UGA and LSU have top defenses, solid offenses in second meeting of season.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published December 6, 2003
When he walked off the field in late September, feeling the misery of a last-minute 17-10 loss to LSU, Georgia All-America defensive end David Pollack had all kinds of thoughts running through his head.
Among them: If only the Bulldogs could get another shot at LSU somewhere down the road.
Wish granted.
Tonight in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome, No. 5 Georgia faces No. 3 LSU for the SEC championship, the right to play in a BCS bowl and a chance to redeem that early season loss. It is the first time two Top 5 teams have met in the championship game.
Rarely does life afford second chances. Pollack and the Bulldogs are aware of that. They don't want to let the opportunity go to waste.
"It's going to be great," Pollack said. "We got a chance to play a team that beat us already. We know what to expect coming in. We made a lot of mistakes last game. They're a team that's riding high. They've got national championship hopes and we get to come in and play and defend our SEC title."
"You usually don't get another shot," quarterback David Greene said. "We know we had enough opportunity to win the first one, but we don't think this is a chance to get back at them. We think this is a chance to win the SEC. That's so much bigger than our loss earlier."
It took the entire regular season and a tiebreaker to decide who would play for the title, but each is well-qualified.
Georgia (10-2) is the defending SEC champion, while LSU (11-1) is making its second trip to the championship game in the past three years. The Tigers upset Tennessee 31-20 in 2001 to win the title.
Tonight's game features two of the nation's best defenses against two of the SEC's most successful quarterbacks - Greene and LSU's Matt Mauck.
"Both teams and both units are a lot better than when we first played," Mauck said. "Offensively, we feel more confident. We feel pretty good about where we are right now. I know Georgia probably thinks the exact same thing about their defense."
Despite all the hype surrounding Mississippi's Eli Manning, Mauck leads the SEC and is No. 13 in the nation in passing efficiency (153.9). The MVP of the 2001 SEC Championship Game, Mauck has thrown for 2,550 yards this season and is tied with Manning for a league-leading 27 touchdown passes. Greene is a Maxwell Award semifinalist who has thrown 2,781 yards and nine touchdowns. "Both guys are smart at their position and do a lot to help their offenses," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "Both systems put a lot on the quarterback to handle things the defense is doing. In that regard, both guys are probably really strong because of their intelligence and understanding of football and their game management ability. (Mauck's) development has been a key to our success. I think both those guys have done an outstanding job this year for their particular team."
Led by defensive tackle Chad Lavalais, LSU is ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense, allowing just 260.4 yards per game. The Tigers lead the SEC in rushing defense, allowing 69.7 per game.
"We try to take something away from every opposing offense," said Lavalais, who has 51 tackles (30 solo) and six sacks. "Against Georgia, we had that game plan. We just try to take one phase of our opponent's scheme away."
Georgia is returning to the championship game despite a rash of injuries to key players. Defensive end Will Thompson was lost for the year before the season started, safety Kentrell Curry played only two series all season, tailback Tony Milton sustained a season-ending leg injury and cornerback Decory Bryant's career may have ended after neck surgery. Ten other starters have missed at least one game because of injury.
Still, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense, allowing 261.9 yards per game. Pollack anchors that unit and inevitably draws comparisons between him and Lavalais.
"Chad is an awful lot like David to me - an extremely hard-nosed football player who plays with the type of intensity that makes him a champion," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "They're just really big men. These guys are big and strong, and they do a great job of stuffing the run and defending the passer. They're a big force in the game."
For LSU, a potential shot at the national title is on the line. The Tigers are No. 3 in the BCS standings behind USC. The Tigers' lone loss came to Florida; the Gators also defeated Georgia. With a win over Georgia, a slight chance remains that LSU could pass USC.
But Saban said the Tigers are only focused on the league title tonight.
"We have a system in place that determines who the two best teams are," he said. "We did the best we could in the games we had. Everybody could come up with quirks in the system, but it's the system we have. It certainly won't make any difference if we don't play our best football."
