The Georgia Bulldogs face their biggest test yet in the 2018 season as they go to Death Valley for a top-15 matchup with the LSU Tigers.
Entering last week, it appeared that the SEC would offer a top-five showdown between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers in Week 7 of the 2018 season. However, that wasn’t to come to pass as the latter suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Florida, last week. That may offer added motivation for the Tigers on Saturday, though, as they welcome the still-unbeaten and second-ranked Bulldogs to Death Valley.
Despite the loss last week, we’ve seen highly promising signs from LSU to this point in the season. With Joe Burrow’s arrival, this team finally has a quarterback at their disposal that’s worth their salt. The offense for the Tigers has shown more life through the first six weeks than it arguably had in any season in recent memory.
Accompanying the improved offense of Ed Orgeron’s squad is a defense littered with NFL talent. Greedy Williams at cornerback, Grant Delpit at safety and Devin White at linebacker comprise a group of playmakers that can break a game open at any single point of a game. That’s something that Kirby Smart is surely aware of.
What Smart and Georgia can take from LSU being knocked off last week is that their defense is talented, but not impenetrable. With a balanced attack that features Jake Fromm throwing to a litany of playmakers and a running back group led by stars like Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift, the Bulldogs can beat any defense in any way that they are given to exploit weaknesses.
The key for the Bulldogs, however, is with their defense. The group led by Deandre Baker has talent undeniably, but they have been inconsistent at times, particularly in regards to their pass rush. For them to get a hold on this game, they must deliver a performance on defense that allows their offense to control the game, not just to try and keep pace.
TV and Game Info
Date: Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Stadium: Tiger Stadium (Death Valley)
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBS All-Access, FuboTV
On the road against an LSU team coming off a loss, seeing the Bulldogs favored isn’t surprising. However, they opened as favorites by a full touchdown and that has since gone up by a point. That’s worth noting as the Dawgs aim to stay unbeaten on the 2018 season.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Georgia -8
Moneyline: Georgia -310, LSU +255
Over/Under: 50.5
Prediction
What we saw from the Tigers last week is that they are better than they have been in recent years, but still not without flaws. Their offense has a ceiling, even with Burrow, and their defense can’t be perfect at all times. Coming up against Fromm and this UGA offense and a defense that has shown flashes of high-quality play, I don’t think that LSU has enough in the tank to keep up with the second-ranked team in the country.
Final Score: Georgia Bulldogs 31, LSU Tigers 16