Georgia all but locked up the SEC-East and a spot in the SEC Championship Game with their win over LSU today. The #9 Bulldogs beat the #6 Tigers at Sanford Stadium in Athens in a thriller, winning 44-41. The Georgia fans who were calling for coach Mark Richt’s head after their loss to the #3 Clemson Tigers have officially been silenced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy0OEeWBlOA
Georgia senior quarterback Aaron Murray faced off against LSU senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who just happens to be Murray’s former teammate and competitor at UGA. Mettenberger was dismissed from UGA in 2010 after pleading guilty to sexual battery charges, only to end up at LSU in 2011.
”It’s going to be weird to see him on the other sideline wearing an LSU uniform,” Murray said. Mettenberger felt the pressure as well and said, “There’s just so much put into this game that has nothing with the game.” Both quarterbacks had solid games today. Murray completed 20 of 34 passes for 298 yards and had 4 touchdowns, and Mettenberger was 23-37 for 372 yards and had 3 touchdown passes.
Georgia was able to get a lead in the second quarter, which the Bulldogs held onto until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The Tigers put up their final score with four minutes remaining in the fourth, giving them a four-point lead. Georgia answered back, however, and scored a touchdown with just under two minutes left in the game. LSU had a chance to either win or tie, but their offense stalled at midfield.
Sometimes the score doesn’t always paint a good picture stats-wise, but that wasn’t the case today. Both the Georgia and LSU offenses had 400-plus yard games. Georgia narrowly edged out LSU with 494 yards to LSU’s 449 yards. Both teams had one turnover each and even the penalty yards were close, with LSU getting penalized 40 yards to Georgia’s 35.
Looking at the rest of Georgia’s schedule, they shouldn’t have much of a problem holding onto the SEC East. After getting past the Gamecocks and LSU, the Bulldogs’ toughest conference game remaining is against Florida in November, which will likely decide the East. Otherwise, the Bulldogs face the likes of Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee.