Joe Burrow Throws Four TDs as LSU Routs Georgia in SEC Title Game
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 LSU beat No. 4 Georgia 37–10 to win the SEC championship title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and make its case for the No. 1 spot in the playoff rankings on Saturday night.
Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow put on quite a show to make his final statement before next week's Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York. Burrow, the Heisman frontrunner, quickly got to work by setting an SEC single-season record with his 45th touchdown pass. Missouri QB Drew Lock set the previous record (44) in 2017.
With Burrow's pass to Ja'Marr Chase, LSU took an early 7–0 lead over Georgia with 9:09 remaining in the first quarter and remained dominant throughout the game.
Georgia's only score of the first half came when Rodrigo Blankenship's 39-yard field goal early in the second quarter barely put a dent in the Tigers' 14–3 lead. Blankenship struggled throughout the night and missed a field goal late in the first quarter and again in the third.
The Bulldogs suffered a scare halfway through the second quarter when quarterback Jake Fromm was sacked by Grant Delpit and limped off the field. Fromm entered the medical tent as backup Stetson Bennett IV came in to throw an incomplete pass on third-and-17 to end Georgia's six-play drive. On the Bulldogs' next possession, Fromm returned to with his ankle heavily taped to hit two big completions totaling almost 40 yards before throwing a pick.
LSU entered halftime up 17–3, and Burrow continued to make his case for the Heisman in the second half. Late in the third quarter on first-and-10, he evaded defenders and connected with Justin Jefferson on a 71-yard pass to set up his touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall Jr. two plays later. The Bulldogs' offensive woes continued when Fromm was intercepted for the second time on Georgia's 25 on their next possession. Burrow set up his fourth touchdown with a one-yard run on second-and-six before throwing a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson.
Georgia added its first and only touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter to trail LSU 34–10.
Burow finished the SEC title game going 28-for-38 with 349 yards and four touchdowns. Fromm went 20-of-42 with 225 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
With the loss, the Bulldogs will fall out of the top four College Football Playoff rankings. The Tigers improved to 13–0 and will find out on Sunday who they will face in the Dec. 28 CFP semifinals.
