As Georgia prepares for its third straight SEC Championship appearance, players and coaches have made it clear that LSU will be their toughest challenge yet. Why?
Joe Burrow.
The Heisman Trophy favorite has put together a ridiculous season at the helm of the Tigers’ offense. Entering the SEC Championship, Burrow has thrown for 4,366 yards, 44 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He is second in the nation in passing yards and touchdowns to Anthony Gordon of Washington State.
Burrow leads the nation in completion percentage, sitting at a 78.3 percent clip. The LSU passing attack has been unstoppable this season, but now faces the number one defense in the nation on Saturday. What did Burrow have to say about his biggest test so far?
“They're one of the top two or three defenses in the country, giving up like nine or ten points a game, something crazy like that,” said Burrow. “They're just a super-solid defense all around. DBs are really good. They play sound in their scheme. You can tell they're coached very well. So it's going to be a tall task for us.”
While Georgia coaches and players are accustomed to playing in the SEC title game, Burrow is new to the big stage in Atlanta. Saturday will be his first conference championship, having never played in one for Ohio State. The senior quarterback doesn’t appear to be sweating it, claiming he’s been waiting for the moment.
“When I envision myself, I envision myself on a stage like this,” said Burrow. “I don't know if I envisioned myself in Louisiana at LSU, but this is what I've always dreamed of. It's never been my dream to play in the NFL. I wanted to play in games like this: SEC, Big Ten Championship games, and national title games.”
Although he hasn’t played in a game of this magnitude, barring the Tigers’ win at Alabama, Burrow has received endless praise from his Bulldog opponents.
“He’s ready. He’s league-ready,” said senior defensive tackle Michael Barnett. “He knows where he wants to go with the ball. He knows the scheme. He knows his wide-outs and where they’re going to be. He’s a really good quarterback.”
Freshman outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari was also complimentary of Burrow ahead of Saturday’s contest.
“He's so elusive. He doesn't go down easy,” said Ojulari. “He can throw those 50-50 balls. He's just a great quarterback overall. Heisman candidate. So a great quarterback.”
Head coach Kirby Smart wasn’t shy about the challenge that faces his defense. When asked if he relished the challenge as a defensive-minded head coach, Smart gave a candid response.
“I probably did until about yesterday afternoon. I started watching the tape, and then you realize there really aren't weaknesses,” said Smart. “You’ve got to play good football to win, period. I don't know that the adage defense wins championships stands as much as it used to.”
Nobody knows how Saturday’s contest will pan out, but one certainty is that Georgia’s defense doesn’t lack confidence in the midst of a battle with college football’s best quarterback.
“We're very confident,” said senior safety J.R. Reed. “Confidence is the key when you play DB. Coach Smart and Coach [Charlton] Warren have done a great job over the year to get these guys ready. We have some things we can adjust to, and we're going to run some different things and show those guys some different looks.”
