against South Carolina.

The Bulldogs had not played LSU and Burrow.

Jake Fromm entered the game with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions in last three games. He was playing in third straight SEC championship game. He threw a pair of interceptions in this one.

In the end, LSU continued its brilliant season, dominating Georgia before a virtual Georgia home crowd in Atlanta in a 37-10 victory in the SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Here are my Quick Takes from the big victory

**Tyler Simmons dropped a deep ball on the money from Fromm on the first play of the game.
**Lawrence Cager was out with an ankle while Jordan Pickens missed the first half suspended from a fight in the game against Georgia Tech the previous week. Late in the first quarter, Dominick Blaylock went down with a left knee injury and would not return.

**LSU looked to have a stop when Damone Clark sacked Fromm but Clark was called for a personal foul for grabbing the face mask to give the Bulldogs 15 yards and a first down.

**LSU managed to get a stop.

**The Tigers got the ball and promptly drove 75 yards in eight plays, taking 3:38 off the clock. Burrow had a pass batted in the air which he caught and ran back for a first down. Then, with Georgia electing to rush just three men, Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase on a 23-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 9:09 to play in the opening quarter.

**With the touchdown, Burrow set the SEC record for touchdown passes in a season with 45 while Chase tied the SEC record for touchdown catches in a season with 18.

**LSU got a stop but then the game changed when Burrow completed a pass to Edwards-Helaire, who slipped, tried to rise, and he fumbled the ball and Georgia recovered but upon review, Edwards-Helaire was down as his forearm touched the ground first before the ball came out.

**LSU went 3-and-out, giving Georgia good field position and Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.

**LSU responded by going 65 yards in five plays, taking just 1:44 off the clock with Burrow hitting a wide open Terrace Marshall on a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 12 seconds to play in the first quarter.

**LSU finished the first quarter with 137 yards to just 44 for Georgia.

**The Bulldogs mounted a drive to start the second quarter, culminating with a 39-yard field goal by Blankenship to make it 14-3 with 11:28 to play in the first half. The drive covered 10 plays, traveling 53 yards in 3:44.

**Then, Marshall dropped what would have been an easy touchdown on a deep ball, a huge drop.

**Midway through the second quarter, Grant Delpit timed a safety blitz perfectly and sacked Jake Fromm, who was hurt on the play. It appeared to be his left ankle.

**Sophomore Stetson Bennett IV had to replace Fromm but Fromm was able to return on the next series.

**LSU then increased the lead, driving 57 yards in 11 plays, The drive stalled and Cade York nailed a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-3 with 2:22 to play in the first half.

**Derek Stingley Jr. then came up with a beautiful interception.

**LSU had a chance to extend the lead before the half but York pulled a 48-yard field goal wide left to leave it 17-3 at the half.

**LSU left 10 points on the field with the dropped touchdown and a missed field goal. The Tigers amassed 255 yards to 136 for the Bulldogs. Georgia had a slight edge in time of possession with 16 minutes to 14 minutes for LSU.

**Burrow was 17-of-25 for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the half.

**Tory Carter hurt LSU to start the second half. He was ejected for and obvious targeting penalty on the second half kickoff despite it being a touchback. It pinned LSU back to its 13-yard line.

**LSU took the second half kickoff and had an excellent time-consuming drive which covered 77 yards in 16 plays, taking 6:40 off the clock. LSU had a first-and-goal at the Georgia 3-yard line but could not get in the end zone. York kicked a 28-yard field goal to make it 20-3 with 8:20 to play in the third quarter.

**Georgia then mounted a good drive by a sack by K’Lavon Chaisson stalled it and Blankenship missed a 37-yard field goal wide right.

**Burrow then made an unreal play, avoiding a blitzer, stepping away from Travon Walker again, rolled right and hit Justin Jefferson for 71 yards to the Georgia 9-yard line.

**On the play, Jefferson was hurt and went to the locker room.

**It did not matter.

**LSU finished the drive, going 80 yards in just four plays with Burrow hitting Marshall on a quick slant for a 4-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 27-3 with 2:18 to play in the third quarter.

**Stingley Jr. then came up with his sixth interception of the year with a brilliant play, jumping a quick out rout to George Pickens to give LSU the ball at the Georgia 13-yard line.

**LSU took full advantage with Burrow connecting on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson to make it 34-3.

**Georgia finally dented the LSU defense, driving 75 yards in 13 plays, taking 4:04 off the clock and Fromm hit Pickens on a 2-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-10 with 11:41 to play in the game.

**The Tigers then got the running game going with Edwards-Helaire and drove with York booting a 50-yard field goal to make it 37-10 with 7:41 to play in the game. The drive covered 33 yards in eight plays, more importantly taking four minutes off the clock.

**The LSU offense is perhaps the best in the country. The LSU kicking game is superb. The LSU defense has gotten healthier, has found itself and is playing better. Georgia had allowed 10 sacks all season but LSU got three against the Bulldogs.

**That is trouble for whomever the Tigers face in the semifinals.

**The only negative is that Tyler Shelvin was shaken up in the first half and Siaki Ika went down in the fourth quarter for LSU up front while Kristian Fulton had to leave the game in the fourth quarter as well.

**It was the fifth straight game with three or more touchdown passes for Burrow. His four touchdown passes are the most for an LSU quarterback in an SEC championship game.

**Jefferson finished with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Marshall had five catches for 89 yards and two scores.

Yes, the Georgia defense is good, talented but Georgia had faced four second-string quarterbacks and even a wide receiver at quarterback in previous games.

LSU is now 5-1 in SEC championship games, 3-1 against Georgia in such games. LSU is 13-0 on the season. LSU has beaten five teams ranked in the top 10 when they played them. LSU posted 37 points and 481 yards on Georgia and took its foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter.

What more can you ask of a team?

The answer is to take it the rest of the way, to and through New Orleans. I would not bet against this team. It is a special group with special coaching and on a special mission. Maybe they should call The Special Man.

Never mind. They already have one in Burrow.