A recipe for LSU upsetting Georgia
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LSU, exceeding all expectations in Year 1 under Brian Kelly, will play for an SEC title.
The road LSU took to get here isn’t normal. LSU dropped the opener in the weirdest possible way, got blown out by Tennessee and was on the wrong side of an upset in College Station.
LSU began the year unranked only to enter rivalry week in the top five before dropping to No. 14 this week.
LSU’s in this spot thanks to some big wins in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers beat Mississippi State and Ole Miss by a combined 39 points and pulled off an overtime upset over Alabama.
Despite making its way to the SEC Championship, at 9-3, LSU is out of the playoff discussion. Had LSU beat Texas A&M, it probably would be win and in for the Tigers on Saturday. Now, LSU must fight just to get to the New Year’s Six.
It is a sizeable underdog to Georgia. The Bulldogs, 12-0, are the defending national champs. They’re better than LSU in every phase of the game. Using logic, it’s hard to see a way in which LSU wins this game, but today we’re going to try.
LSU is still LSU. It has good players and a coaching staff that’s no stranger to big moments. Its chances aren’t good, but they also aren’t non-existent.
Here’s a recipe for the Tigers to pull off the upset in Atlanta.
Jayden Daniels has the game of his life
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
LSU is going to need everything it can get and more from its quarterback.
[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] got banged up against Texas A&M. It looked bad, but he returned to the game. He was in a walking boot earlier this week, but Kelly expressed optimism that it wasn’t serious. Expect Daniels to try and give it a go on Saturday.
How the ankle issue affects his play will be worth watching early. Daniels is a playmaker with his legs and without the breakaway speed, LSU loses a dimension of its offense.
LSU’s been at its best when Daniels is at his best. LSU will need the Daniels that showed up in the second half against Ole Miss and the Alabama win. Nothing less.
Kayshon Boutte makes some big plays
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Kayshon Boutte got off to a rough start in 2022, but became more productive as the season progressed.
Still, we’ve yet to see him take over a game like he did in his first two years.
Some of that is because this is a different offense. LSU’s run game is much better than it has been and LSU hasn’t shown the willingness to consistently push the ball down the field. The receiver room is deeper too, with more targets to be shared.
But Boutte is still the most talented player in this room and against Georgia’s talented secondary, LSU needs him to make plays. He needs to make contested catches, break tackles, and burn some safeties over the middle.
If Boutte does break a few big ones, LSU can find a way to be in this game late.
LSU's secondary takes pressure off the front seven
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
LSU’s front seven had its worst game against Texas A&M. That doesn’t bode well for a group that’s about to face the best offensive line its seen all year.
Georgia’s offense pairs a dominant run game with a smart and savvy veteran quarterback. It’s a balanced attack. Sell out to stop the run and Stetson Bennett will hurt you. Drop too many guys into coverage and the Bulldogs can run right through you.
If LSU gets a strong performance from its defensive backs, the front seven can play with more freedom. Matt House can scheme up pressure and the linebackers can focus on stopping the run.
LSU will need a turnover… or two… or maybe even three. That’s the kind of performance it’s going to take.
LSU needs to force Georgia into passing downs. If the Bulldogs are staying on schedule, the balance of that offense will make it tough to stop.
LSU has the better special teams game
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This is going to be tough.
LSU’s special teams have been bad all year. LSU’s kicking game is fine, but even that’s been shaky. Special teams mistakes have given LSU field position disadvantages all year. That can’t happen on Saturday.
LSU’s special teams need to pitch a perfect game and hope that Georgia’s doesn’t.
LSU needs Georgia to leave some points on the board with missed a missed field goal or muffed punt. LSU’s punting unit needs to have its best game. They’re going to be out there a good bit and LSU needs to pin UGA deep.
If Georgia controls field position early, it could get out of hand quick.
LSU was able to strike first against Alabama due to the way the Tigers controlled the field in the first half. A similar process of events needs to play out in Atlanta.
