2005 SEC Championship Game Saturday, December 3, 2005 Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA 6:00 p.m. ET
THE TEAMS: Georgia (9-2, 6-2) is the Eastern Division Champion and will be the visiting team. LSU (10-1, 7-1) is the Western Division Co-Champion, along with Auburn (9-2, 7-1), and the divisional representative to the SEC Championship Game based on its 20-17 overtime win over Auburn on Oct. 22. LSU will be the home team.
TELEVISION: CBS Sports will televise the game nationally for the first time (VERNE LUNDQUIST: Play-by-Play; TODD BLACKLEDGE: Analyst; TRACY WOLFSON: Sidelines).
RADIO: Managed by Host Communications, the SEC Radio Network will broadcast the game to the 9-state SEC region (DAVE NEAL, Play-by-Play; JEFF VAN NOTE, Analyst; DAVE BAKER, Sidelines). Westwood One Radio Sports will broadcast the game around the nation (JOHN CASTLEBERRY, Play-by-Play; JEFF BOSTIC, Analyst).
SERIES: LSU leads, 14-10-1 This will mark the fourth meeting of the two teams in the last three seasons ... In the last meeting, the Tigers defeated Georgia, 45-16, on Oct. 2, 2004 in Athens ... The teams have met once in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta .... In 2003, LSU defeated the Bulldogs, 34-13, at the Georgia Dome ... Earlier that season, LSU defeated Georgia, 17-10, on Oct. 20 in Baton Rouge ... 11 of the 25 previous meetings have been decided by 7-points-or-less ... Prior to 2003, teams had not met on the gridiron since 1999, when Georgia claimed a 23-22 win in Athens ... In games played in Baton Rouge, LSU leads, 5-4-1 ... Series is tied, 6-6, in games played in Athens and LSU has won all three neutral site contests ... This will mark just the 13th meeting of the two teams in the last 51 seasons ... Teams represent the winningest programs in the SEC since 2000 ... The Bulldogs are 59-16 (.787) and the Tigers are 58-17 (.773) ... The next team is three games behind (Auburn, 55-20) ... Teams represent three of the last four SEC Champions (2001-LSU, 2002-Georgia, 2003-LSU).
LAST MEETING: Georgia, 45-16 (Oct. 2, 2004 in Athens) Georgia QB David Greene threw for a school-record five touchdown passes as the Bulldogs defeated LSU, 45-16, in Athens ... The Bulldogs scored the game's first 24 points and led, 24-10, at halftime ... Greene threw three TD strikes in the first half - two to Reggie Brown (25 and 29 yards) and one to Fred Gibson (two yards) ... LSU got on the scoreboard with 1:23 left in the half on an 18-yard TD pass from JaMarcus Russell to Dwayne Bowe ... In the second half, Georgia scored 21 unanswered points on Greene TD passes to Gibson (24 yards) and Sean Bailey (21 yards) and Thomas Brown's 1-yard run ... LSU added a late touchdown to make final margin, 45-16 ... Greene was 10-of-19 for 172 yards while Russell was 9-of-17 for 131 yards and a TD for the Tigers ... Georgia sacked LSU quarterbacks five times, forcing four fumbles and recovering three ... LSU was limited to just 67 rushing yards (29 attempts) by Georgia while the Bulldogs ran for 221 and passed for 209 for 430 total yards.
GEORGIA (9-2, 6-2 SEC) Head Coach: Mark Richt (Miami, Fla., '82) Overall/Yrs: 51-12 (.810) / 5th Season UGA/Yrs: 51-12 (.810) / 5th Season SEC Championship Games: 1-1 (.500) National Rankings: 13th - AP / 13th - USA Today / 12th - Harris / 13th - BCS Formations: Offense - Pro-Style * Defense - 4-3 Multiple Internet Web Address: www.georgiadogs.com
Key Players
QB D.J Shockley (6-1, 206, Sr., College Park, Ga.) Leads the SEC and rated 17th in the nation in passing efficiency with a 145.06 rating ... Has completed 147-of-265 passes for 2,199 yards with 19 TDs and 5 INTs ... Injured in first half against Arkansas and missed Florida contest ... Since returning to lineup, has completed 52-of-101 passes for 661 yards with 7 TDs and 1 INT ... Owns 9-1 record as a starter ... Finalist for Unitas Award, Semi-finalist for Maxwell Award.
