2019 SEC Championship Game

The 2019 SEC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The game determined the 2019 champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[2] The game featured the East division champions the University of Georgia Bulldogs (Georgia) and the West division champions the Louisiana State University Tigers (LSU). Beginning in 1992, this served as the conference's 28th annual championship game. After a dominating performance by transfer quarterback, Joe Burrow, LSU became the 2019 SEC champions winning the game by a final score of 37–10. The strong performance not only earned LSU the 2019 SEC Championship trophy but it contributed to earning the No.1 seed in the 2019 College Football Playoffs. After their loss, Georgia moved to the fifth spot in the rankings and earned a bid to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

2019 SEC Championship Game
Conference Championship
Georgia Bulldogs LSU Tigers (11–1) (12–0) 10 37 Head coach:  Kirby Smart Head coach:  Ed Orgeron AP Coaches CFP 4 4 4 AP Coaches CFP 1 1 2
1 2 3 4 Total Georgia 0 3 0 7 10 LSU 14 3 17 3 37
Date	December 7, 2019
Season	2019
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
MVP	Joe Burrow
Favorite	LSU by 7[1]
Referee	James Carter
Attendance	74,150
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color commentator), Jamie Erdahl (sideline reporter) & Gene Steratore (rules anaylst) (CBS) Ryan Radtke, Derek Rackley and Olivia Harlan (Westwood One) Dave Neal, David Archer and Stephen Hartzell (SEC Radio)

Pre-game buildup

2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 4 Georgia x		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 6 Florida		6	–	2					11	–	2
Tennessee		5	–	3					8	–	5
Kentucky		3	–	5					8	–	5
Missouri *		3	–	5					6	–	6
South Carolina		3	–	5					4	–	8
Vanderbilt		1	–	7					3	–	9
West Division
No. 1 LSU x$^		8	–	0					15	–	0
No. 8 Alabama		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 14 Auburn		5	–	3					9	–	4
Texas A&M		4	–	4					8	–	5
Mississippi State		3	–	5					6	–	7
Ole Miss		2	–	6					4	–	8
Arkansas		0	–	8					2	–	10
Championship: LSU 37, Georgia 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from AP Poll

Coming into the conference championship game, LSU’s Joe Burrow was considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy with 4,366 passing yards and 44 passing touchdowns. While Georgia's offense was led by another strong-performing quarterback Jake Fromm, it was Georgia's strong defense that gave them a chance in the game.[3] With both teams ranked in the top 4, aside from the SEC champion title, the game was played for a spot in the playoffs.[4]

Additionally, this same match-up in the SEC championship game has occurred 3 times before, once in 2003 where LSU came on top (13-34). In 2005, Georgia’s only win of the 3 (34-14) and then once again in 2011 where LSU once again came out on top (10-42).[5]

Matchups

LSU

Louisiana State finished the 2018 season with Fiesta Bowl win over no. 8 UCF making it their first New Year’s Six bowl appearance since the creation of the College Football Playoffs (CFP).[6] LSU earned their way into the SEC championship game by winning all twelve games of the regular season in which they faced nationally ranked opponents such as no. 7 Florida, no. 9 Auburn and former no.3 Alabama.[7] Averaging 560.4 total offensive yards and 48.7 point per game leading up to the championship game, LSU's offense was labeled by many as the country's top offense.[8] Helping Joe Burrow on the offensive, was junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire who scored 16 regular season touchdowns and ran for 1,233 yard on the year. On the receiving end, Burrow's top receivers were sophomore Ja'Marr Chase who led the nation in yards with 1,780 and junior Justin Jefferson who tied for number one in receptions with 111.[9]

Georgia

The 4th ranked Georgia Bulldogs ended the previous season losing the 2018 SEC championship game to the no. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide team led by former backup quarterback Jalen Hurts. Making it their second consecutive post-season loss to a 2nd-string Alabama quarterback.[10] In the 2019 season, they earned a bid to play in the SEC championship game after starting with a five game winning streak including a victory over no.7 ranked Notre Dame team. Their only loss of the regular season came in double-overtime to SEC East opponent South Carolina.[11] Georgia's offense on average scored 32.9 points per game and had on average 420.6 yards per game. Georgia's strength came on defense as they led the SEC in scoring defense, run defense and total defense allowing only 257 yards on average.[12]

Game summary

Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 28th edition of the SEC Championship Game kicked off 4:00pm ET on December 7th, 2019. Televised on CBS in the United States, the game earned a Nielsen rating of 7.9.[13] Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jamie Erdahl, and Gene Steratore were the crew of broadcaster's for the game.[14] The game was played indoors at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was dominated by LSU's offense and a defense who kept Georgia to three points until the fourth quarter. To start the game, Joe Burrow threw for two touchdowns in the first quarter and both teams settled for a field goal each in the second. The second half, showcased two more touchdown passes from Burrow and one touchdown for Georgia in the fourth quarter.

First quarter

Georgia received the opening kick-off from Avery Atkins, but punted on their opening possession after only gaining one first down. On LSU's first possession, the Tigers marched 75 yards down the field and opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase. After both teams punted on their next drive, Georgia had an opportunity to score late in the first quarter, but Rodrigo Blankenship's 52-yard field goal attempt was no good. On the next drive, LSU scored again, this time on a pass from Burrow to Terrance Marshall Jr.

