Georgia vs. LSU: Who has the edge?

The 2022 SEC Championship game is this Saturday and for the fifth time in the past six seasons, Georgia is represented The East. LSU, for the second time in the past four seasons, is representing The West.

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 and are favored by three scores over the No. 14-ranked Tigers. The line opened at 16.5 but has since drifted upward to 17.5 points. We know which team is expected to win this game but, as we do every week, DawgsHQ is looking at this thing from every possible angle.

Scroll down as we examine five key areas of this game and we determine who has the edge.

When Georgia runs it…

The Bulldog rushing attack has trending upward as the season has gone on. It has led the way for the Georgia in the past two games with Kenny McIntosh piling up over 230 yards in his past eight quarters of action. Stacey Searels has his guys moving the line of scrimmage except for short-yardage.

LSU’s run defense is very much up and down. It has struggled with strong rushing attacks for the most part. It did a nice job with a potent Ole Miss attack a few weeks ago but Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Florida gashed the Tigers. Alabama had a lot of success as well but didn’t run it a lot. Edge: Georgia

When LSU runs it…

Jayden Daniels is LSU’s run game and we’re not 100 percent sure how healthy he is. Right now we have every reason to think that he’s going to play and that’s he’s going to be pretty healthy. We may get new information on that soon or he may look like a million bucks. Either way, he’s going to have to be effective for the Tigers to make this matchup close.

That’s because Georgia defends the run extremely well. Opposing running backs have really struggled against the Bulldogs this season. Rushing quarterbacks haven’t fared much better. Georgia hasn’t given up more than 140 yards rushing in a game this season and it has allowed over 100 yards just three times in 12 games. Edge: Georgia

When Georgia throws it…

The passing game has taken a backseat of late and who knows why. Maybe the staff is trying to limit Stetson Bennett’s exposure to hits. Maybe the Georgia signal caller is a little dinged up. Maybe Kirby Smart was trying to keep those games as short as possible. Whatever the reason, the Bulldogs haven’t been slinging it around much.

When they have, there hasn’t been any reason to regret it. Bennett is a 3,000-yard passer who has the ability and weapons to get after a pass defense that has struggled against Power Five competition. The Tigers are giving up 7.2 yards per attempt to the teams from the five power conferences. That’s good for 8th in the SEC and 49th nationally. Georgia should be able to take advantage. Edge: Georgia

When LSU throws it…

The Tigers just aren’t great at this. They aren’t bad. Jaylen Daniels is really cautious with the football and he can make things happen when he’s in rhythm. He can also extend plays. But the three and five-step drops aren’t great. He doesn’t make great used of his weapons outside.

Meanwhile Georgia has one of the nation’s top pass defenses. It has allowed just 5.4 yards per pass attempts to ranked teams this season. It has allowed just two passing touchdowns while picking off six passes. Edge: Georgia

Special Teams…

These two teams are pretty close and push in most areas. Georgia has a decided advantage in two areas — place-kicking and punt returns. The Bulldogs are rising up the charts as far as punt returns go and they’re really strong in the field goal and PAT department with Jack Podlesny handling things. LSU has struggled in both areas. The Tigers have some small but negligible edges in a couple of other special teams areas like punt return where Georgia is dead last in the SEC. But the Bulldogs rarely allow a return. Grade: Georgia

Georgia vs. LSU overall…

As we’ve said quite a few times this season — there’s a reason that Georgia is favored by three scores. The Bulldogs have a deeper team that has played more football together. They’re not really clicking on the offensive side right now but they also have some bullets to fire in that regard. Will this be the week that AD Mitchell is truly back? That could be a huge boost. Edge: Georgia