SEC Championship: Predicting the Breakout Performers for the Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are back in the SEC Championship for a third straight season, placing them 3rd in the conference for most appearances in the title game - behind only Florida and Alabama - with seven trips to the big one.
LSU is the prohibitive favorite in the football game, and most of the nation (including a portion of UGA fans) give Georgia little to no shot to win.
If Georgia's going to come out victorious in Saturday's game and defy all the doubters, it's going to take a handful of breakout performances. Here are our predictions for who will do just that.
Brent Wilson - WR, Dominick Blaylock
With Georgia being short-staffed at receiver, at least until the 2nd half, the easy pick for a breakout player is at wide receiver. There’s a couple of names to pick here, but I think Dominick Blaylock will step up in the light of the SEC Championship. Down Lawrence Cager and George Pickens, Blaylock is likely the most talented receiver left. And while he’s only a freshman, he’s become a huge target for Jake Fromm, catching 17 passes for 299 yards on the year. Look for the Fromm to Blaylock connection multiple times this Saturday.
Safety, J.R. Reed
Brooks Austin - Saftey, J.R. Reed
Since his arrival on campus after transferring from Tulsa, J.R. Reed has done nothing but defy expectations. He's beaten out a handful of highly touted players at the safety position and has been the leader of Georgia's back end for well over two years now. Reed told me Monday that "We have some things that we can adjust to, and we're going to run some different things and show those guys some different looks," and quite frankly I can't wait to see what kind of complex coverage Kirby Smart and Dan Lanning have entrusted Reed and his fellow DB's with.
Look for Reed to make a huge play in a pivotal moment, similar to the way he swung the momentum of the game against Notre Dame.
Matt Klug - WR, Matt Landers
With the absence of Lawrence Cager and the first-half absence of George Pickens, someone out wide HAS to step up for the Dawgs. Matt Landers has caught some heat this season from Georgia fans, and Saturday is his perfect opportunity to prove to the world that he has what it takes. With only 7 catches on the year, LSU doesn’t have a ton of film on Landers, making him somewhat of a secret weapon. On top of this, as Tyler Simmons said this week, the Georgia offense has an abundance of plays that they have not shown this season. Could #5 be the beneficiary of these secret plays? Watch out for Matt Landers to step up and have a big day on Saturday.
