Georgia is back in the SEC Championship Game for the second consecutive year, but it won’t be a rematch of last year’s edition.
Instead of Alabama coming out of the SEC West, as most expected, LSU is making its first appearance since its national championship season in 2019.
The Tigers outperformed expectations in Brian Kelly’s first season, but they don’t come into this game with much momentum after an ugly loss to Texas A&M, which eliminated them from College Football Playoff contention. Georgia, with a powerful defense and an offense brimming with options, is favored by more than two touchdowns.
MORE: Watch LSU vs. Georgia live with fuboTV (free trial)
LSU will have its hands full with the Bulldogs’ dynamic running game just a week after allowing Aggies running back Devon Achane to rush for more than 200 yards.
Tigers QB Jayden Daniels, whose rushing ability has transformed LSU’s offense this season, will face a major challenge against one of the top run defenses in the nation.
Does LSU have what it takes to pull off the upset and knock the defending champs out of the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff?
MORE: Everything to know about College Football Playoff selection show
The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from LSU vs. Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Follow along for all the key moments.
LSU vs. Georgia score
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
LSU | 7 | 3 | 13 | – | – |
Georgia | 14 | 21 | 7 | – | – |
LSU vs. Georgia live updates, highlights from SEC championship game
(All times Eastern)
Georgia 42, LSU 23
7:01 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Noah Cain takes it in for the Tigers. LSU goes for two but can’t convert on a high pass by Nussmeier. The deficit is 19 late in the third quarter.
6:59 p.m. — LSU is down inside the 3-yard line looking to do what it couldn’t on the last drive and punch this one in.
6:58 p.m. — Josh Williams with a great run all the way into the red zone. He gets chased down but has LSU’s offense in business again.
Georgia 42, LSU 17
6:53 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — What a response by Georgia’s offense after the defense’s big stop. McIntosh runs it in for the touchdown to put the Bulldogs up by 25.
6:52 p.m. — Kendall Milton rips off a huge 51-yard run to put Georgia in the red zone. The Bulldogs are knocking on the door again.
6:49 p.m. — LSU nearly had the stop deep in Georgia territory, but Bennett finds Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint for a much-needed first down. The Bulldogs have room to work with now.
6:46 p.m. — Wow, Josh Williams comes up short on 4th & 1. That’s going to be tough to swallow for LSU after coming so close to making this a two-possession game. Georgia ball.
Jalen Carter just threw his man right out of the way to make the stop. pic.twitter.com/N9J0c2Rjwm
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 3, 2022
6:43 p.m. — Huge fourth down play coming up after Mason Taylor nearly muscles his way for the first. First, officials will review the spot.
6:41 p.m. — Nussmeier is letting it fly! He hits Nabers again, this time for a 59-yard gain. LSU is in the red zone and on the verge of making this a game.
Garrett Nussmeier ➡️ Malik Nabers for 59 yards! pic.twitter.com/Xj4PXL0iSP
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) December 3, 2022
6:37 p.m. — LSU forces a three-and-out and will have a chance to cut the deficit to two possessions. Georgia’s offense will need to start getting more aggressive if the Tigers come away with points here.
Georgia 35, LSU 17
6:32 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Nussmeier finds Malik Nabers for a much-needed 34-yard touchdown. That’ll at least give the Tigers some hope. 35-17, Georgia.
Garrett Nussmeier throws a bullet to Malik Nabers for a touchdown.🤯
LSU now trails UGA 17-35🏈pic.twitter.com/quI2ok9YXO
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 3, 2022
6:31 p.m. — Georgia’s Ladd McConkey is out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. Hopefully it’s just precautionary — he’s a big part of the Bulldogs offense.
6:30 p.m. — It’s Nussmeier, not Daniels, under center for LSU. Daniels didn’t look comfortable at the end of the first half as he battles an ankle injury.
6:27 p.m. FUMBLE — This time, LSU gets the turnover. A botched handoff is recovered by the Tigers defense at about their own 45-yard line. Now let’s see if Jayden Daniels is ready to go.