Second quarter

Early in the second quarter, Georgia got on the board with a 39-yard field goal by Blankenship. LSU's Cade York converted a 41-yard field goal and also missed a 48-yard attempt in the final minute of the half to make the score 17–3 at half-time.

Third quarter

On the opening drive of the second half, LSU scored again via a 28-yard field goal by Cade York. After another unsuccessful field goal attempt by the Bulldogs, LSU scored a touchdown on the next possession via a four-yard pass from Burrow to Marshall Jr. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm was intercepted by LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. on the first play of their next possession, after which the Tigers scored via an eight-yard pass from Burrow to Justin Jefferson to make the score 34–3 at the end of the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

In the fourth quarter, Georgia scored their only touchdown on the day via a two-yard pass from Fromm to George Pickens, and LSU added a 50-yard field goal by York to make the final score 37–10.

Statistics UGA LSU First downs 20 26 Plays–yards 68–286 74–481 Rushes–yards 25–61 36–132 Passing yards 225 349 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 20–43–2 28–38–0 Time of possession 26:22 33:38

Team Category Player Statistics Georgia Passing Jake Fromm 20/42, 225 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing Brian Herrien 8 carries, 24 yards Receiving George Pickens 4 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD LSU Passing Joe Burrow 28/38, 349 yards, 4 TD Rushing Clyde Edwards-Helaire 15 carries, 57 yards Receiving Justin Jefferson 7 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD

2019 SEC Championship Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Georgia	0	3	0	7	10
No. 2 LSU	14	3	17	3	37

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 74,150
• Referee: James Carter
• TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sideline)
• ESPN game summary

Game information

First Quarter (9:09) LSU – Joe Burrow 23 yard pass to Ja'Marr Chase, Cade York kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:38; LSU 7–0) (0:12) LSU – Joe Burrow 7 yard pass to Jay Ward, Cade York kick (Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:44; LSU 14–0) Second Quarter (11:28) UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 39 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 3:44; LSU 14–3) (2:22) LSU – Cade York 41 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:22; LSU 17–3) Third Quarter (8:20) LSU – Cade York 27 yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 65 yards, 6:40; LSU 20–3) (2:18) LSU – Joe Burrow 4 yard pass to Terrace Marshall, Cade York kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:59; LSU 27–3) (0:45) LSU – Joe Burrow 8 yard pass to Justin Jefferson, Cade York kick (Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:25; LSU 34–3) Fourth Quarter (11:41) UGA – Jake Fromm 2 yard pass to George Pickens, Rodrigo Blankenship kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:04; LSU 34–10) (7:41) LSU – Cade York 50 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 4:00; LSU 37–10)

Post-game significance

Joe Burrow

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, and was named game MVP.[15] After a season of strong performances, Joe Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy over Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Burrow finished the season with 76.3 completion percentage, 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.[16]

Bowl games

LSU, ranked second in the College Football Playoff rankings before the game, moved up to first in the rankings after the win and secured their place in the national semifinal game against University of Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl also played at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Georgia football team, ranked fourth prior to the game, moved down to fifth and received a bid to the Sugar Bowl against Baylor. Both team moved on to win their individual bowl games and LSU moved onto the National Championship Game to play Clemson. [17]

National Championship

After winning both the SEC conference championship and CFP semifinals, LSU earned a spot in the CFP championship game against the No. 3 Clemson Tigers.[17] The Clemson football team won its way to the national championship after defeating Ohio State in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl.[18] The national championship game was played in New Orleans' Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13th, 2020.[19] LSU came out on top with a score of 42-25 with another strong performance by Joe Burrow with 5 touchdowns and 463 yards to complete LSU's undefeated perfect season.[19]

References

1. "Georgia vs. LSU - Game Summary - December 7, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
2. "When Is the 2019 SEC Championship Game? Date, Time, Location". WatchStadium.com. Stadium. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
3. "2019 SEC championship game -- date, time, odds, how to watch, picks". ESPN.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
4. "2019 SEC championship game -- date, time, odds, how to watch, picks". ESPN.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
5. "mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Georgia vs. LSU". www.mcubed.net. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
6. "LSU Football Bowl History | TigerDroppings.com". www.tigerdroppings.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
7. "2018 LSU Tigers Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
8. "2019 SEC championship game -- date, time, odds, how to watch, picks". ESPN.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
9. "Justin Jefferson Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
10. "Hurts leads No. 1 Bama over No. 4 UGA". www.secsports.com. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
11. "2019 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
12. "2019 SEC championship game -- date, time, odds, how to watch, picks". ESPN.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
13. "CBS posts their best CFB viewership in 29 years". Awful Announcing. December 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
14. Kelley, Kevin (December 3, 2019). "2019 SEC Championship Game: Matchup, tickets, time, and TV". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
15. "Burrow completes Heisman coronation, LSU routs Georgia 37-10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 7, 2019.
16. "Joe Burrow Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
17. "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2019". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
18. "Trevor Lawrence, Clemson rally to beat Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl 29-23 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
19. "Clemson vs LSU Football Game Summary - January 13th, 2020 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.

External links

• LSU Tigers football roster
• Georgia Bulldogs football roster