The Sugar Bowl Disappointment

By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Georgia Bulldogs didn’t get the SEC Championship win it was aiming for this season, but Georgia is the highest ranked two loss team and will make another trip to the Sugar Bowl.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way for the Bulldogs, a defensive minded team that believed they could control a high-powered LSU offense.

Instead, LSU had their way in Atlanta, running away with a convincing 37-10 victory.

Joe Burrow did it all in this game; throwing, running and even catching a pass. The entrenched force that was Georgia’s defense, which had only allowed more than 300 yards three times this season, was jumped by experience in LSU’s romp of 481 yards in total offense.

One play stuck out, Burrow’s 71-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. Burrow spoke about that play after the game. “It was all improvisation. Justin ran a six-yard hitch route and saw me scramble and Justin took off downfield.”

Joe Burrow picked apart the Georgia defense and the Bulldogs’ defensive backs looked lost. Georgia, who hasn’t played a quarterback close to Burrow’s stature this season, had their hopes on making the College Football Playoffs utterly crushed.

Go ahead and give Joe Burrow the Heisman. Burrow’s stats from the SEC Title Game were 347 yards passing, 4 touchdown passes, 46 yards rushing and 16 yards receiving (a pass from himself).

You do have to feel for Kirby Smart though, eight players left the game with injuries. Some returned and some were significantly hurt like Jake Fromm. Defensive back Tyrique Stevenson and wide receiver Dominick Blaylock were also carted off the field with leg injuries.

D’Andre Swift said, “We lost last year. We lost this year. They have to do a better job finishing in the future.”

Bulldog Nation, please step away from the ledge! Georgia’s future is still very bright with Kirby Smart at the helm. Smart is one of the top recruiters in the country and Georgia will have another top five recruiting class in 2020. The program is still looking upward, despite these downward turns on the roster.

Georgia fans, Kirby Smart is not Mark Richt or Nick Saban. Kirby won the SEC East, beat Florida (again) and is heading to the Sugar Bowl.

This is one of the marquee bowl games in college football and it gives Georgia a chance to right their wrongs against Baylor. Let’s hope the Bulldogs have a better showing than last year’s 28-21 loss to Texas.

For the second straight year, the Bulldogs are not playing in the College Football Playoffs. I ask my Bulldogs Fans, is this season a disappointment?