TE Leonard Pope (6-7, 250, Jr., Americus, Ga.) Leads all SEC tight ends in receptions per game (3.2) and receiving yards per game (47.4) ... Has 32 catches for 474 yards and 3 TDs ... Has started every game this season except UL-Monroe ... Grabbed career-high eight catches for 102 yards against Auburn ... Named to Mackey Award Watch List.
DE Quentin Moses (6-5, 248, Jr., Athens, Ga.) Has 37 total tackles (29 solos) in 11 games ... Second in the SEC in sacks with 10 (-84 yards) and tackles for losses with 17.5 (-111 yards) ... Has been the SEC Defensive Lineman of the week twice in 2005 (Miss. State & Vanderbilt) ... In last outing, logged five total tackles (all solos) with two for losses (-13), including a 10-yard sack.
SAF Greg Blue (6-2, 214, Sr., College Park, Ga.) Leads Bulldogs with 82 total tackles (59 solos) and is also second among SEC defensive backs ... Has two interceptions and five pass deflections this season ... Also has 4.5 tackles for losses (-14 yards), a forced fumble and a caused fumble ... Logged 80 total tackles last season ... Has 26 career starts, including the last 24 games ... Had 14 tackles this season against Tennessee and had five stops, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery last week against Georgia Tech.
LSU (10-1, 7-1 SEC) Head Coach: Les Miles (Michigan, '76) Overall/Yrs: 38-22 (.633) / 5th Season LSU/Yrs: 10-1 (.909) / 1st Season SEC Championship Games: First Appearance National Rankings: 3rd - AP / 3rd - USA Today / 4th - Harris / 4th - BCS Formations: Offense - Multiple * Defense - 4-3 Internet Web Address: www.lsusports.net
QB JaMarcus Russell (6-5, 248, So., Mobile, Ala.) Second in the SEC in passing efficiency with a 138.79 rating ... Has completed 176-of-291 passs for 2,314 yards with 15 TDs and 8 INTs ... 15 TDs this season is tied for 8th in school history ... Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week against Vanderbilt, throwing for career-best 285 yards ... Is 13-1 as a starting quarterback ... Has thrown for 3,377 career yards and 22 TDs.
WR Dwayne Bowe (6-3, 213, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Sixth in the SEC in receptions per game (3.3) and receiving yards per game (58.5) ... Has 33 grabs for 585 yards and 8 TDs this season ... Bowe is tied for 9th in school history in single season touchdown grabs ... Earlier this season, Bowe caught at least one TD catch in school-record seven straight games.
FS LaRon Landry (6-2, 187, Jr., Ama, La.) Has accumulated 60 total tackles (36 solos) this season ... Landry has nine career interceptions, which is second among active SEC players ... Thorpe Award Semi-finalist ... Starter in all 11 games at free safety ... Had season-high 11 tackles against Auburn ... Had five tackles, an interception and two pass deflections last week against Arkansas.
OT Andrew Whitworth (6-7, 322, Sr., West Monroe, La.) Has earned 50 consecutive starts on the offensive line for the Tigers, highest active number on the squad ... Start in SEC Championship Game will be a school record ... Consensus pre-season All-SEC ... Had 62 knockdown blocks and 17 pancake blocks in LSU's first 10 games of the season.
