Fans of the underdog have Georgia on Their Minds

When the No. 1-ranked, 12-0 LSU Tigers take on the No. 12-ranked, 10-2 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Dec. 3 in the SEC Championship Game, you can be certain there will be a song running through the minds of a lot of people. That composition, written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and made famous by legendary soul musician Ray Charles, is none other than his rendition of "Georgia On My Mind," and is a piece that spells out exactly what LSU's head coach Les Miles is certainly hoping is on his players' minds.

Miles has to hope his team isn't looking past the Bulldogs to the BCS title game they're almost certain to play in—regardless of the outcome of this contest—and are focused solely on the opponent that's in front of them this week: Georgia. That's because despite the fact the Tigers have a much better running game than the Bulldogs, as well as more playmakers and depth, their defense is only a little superior, in my view, despite being ranked No. 2 in the nation. If there's one way Georgia could come out on top of this matchup and stun the nation with an upset of LSU, it would be by having its defense—which is very, very good and ranked No. 5 in the nation—find a way to shut down the Tigers' offense. That is, of course, a very tall order, but can be done if all goes well. The Bulldogs would have to play some of the best run-stuffing defense they've played all year in order to contain the Tigers' impressive tandem of running backs, Michael Ford and Spencer Ware. That's not as far-fetched a proposition as many LSU fans probably would like to think, and Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones aims to prove that.

"Everybody praises LSU's defense, but I know we've got a pretty good defense," Jones said. "We're not cocky at all. We're just going to play. We do our job and get out on the field. We like having fun. We love playing football. We're aggressive. We play just as well as them."

From what I've seen this year in Bulldogs games I've watched, Jones isn't just whistlin' Dixie, either. Jones went on to throw down the gauntlet further though, by saying:

"A lot of people don't give us credit of how they play and how we play. I think we play two different styles. I think our defense is just as good as theirs, if not better."

He and his teammates will have the opportunity to prove that on Saturday, and if they are able to stuff the run against the Tigers, while also containing LSU QB Jordan Jefferson and WR Rueben Randle, they could just find themselves with the bragging rights in the SEC. That won't be easy, though, as the junior wideout Randle showed in having a career-high nine catches and 134 yards in the Tigers' 41-17 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, Nov. 25 at home that wrapped up the SEC West division for LSU.

Beyond defense, the Bulldogs' offense would also have to perform well, and be clutch when it counts. Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is leading the SEC in passing efficiency, and if he is able to handle the pressure he'll surely face from the Tigers defense and get the ball to the many weapons he has available, such as TE Orson Charles and wideouts Malcolm Mitchell and Tavarres King, we could just have a game for the ages.

by D. Barber