6:25 p.m. — Kenny McIntosh lost the football but was able to pick it back up. That would’ve been a nice boost for LSU.
6:22 p.m. — Georgia is running the ball well to open the half. That the Bulldogs can run the ball so well without anything close to a feature back is a testament to how great the system is.
6:21 p.m. — The second half is underway after Georgia received the opening kickoff. The Bulldogs are looking to bring the lead up to 32 points.
End of first half: Georgia 35, LSU 10
Georgia 35, LSU 10
5:54 p.m. FIELD GOAL — No drama on the field goal this time. LSU cuts the deficit to 25, saving face just a bit heading into halftime.
5:51 p.m. — LSU is passing its way into position for a field goal. It likely won’t mean anything in the end, but this is a valiant effort by the Tigers.
5:48 p.m. — Jayden Daniels is back in the game, at least for now. He’s still limping around. LSU has 32 seconds to work with.
Georgia 35, LSU 7
5:46 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Bennett finds Dillon Bell for another Georgia touchdown. Bennett has four touchdown passes, Georgia has 35 points, and this game is out of hand.
5:42 p.m. — Georgia gets the ball back and has plenty of time to add onto the lead here…
5:39 p.m. — Well, Daniels is in the medical tent after that sack. Garrett Nussmeier is under center for LSU down 28-7.
JALEN CARTER OH MY pic.twitter.com/awaoEo78T9
— Barstool UGA National Champions🏆 (@ugabarstool) December 3, 2022
5:37 p.m. — Jalen Carter comes in and lifts Daniels off the ground with one arm. That’s one way to get a sack. LSU is already facing 3rd & long.
Georgia 28, LSU 7
5:35 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — It was a very slow drive, but it did the job. Bennett finds Darnell Washington for his third touchdown pass of the day. Georgia is in full control.
5:31 p.m. — Stetson Bennett is 12-of-16 for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, all he needed to do was not hold the offense back. This year, he’s the centerpiece of the offense.
5:27 p.m. — Back-to-back first down throws by Bennett. Georgia is starting to move after a slow start to the drive.
5:25 p.m. — A roughing-the-passer penalty by LSU helps erase the damage done by a Georgia false start. Bulldogs still working in their own territory.
5:19 p.m. — Daniels throws deep on 3rd & 10 but can’t connect. The Tigers’ offense has tapered off after a hot start, and Georgia will have another chance to add to its lead.
5:13 p.m. — LSU’s defense rises up and forces a field goal, against all odds, and the kick hits the uprights. It’s still a two-possession game.
5:12 p.m. — Georgia is ripping off big gains now. A 17-yard pass to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is followed up by a 24-yard run for Kendall Milton. The Bulldogs are threatening to turn this into a rout.
5:10 p.m. — The Bulldogs are committing more to the run game now, running it on the first three plays of their latest drive. First down, Georgia.
5:07 p.m. — Georgia forces a quick three-and-out and will get the ball back. This has a chance to get out of hand quickly with nearly 14 minutes still left in the second quarter.
Georgia 21, LSU 7
5:01 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — That was quick! Bennett hits Ladd McConkey for a 22-yard score. It’s been weird, but Georgia is rolling.
1 pass, 1 score.
Bennett ➡️ McConkey as @GeorgiaFootball takes a 21-7 lead over No. 14 LSU 💪 pic.twitter.com/lM23wbPrah
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) December 3, 2022
4:59 p.m. INTERCEPTION — What was that?! Smael Mondon Jr. intercepts the ball after it deflects off of an LSU’s receiver’s helmet while he’s flat on the ground. Georgia football.
A ridiculous off-the-helmet interception for the Bulldogs ‼️ pic.twitter.com/TwzrudoXAD
— ClutchBet (@ClutchBetSB) December 3, 2022
End of first quarter: Georgia 14, LSU 7
4:55 p.m. — LSU’s offense has been terrific early on and needs another statement drive here. There’s virtually no room for error after, well, the error.
Georgia 14, LSU 7
4:52 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — That drive was all Brock Bowers. He catches a short pass from Bennett for the score after a penalty set up 1st & Goal.