SERIES SCORES LSU leads series, 14-10-1
LSU, 13-12 (Nov. 17, 1928 at Athens) LSU, 13-0 (Nov. 16, 1935 at Athens) LSU, 47-7 (Oct. 10, 1936 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 34-27 (Sept. 25, 1943 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 27-6 (Oct. 23, 1943 at Columbus, Ga.) LSU, 15-7 (Oct. 28, 1944 at Atlanta) LSU, 32-0 (Oct. 20, 1945 at Athens) UGA, 35-19 (Oct. 4, 1947 at Athens) UGA, 22-0 (Oct. 16, 1948 at Baton Rouge) UGA, 7-0 (Oct. 14, 1949 at Athens) Tie, 13-13 (Oct. 21, 1950 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 7-0 (Oct. 20, 1951 at Athens) UGA, 27-14 (Oct. 18, 1952 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 14-6 (Oct. 17, 1953 at Athens) UGA, 24-17 (Oct. 14, 1978 at Baton Rouge) UGA, 21-14 (Oct. 13, 1979 at Athens) LSU, 23-14 (Oct. 11, 1986 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 26-23 (Oct. 10, 1987 at Athens) LSU, 18-13 (Sept. 8, 1990 at Baton Rouge) UGA, 31-10 (Sept. 7, 1991 at Athens) UGA, 28-27 (Oct. 3, 1998 at Baton Rouge) UGA, 23-22 (Oct. 2, 1999 at Athens) LSU, 17-10 (Sept. 20, 2003 at Baton Rouge) LSU, 34-13 (Dec. 6, 2003 at Atlanta) UGA, 45-16 (Oct. 2, 2004 at Athens)
The SEC's Eastern and Western Division winners will meet in Atlanta's Georgia Dome to battle for the league championship and the right to represent the conference in the Bowl Championship Series. The 14th-annual title game is set for December 3 and will be nationally televised by CBS Sports at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The game is a result of conference expansion, which saw Arkansas and South Carolina become the first members added in SEC history. Under NCAA regulations, a conference with 12 members may play a 12th football game to determine its champion, provided the regular season is played in divisions.
The participants of the game are determined each year during the eight-game regular-season conference schedule as the teams with the best overall SEC winning percentage in each division.
The 1994 SEC Championship Game earned a 10.5 rating and a 26 share, the highest rated SEC Championship Game in history.
The SEC Championship Game has also drawn capacity crowds in its short history. 973,745 fans have witnessed first-hand the pageantry of SEC Football at the 13 previous Championship Games.
Attendance at the 13 previous championship games has been 102.2 percent of stadium capacity, including 11 sellouts.
At this year's game, the SEC is recognizing its' 1 millionth fan to pass through the gates at an SEC Football Championship Game.
Championship Game Quick Facts
Date: Saturday, December 3 Site: Georgia Dome; Atlanta, Ga. Capacity: 71,500 Time: 6:00 p.m (ET) Television: CBS Sports Georgia Dome Contract: Through 2009 game CBS Sports Contract: Through 2008 game Highest TV Rating: 10.5 (30 million viewers) - 1994 Largest Crowd: 83,091 (Alabama vs. Florida, Legion Field) - 1992 Top Passer: Danny Wuerffel, Florida (20-35-2, 401 yds, 6 TDs) - 1996 Top Rusher: Earnest Graham, Florida (19 for 169 yards) - 2000
Results:
1992 - Alabama 28, Florida 21 (83,091 at Birmingham, Ala.) 1993 - Florida 28, Alabama 13 (76,345 at Birmingham, Ala.) 1994 - Florida 24, Alabama 23 (74,751 at Atlanta, Ga.) 1995 - Florida 34, Arkansas 3 (71,325 at Atlanta, Ga.) 1996 - Florida 45, Alabama 30 (74,132 at Atlanta, Ga.) 1997 - Tennessee 30, Auburn 29 (74,896 at Atlanta, Ga.) 1998 - Tennessee 24, Miss. State 14 (74,795 at Atlanta, Ga.) 1999 - Alabama 34, Florida 7 (71,500 at Atlanta, Ga.) 2000 - Florida 28, Auburn 6 (73,427 at Atlanta, Ga.) 2001 - LSU 31, Tennessee 20 (74,843 at Atlanta, Ga.) 2002 - Georgia 30, Arkansas 3 (74,835 at Atlanta, Ga.) 2003 - LSU 34, Georgia 13 (74,913 at Atlanta, Ga.) 2004 - Auburn 38, Tennessee 28 (74,892 at Atlanta, Ga.)
Most Valuable Players:
1992 - DB Antonio Langham (Alabama) 1993 - QB Terry Dean (Florida) 1994 - DT Ellis Johnson (Florida) 1995 - QB Danny Wuerffel (Florida) 1996 - QB Danny Wuerffel (Florida) 1997 - QB Peyton Manning (Tennessee) 1998 - WR Peerless Price (Tennessee) 1999 - WR Freddie Milons (Alabama) 2000 - QB Rex Grossman (Florida) 2001 - QB Matt Mauck (LSU) 2002 - QB David Greene (Georgia) 2003 - RB Justin Vincent (LSU) 2004 - QB Jason Campbell (Auburn)
NATIONAL POLLS
Associated Press (11/27)
Others (SEC Only): South Carolina (64).
