2019 SEC Championship Game

Last updated

2019 SEC Championship Game
Conference Championship
2019 SEC Championship Game logo.png
Georgia Bulldogs LSU Tigers
(11–1)(12–0)
1037
Head coach: 
Kirby Smart 		Head coach: 
Ed Orgeron
AP Coaches CFP
444
AP Coaches CFP
112
1234Total
Georgia030710
LSU14317337
DateDecember 7, 2019
Season 2019
Stadium Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location Atlanta, Georgia
MVP Joe Burrow (QB, LSU)
Favorite LSU by 7 [1]
Referee James Carter
Attendance74,150
United States TV coverage
Network CBS
Announcers Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color commentator), Jamie Erdahl (sideline reporter) & Gene Steratore (rules analyst) (CBS)
Ryan Radtke, Derek Rackley and Olivia Harlan (Westwood One)
Dave Neal, David Archer and Stephen Hartzell (SEC Radio)
SEC Championship Game
 < 2018   2020 > 

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 their second consecutive Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Contents

Pre-game buildup

2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
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 champion
  • ^ – 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 (34–13). 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 (42–10). [5]

Matchups

LSU

LSU finished their 2018 season with a Fiesta Bowl win over #8 UCF, marking their first New Year's Six bowl appearance since the creation of the College Football Playoff (CFP). [6] In 2019, LSU earned their spot in the SEC Championship Game by winning all twelve games of the regular season, beating nationally ranked opponents such as #7 Florida, #9 Auburn and former #3 Alabama. [7] Averaging 560.4 total offensive yards and 48.7 points per game leading up to the SEC Championship Game, LSU's offense was labeled by many outlets as the country's top offense. [8] Helping Joe Burrow on the offense was junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who scored 16 touchdowns and ran for 1,233 yards during the regular season. 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 #4 Georgia Bulldogs ended the previous season with a loss the 2018 SEC Championship Game to the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide led by backup quarterback Jalen Hurts, making it Georgia's second consecutive post-season loss to a 2nd-string Alabama quarterback. [10] In 2019, Georgia earned a bid to play in the SEC Championship Game after starting with a five-game winning streak, including a victory over #7 Notre Dame. Their only loss in the regular season came in double-overtime to SEC East opponent South Carolina. [11] Throughout the regular season, Georgia's offense averaged 32.9 points and 420.6 yards per game. Georgia was strongest on defense, leading the SEC in scoring, run, and total defense, allowing only 257 yards on average. [12]

Game summary

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Mercedes Benz Stadium time lapse capture 2017-08-13.jpg
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 28th edition of the SEC Championship Game kicked off 4:00pm ET on December 7, 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 that 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.

2019 SEC Championship Game
Period1234Total
No. 4 Georgia030710
No. 2 LSU14317337

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

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 teams went 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 13, 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LSU Tigers football</span> Collegiate football team representing Louisiana State University

The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas–LSU football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Arkansas–LSU football rivalry, formally known as the Battle for the Boot but more recently sometimes informally called the Battle for the Golden Boot, is an American college football rivalry between the Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas and Tigers of Louisiana State University. The first game between the Razorbacks and Tigers was played in 1901. With the admission of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1992, the rivalry became an annual game between these members of the SEC Western Division. "The Boot" trophy was first awarded to the game's winner in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 LSU Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2007 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship and the national championship–their third claimed national championship and fourth recognized by the NCAA and the college football community. It was the team’s second national championship in five years and first consensus national championship since 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama–LSU football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Alabama–LSU football rivalry, also known as the "First Saturday in November" and the "Saban Bowl", is an American college football rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the LSU Tigers football team of Louisiana State University. Both schools are charter members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and both universities' sports teams have competed in the SEC's West Division since the conference was split into two divisions in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team</span> American college football season

