| 2019 SEC Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 7, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Joe Burrow (QB, LSU) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 analyst) (CBS) Ryan Radtke,Derek Rackley andOlivia Harlan (Westwood One) Dave Neal, David Archer and Stephen Hartzell (SEC Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4Georgia x | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6Florida | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1LSU x$#^ | 8 | – | 0 | 15 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8Alabama | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14Auburn | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2019 SEC Championship Game was acollege football game played on Saturday, December 7, 2019, atMercedes-Benz Stadium inAtlanta. The game determined the2019 champion of theSoutheastern Conference (SEC).[2] The game featured the East division championsthe University of Georgia Bulldogs (Georgia) and the West division championsthe Louisiana State University Tigers (LSU). Beginning in1992, this served as the conference's 28th annual championship game. After a dominating performance by transfer quarterbackJoe 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 consecutiveAllstate Sugar Bowl.
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 quarterbackJake 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 in2003 where LSU came on top (34–13). In2005, Georgia's only win of the 3 (34–14) and then once again in2011 where LSU once again came out on top (42–10).[5]
LSU finished their 2018 season with aFiesta Bowl win over #8UCF, marking their first New Year's Six bowl appearance since the creation of theCollege 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 #7Florida, #9Auburn 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 backClyde 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 sophomoreJa'Marr Chase, who led the nation in yards with 1,780, and juniorJustin Jefferson, who tied for number one in receptions with 111.[9]
The #4 Georgia Bulldogs ended theprevious season with a loss the2018 SEC Championship Game to the#1 Alabama Crimson Tide led by backup quarterbackJalen 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 #7Notre Dame. Their only loss in the regular season came in double-overtime to SEC East opponentSouth 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]^^
The 28th edition of the SEC Championship Game kicked off 4:00pm ET on December 7, 2019. Televised onCBS in the United States, the game earned aNielsen rating of 7.9.[13]Brad Nessler,Gary Danielson,Jamie Erdahl, andGene Steratore were the crew of broadcaster's for the game.[14] The game was played indoors atMercedes 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 twotouchdowns in the first quarter and both teams settled for afield goal each in the second. The second half showcased two more touchdown passes from Burrow and one touchdown for Georgia in the fourth quarter.
Georgia received the opening kick-off fromAvery 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 fromJoe Burrow toJa'Marr Chase. After both teams punted on their next drive, Georgia had an opportunity to score late in the first quarter, butRodrigo Blankenship's 52-yard field goal attempt was no good. On the next drive, LSU scored again, this time on a pass from Burrow toTerrance Marshall Jr.
Early in the second quarter, Georgia got on the board with a 39-yard field goal by Blankenship. LSU'sCade 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.
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 quarterbackJake Fromm was intercepted by LSU'sDerek Stingley Jr. on the first play of their next possession, after which the Tigers scored via an eight-yard pass from Burrow toJustin Jefferson to make the score 34–3 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Georgia scored their only touchdown on the day via a two-yard pass from Fromm toGeorge Pickens, and LSU added a 50-yard field goal by York to make the final score 37–10.
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| No. 4 Georgia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 2 LSU | 14 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 37 |
atMercedes-Benz Stadium •Atlanta, Georgia
| Game information |
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LSU quarterbackJoe Burrow threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, and was named game MVP.[15] After a season of strong performances, Joe Burrow won the2019 Heisman Trophy overOklahoma's Jalen Hurts andOhio State'sJustin Fields. Burrow finished the season with 76.3 completion percentage, 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.[16]
LSU, ranked second in theCollege 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 againstUniversity of Oklahoma in thePeach 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 theSugar Bowl againstBaylor. Both teams went on to win their individual bowl games and LSU moved onto theNational Championship Game to playClemson.[17]
After winning both the SEC conference championship and CFP semifinals, LSU earned a spot in theCFP 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] Thenational 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]