USA Today Coaches' Poll (11/27)
Others (SEC Only): South Carolina (38).
Harris Interactive (Nov. 27)
No. Team Record Points 1. Southern Cal [96] 11-0 2,810 2. Texas [15] 10-0 2,727 3. Penn State 10-1 2,525 4. LSU 10-1 2,500 5. Virginia Tech 10-1 2,313 6. Ohio State 9-2 2,180 7. Notre Dame 9-2 2,173 8. Oregon 10-1 2,031 9. AUBURN 9-2 1,946 10. Miami (Fla.) 9-2 1,791 11. UCLA 9-1 1,637 12. GEORGIA 9-2 1,601 13. West Virginia 9-1 1,538 14. ALABAMA 9-2 1,339 15. Texas Christian 10-1 1,282 16. Texas Tech 9-2 1,074 17. Louisville 8-2 984 18. FLORIDA 8-3 931 19. Boston College 8-3 768 20. Wisconsin 9-3 643 21. Michigan 7-4 521 22. Fresno State 8-3 292 23. Clemson 7-4 268 24. Georgia Tech 7-4 255 25. Iowa 7-4 122
NCAA Division I-A Toughest Schedules (Nov. 27) (from NCAA/Teams must have played nine games/ Based on cumulative records of past competition)
No. Team Opp. Record Pct. 1. Michigan 71-37 .657 2. Oklahoma 67-35 .656 3. Stanford 60-33 .645 4. Ohio State 68-40 .629 5. ARKANSAS 59-35 .627 6. North Carolina 67-41 .620 7. Kansas 58-37 .610 8. Georgia Tech 63-42 .600 9. Northwestern 65-44 .596 Minnesota 65-44 .596 11. TENNESSEE 62-42 .596 12. Penn State 64-44 .592 13. SOUTH CAROLINA 62-43 .590 14. Texas A&M 56-39 .589 15. Temple 63-45 .583 South Florida 49-35 .583 17. Arizona 55-40 .579 Washington State 55-40 .579 19. N.C. State 56-41 .577 20. FLORIDA 60-44 .577 21. Ball State 60-45 .571 22. Baylor 52-40 .565 23. Texas 58-45 .563 24. Maryland 59-46 .562 Virginia Tech 59-46 .562
CONFERENCE RANKINGS (Nov. 27)
Conference AP USA Harris FWAA BCS SEC 5 5 5 x x Pac-10 3 3 3 x x Big 12 2 2 2 x x ACC 5 5 5 x x Big Ten 5 5 5 x x Big East 2 2 2 x x Mtn. West 1 1 1 x x WAC 1 1 1 x x Independent 1 1 1 x x
SEC ON TV THIS WEEK
Below is a schedule of Southeastern Conference athletic events on television for the upcoming week. The schedule includes live and taped events as well as weekly shows. For more information on the SEC's television partners, log onto www.secsports.com. All times are Eastern.
