A week after winning at Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs rout LSU at the Georgia Dome. Up next: Sugar Bowl in Atlanta.
By Associated Press
Published December 4, 2005
ATLANTA - Georgia won at its home away from home for the second week in a row.
D.J. Shockley threw two touchdowns to Sean Bailey. Bryan McClendon set up another score with a blocked punt, and No.13 Georgia won its second SEC title in four seasons 34-14 over No.3 LSU on Saturday.
Cheered on at the supposedly neutral site (about 75 miles from Athens) by a crowd dressed largely in red and black, the Bulldogs earned the SEC's automatic berth in the Jan.2 Sugar Bowl.
Normally, that would mean a trip to New Orleans. But the Sugar Bowl shifted to the Georgia Dome because of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The Bulldogs were in Atlanta the previous week for a 14-7 victory over rival Georgia Tech. They were even more dominant at the Georgia Dome, defeating an LSU team that entered with faint hopes of playing for the national championship (which were dashed when Texas and Southern Cal won).
Georgia took control with two touchdowns during the first nine minutes and stunned LSU with five big plays, two on offense, two on defense and one on special teams, to avenge a 34-13 loss in the 2003 championship game.
Shockley, the quarterback who waited behind David Greene the past four years to get one season as the starter, threw a 45-yard scoring pass to Bailey 4:41 in. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, DeMario Minter intercepted JaMarcus Russell to give the ball back to the Bulldogs near midfield.
Shockley and Bailey hooked up again, this time for a 29-yard touchdown when safety LaRon Landry was late getting over in coverage. Bailey's two touchdown catches matched his production for the entire season.
LSU closed the gap to 14-7 early in the second quarter on Russell's 1-yard dive. But that was the Tigers' last hurrah.
McClendon charged through the line to block Chris Jackson's punt, giving Georgia another prime scoring chance at the LSU 15.
On third and 2, Shockley took off running when the pocket collapsed, breaking a tackle by Landry and leaving two other players splattered on the turf for a 7-yard touchdown.
That gave Georgia a 21-7 lead at halftime, a deficit that no team has overcome in the 14-year history of the championship game.
"This whole year has been reassuring that I did the right thing by staying here," Shockley said. "I wouldn't change anything about what I went through."
The Tigers totally fell apart in the third quarter. Landry was called for consecutive penalties on a drive that finished with the first of two field goals by Brandon Coutu.
Russell was knocked out of the game with about five minutes left in the quarter, going down hard on his left shoulder while being sacked by Jeff Owens.
At that point, LSU was about as low as it could go: its quarterback laid out on the field, the scoreboard showing fourth and 32 with Georgia leading 24-7.
Coutu kicked another field goal, tying a championship game record from 51 yards, and Matt Flynn took over at quarterback for the Tigers.
His second pass was picked off along the sideline by Tim Jennings, who scooted into the end zone from 15 yards to send most of the purple-and-gold contingent for the exits.
"We didn't play our best," first-year coach Les Miles said. "But this football team certainly did achieve to win the Western Division championship. We started this season in a very difficult situation, and the scenario changed each week."