Stetson Bennett IV tosses a strike to Brock Bowers to retake the lead in Atlanta💪🏿
UGA leads LSU 14-7 in the SEC Championship🏈pic.twitter.com/DDRmAHYK7M
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 3, 2022
4:49 p.m. — Bowers again! He takes it down to the 18-yard line. What a weapon for this Bulldogs offense.
4:48 p.m. — Stetson Bennett hits Brock Bowers to put Georgia near midfield. The offenses aren’t wasting time.
Georgia 7, LSU 7
4:45 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — How’s that for an answer? Kayshon Boutte catches the ball ahead of Georgia’s 40-yard line and runs it in beautifully for the touchdown. LSU’s offense looks better than expected so far.
KAYSHON BOUTTE IS GONE! TOUCHDOWN LSU. pic.twitter.com/sQbMK7MqtM
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 3, 2022
4:43 p.m. — Can LSU recover from such a demoralizing sequence of events? It felt like points were absolutely needed there with the state of Daniels’ ankle. The Tigers open their next drive with a first down.
4:40 p.m. — Georgia’s special teams outsmarted everyone. No other way to put it. Championship-caliber football.
Georgia 7, LSU 0
4:36 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Unreal! Georgia blocks LSU’s field goal attempt and makes little effort to recover the ball. The Tigers didn’t realize it was a live ball. That’s a 95-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs.
BLOCKED
and then…….
then….
TOUCHDOWN GEORGIA! pic.twitter.com/ZYQMLhMpGX
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 3, 2022
4:35 p.m. — That fizzled out quickly. Georgia gets to Daniels on 3rd & Goal for a big-time sack. LSU will have to settle for a field goal in a spot where a touchdown looked attainable.
4:34 p.m. — LSU is down near the 5-yard line after another nice throw by Daniels.
4:33 p.m. — Daniels looks like he aggravated his ankle injury… That will be worth monitoring, obviously. LSU still threatening for points here.
4:31 p.m. — Daniels is cooking early on. He throws a laser to Kyren Lacy for a 16-yard gain, and LSU is in field goal range.
4:30 p.m. — Big play by Malik Nabers, who takes a short pass 18 yards and into Georgia territory.
4:28 p.m. — Daniels has thrown the ball a pretty good amount early on, and it’s working fairly well. Back-to-back first downs for LSU.
4:21 p.m. — Wow, Georgia’s special teams comes in and rocks LSU’s returner on the punt. Tigers are lucky he held onto the ball.
4:20 p.m. — There’s the answer. Georgia goes three-and-out after Stetson Bennett sails a ball over a well-covered Kenny McIntosh. LSU will quickly get another chance.
4:16 p.m. — The Bulldogs force a pair of incompletions and will get their first crack on offense. Georgia has been prone to some slow offensive starts this year, so it’ll be interesting to see how efficient this group is out of the gate.
4:13 p.m. — Daniels passes for a first down to get the Tigers’ offense off to a solid start.
4:12 p.m. — LSU opens with the ball, so we’ll get an early look at Daniels against a tremendous Georgia run defense.
4:08 p.m. — Brian Kelly tells CBS that Jayden Daniels is ready to play and will play well.
4:05 p.m. — How about that timing? Kansas State edges out TCU in the Big 12 title game, and all eyes are now on the SEC.
4:01 p.m. — We’re getting close to kickoff, though the fanfare will delay it a bit past 4 p.m.
3:54 p.m. — Will we get the same madness here as the Big 12 is getting from Kansas State and TCU? The odds don’t see it that way, but championship weekend is prone to chaos.
3:37 p.m. — Great news for LSU ahead of the game, as Jayden Daniels is reportedly near full health after a couple of tough weeks. The Tigers will need his absolute best to hang with Georgia.
Sources: LSU QB Jayden Daniels is considered close to 100-percent and will be full go against UGA in SEC title game. He leads nation in runs over 10 yards for a QB (44) and he’s expected to have that burst today.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 3, 2022