The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 114th overall season, 75th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 17th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his second year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Auburn Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2010 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers, led by second-year head coach Gene Chizik were members of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium. The Tigers completed a 12–0 regular season record and defeated South Carolina in the 2010 SEC Championship Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Clemson Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2011 Clemson Tigers football team represents Clemson University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his third full year and fourth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, known as "Death Valley". They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a college football bowl game held on December 31, 2012, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 45th edition of the game known throughout most of its history as the Peach Bowl. The game began at 7:30 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It featured the LSU Tigers from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Clemson Tigers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Both Tigers accepted an invitation to the game after achieving a 10–2 regular season record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Sugar Bowl</span> College football game

The 2015 Sugar Bowl was a college football game that was played on January 1, 2015 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the 81st Sugar Bowl, and a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Allstate insurance company, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 College Football Playoff National Championship</span> College football game

The 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 8, 2018, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and was televised nationally by ESPN. The fourth College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2017 season. It was the final game of the 2017-18 College Football Playoff (CFP) and, aside from the all star games following this, was the cumulating game of the 2017-18 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 College Football Playoff National Championship</span> College football championship game

The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 13, 2020, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The sixth College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2019 season. The game began at 8:00 p.m. EST and was televised by ESPN. It was the final game of the 2019–20 College Football Playoff and, aside from the all-star games that followed, was the culminating game of the 2019–20 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Auburn Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Gus Malzahn. Auburn finished the season 10–4 overall and 7–1 in SEC play to win a share of the Western Division title with Alabama. Due to their head-to-head win over Alabama, they represented the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game where they lost to Georgia. They were invited to the Peach Bowl, where they lost to American Athletic Conference champion UCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This season marked the Crimson Tide's 123rd overall season, its 84th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 26th within the SEC Western Division. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and were led by eleventh-year head coach Nick Saban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 SEC Championship Game</span> College football game

The 2017 SEC Championship Game was played on December 2, 2017, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and determined the 2017 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the first SEC Conference football championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game featured the Eastern Division Champion, Georgia Bulldogs against the Western Division Co-Champion, the Auburn Tigers. This championship game marked the first time Auburn and Georgia had rematched each other in the same year, with the previous iteration having been played on November 11, 2017. In the earlier game, Auburn beat Georgia by a score of 40–17. In this rematch, Georgia won the SEC Championship by beating Auburn 28–7. This was also the first SEC Championship Game with new SEC on CBS announcer Brad Nessler replacing Verne Lundquist, who retired in 2016. The game was televised nationally by CBS.

The 2019 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2019. It was the 48th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, and was one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by Sony Interactive Entertainment via its PlayStation brand, the game was officially known as the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Burrow</span> American football player (born 1996)

Joseph Lee Burrow is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and LSU Tigers. As a senior at LSU in 2020, Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and the College Football Playoff National Championship. He was selected by the Bengals first overall in the 2020 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 LSU Tigers football team</span> Louisiana State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2019 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) where they were led by their third-year head coach Ed Orgeron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 150th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 24, 2019, and ended on December 14, 2019. The postseason concluded on January 13, 2020, with the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The LSU Tigers defeated the defending champion Clemson Tigers by a score of 42–25 to claim their first national championship in the College Football Playoff (CFP) era, and fourth overall. It was the sixth season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system.

The 2019 Peach Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 52nd edition of the Peach Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. The Peach Bowl was one of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, which pitted the two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee—Oklahoma of the Big 12, and LSU from the SEC, with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Fiesta Bowl in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. LSU dominated Oklahoma, with the score 49-14 at the half. They won, 63-28, in the first CFP game to have a team score 60+ points. Sponsored by restaurant chain Chick-fil-A, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 LSU vs. Alabama football game</span> American college football game

The 2019 LSU vs. Alabama football game was a regular-season college football game between the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide on November 9, 2019, at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game is considered a "Game of the Century", as it pitted the two top-ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, and it was the first such regular-season game since the 2011 LSU vs. Alabama game. Both teams entered the game undefeated and tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference's West Division.

References

  1. ↑ "Georgia vs. LSU - Game Summary - December 7, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN. 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. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ "2019 SEC championship game -- date, time, odds, how to watch, picks". ESPN. 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. 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. 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. Associated Press. December 7, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Joe Burrow Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "Clemson vs LSU Football Game Summary - January 13th, 2020 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.