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WATCH: LSU special teams blunder gives Georgia 7-0 lead in SEC Championship game

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham12/03/22

AndrewEdGraham

On3 image
Tony Walsh/UGA Sports Communications

It was a 10-point swing all in one play. LSU, after trading scoreless drives with Georgia in the early phases of the SEC Championship Game, was lined up to kick a 32-yard field goal.

Then it was blocked by the Bulldogs before tumbling and nearly coming to rest down the field. As the LSU field goal unit started to wander toward the sideline and examine where the ball went, the Georgia field goal block unit ran to the ball and eventually defensive back Christopher Smith picked up the football and returned it to the house for a touchdown.

An incredibly heady move by the Georgia defender — and sure to leave Brian Kelly furious. In one play, what could’ve been 3-0 LSU was 7-0 Bulldogs.

The good news for LSU is on the ensuing drive, quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with star wideout Kayshon Boutte to tie the score, 7-7.

It would be the first of many unfortunate moments for LSU against Georgia

Sometimes teams create their own luck and Georgia certainly knows how. But the interception that gifted the Bulldogs a short field against LSU early in the second quarter of the SEC Championship Game was about as lucky as it gets.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels attempted to complete a fairly innocuous in-breaking look to receiver Jack Bech when the ball got tipped up as defender contested the catch. Bech fell down on his front side and the ball fell down and bounced right back up off the back of Bech’s helmet when it was tipped by Javon Bullard before Smael Mondon Jr. finally corralled it.

On the first play of the ensuing offensive drive, Georgia paid off the turnover to make it 21-7 when Stetson Bennett connected with Ladd McConkey for a touchdown.

It’s the latest indignity in a nightmare first half for LSU, one where the Bulldogs only possessed the ball for a matter of minutes and scored 21 points.