GeauxTo
12-02-2005, 05:24 PM
Dawgs to win old-school style battle
December 02, 2005
One thing is for certain: Georgia QB D.J. Shockley is at full strength after being knocked out of the Arkansas game.
Shockley, the highest-rated QB in the SEC, missed the entire Florida game. Had he played against the Gators, the Dawgs probably would have won.
Shockley returned in the 31-30 loss to Auburn, and was brilliant mixing some athletic runs with lots of accurate throws. Last week against Georgia Tech, Georgia played for field position and had a conservative game plan. The completely different styles of play show the flexibility of this particular Georgia team.
Shockley and other seniors have talked this week about not losing to the Tigers in the championship game two straight times. Two of these seniors received All-American honors this week from the American Football Coaches Association. Hard-hitting safety Greg Blue and massive offensive lineman Max Jean-Gilles were both named to the first team.
Blue is following in the footsteps of two great Dawg safeties, Sean Jones and Thomas Davis. They were taken in the first round of the NFL draft the past two years. Blue really brings it when he makes a hit.
LSU has its own very impressive safety tandem. I have often talked about LaRon Landry and Jessie Daniels being among the top pair of safeties in the country, if not the best. Can the DBs for LSU make a play if presented the opportunity?
These teams mirror each other in every statistical category except turnovers. Georgia is in the Top 10 nationally in creating turnovers, and LSU is No. 112. LSU would be much more respectable in this category if defenders would have held on to interception chances.
The most impressive player on the Georgia side is tight end Leonard Pope. Pope stands 6-8 and plays at more than 250 pounds. He is ultra athletic. I'm interested to see how LSU will try to guard him. Kregg Lumpkin, one of Georgia's top running backs, will play again Saturday.
When LSU has the ball, the Tiger offensive line must do a better job than it did against Arkansas. This unit was at it's best in the important second half opening drive against Alabama.
The playing surface at the Georgia Dome is tailor-made for LSU's team speed. The Tigers have never lost in this building, winning the SEC Championship and the Peach Bowl twice. Georgia's speed is pretty good also, but just a tad off from the past two years.
Of course, this will be the fourth contest in three years between these two teams. They have been the best teams this decade in their respective divisions.
I think these two teams mirror each other so much that this game is destined to be a tight one. One big advantage goes to the Dawgs. They are playing just 75 minutes from their campus.
This home field advantage of sorts is why I reluctantly pick the Dwags in a classic old school SEC battle.
Dawgs 20, LSU 17
December 02, 2005
One thing is for certain: Georgia QB D.J. Shockley is at full strength after being knocked out of the Arkansas game.
Shockley, the highest-rated QB in the SEC, missed the entire Florida game. Had he played against the Gators, the Dawgs probably would have won.
Shockley returned in the 31-30 loss to Auburn, and was brilliant mixing some athletic runs with lots of accurate throws. Last week against Georgia Tech, Georgia played for field position and had a conservative game plan. The completely different styles of play show the flexibility of this particular Georgia team.
Shockley and other seniors have talked this week about not losing to the Tigers in the championship game two straight times. Two of these seniors received All-American honors this week from the American Football Coaches Association. Hard-hitting safety Greg Blue and massive offensive lineman Max Jean-Gilles were both named to the first team.
Blue is following in the footsteps of two great Dawg safeties, Sean Jones and Thomas Davis. They were taken in the first round of the NFL draft the past two years. Blue really brings it when he makes a hit.
LSU has its own very impressive safety tandem. I have often talked about LaRon Landry and Jessie Daniels being among the top pair of safeties in the country, if not the best. Can the DBs for LSU make a play if presented the opportunity?
These teams mirror each other in every statistical category except turnovers. Georgia is in the Top 10 nationally in creating turnovers, and LSU is No. 112. LSU would be much more respectable in this category if defenders would have held on to interception chances.
The most impressive player on the Georgia side is tight end Leonard Pope. Pope stands 6-8 and plays at more than 250 pounds. He is ultra athletic. I'm interested to see how LSU will try to guard him. Kregg Lumpkin, one of Georgia's top running backs, will play again Saturday.
When LSU has the ball, the Tiger offensive line must do a better job than it did against Arkansas. This unit was at it's best in the important second half opening drive against Alabama.
The playing surface at the Georgia Dome is tailor-made for LSU's team speed. The Tigers have never lost in this building, winning the SEC Championship and the Peach Bowl twice. Georgia's speed is pretty good also, but just a tad off from the past two years.
Of course, this will be the fourth contest in three years between these two teams. They have been the best teams this decade in their respective divisions.
I think these two teams mirror each other so much that this game is destined to be a tight one. One big advantage goes to the Dawgs. They are playing just 75 minutes from their campus.
This home field advantage of sorts is why I reluctantly pick the Dwags in a classic old school SEC battle.
Dawgs 20, LSU 17