SEC LEADING ACTIVE CAREER STATISTICAL LEADERS [Standing in Career Record Book in Brackets]
Passing Yardage 1. 8,697 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (710 of 1242) [11th] 2002- 2. 7,993 - Chris Leak, Florida (638 of 1053) [15th] 2003- 3. 6,107 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama (469 of 838) 2002-
Completions 1. 710 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (1242 atts., 8,797 yards) [10th] 2002- 2. 638 - Chris Leak, Florida (1053 atts., 7993 yards) [16th] 2003- 3. 469 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama (838 atts., 6,107 yards) 2002-
Touchdown Passes 1. 63 - Chris Leak, Florida [12th] 2003- 2. 59 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt [15th] 2002- 3. 40 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama 2002-
Rushing Yardage 1. 3,222 - Jerious Norwood, Miss. State (46 games) [17th] 2002- 2. 2,440 - Joseph Addai, LSU (49 games) 2002- 3. 2,408 - Kenneth Darby, Alabama (32 games) 2003-
Rushing Yardage by a Quarterback 1. 1,256 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt 2002- 2. 570 - D.J. Shockley, Georgia 2002- 3. 163 - Josh Portis, Florida 2005-
Interceptions 1. 10 - Travis Johnson, Ole Miss 2002- 2. 9 - LaRon Landry, LSU 2003- 3. 7 - Muhammad Abdullah, Kentucky 2002- 7 - Corey Campbell, Tennessee 2003- 7 - Ko Simpson, South Carolina 2004-
Receptions 1. 136 - Mike Espy, Ole Miss (1,756 yards) 2002- 2. 124 - Erik Davis, Vanderbilt (1,867 yards) 2003- 3. 106 - Skyler Green, LSU (1,082 yards) 2002-
Reception Yardage 1. 1,867 - Erik Davis, Vanderbilt (124 catches) 2003- 2. 1,756 - Mike Espy, Ole Miss (136 catches) 2002- 3. 1,380 - Courtney Taylor, Auburn (97 catches) 2003-
Scoring 1. 226 - Taylor Begley, Kentucky (118 PAT, 36 FGs, 45 games) 2002- 2. 222 - James Wilhoit, Tennessee (106 PAT, 41 FGs, 37 games) 2003- 3. 214 - John Vaughn, Auburn (127 PAT, 29 FGs, 28 games) 2003-
Touchdowns Scored 1. 22 - Joseph Addai, LSU (48 games) 2002- 22 - Chad Jackson, Florida (36 games) 2003- 3. 20 - Ben Obomanu, Auburn (50 games) 2002-
Total Offensive Yards 1. 9,953 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (1,256 rushing, 8,697 passing) [7th] 2002- 2. 8,067 - Chris Leak, Florida (74 rushing, 7993 passing) [14th] 2003- 3. 5,924 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama (-183 rushing, 6107 passing) 2002-
All-Purpose Yardage 1. 3,760 - Jerious Norwood, Miss. State (3,222 rush, 186 rec., 352 ret.) 2002- 2. 3,162 - Mike Espy, Ole Miss (42 rush, 1,756 rec., 700 KOR, 664 PR) 2002- 3. 2,985 - Joseph Addai, LSU (2,404 rush, 581 rec.) 2001-
Completion Percentage (Min. 300 comp) 1. 60.6 - Chris Leak, Florida (638 of 1053) [T15th] 2003- 2. 57.2 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (710 of 1242) 2002- 3. 56.0 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama (469 of 838) 2002-
Lowest Ratio of Interceptions (Min. 600 att.) 1. 1:38.1 - Brodie Croyle, Alabama (22 in 838) [5th] 2002- 2. 1:36.3 - Chris Leak, Florida (29 in 1053) [8th] 2003- 3. 1:35.5 - Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (35 in 1242) [10th] 2002-
Total Tackles 1. 391 - Moses Osemwegie, Vanderbilt 2002- 2. 300 - DeMeco Ryans, Alabama 2003- 300 - Roman Harper, Alabama 2002-
Sacks 1. 22.0 - Parys Haralson, Tennessee 2002- 2. 20.0 - Melvin Oliver, LSU 2002- 3. 19.0 - Quentin Moses, Georgia 2003-
Single-Season Freshman Rushing Yards 1. 1,616 - Herschel Walker, Georgia 1980 2. 1,364 - Jamal Lewis, Tennessee 1997 3. 1,341 - Emmitt Smith, Florida 1987 4. 1,236 - Chuck Webb, Tennessee 1989 5. 1,197 - Reggie Cobb, Tennessee 1987 6. 1,056 - Darren McFadden, Arkansas 2005
Single-Season Freshman Receptions 1. 79 - Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt (876 yards) 2005 2. 71 - Jabar Gaffney, Florida (1,184 yards) 2000 3. 64 - Jerel Myers, LSU (854 yards) 1999 64 - Kelley Washington, Tennessee (1,010 yards) 2001 5. 58 - Zola Davis, South Carolina (911 yards) 1995 58 - Sidney Rice, South Carolina (952 yards) 2005
Single-Season Freshman Receiving Yards 1. 1,184 - Jabar Gaffney, Florida (71 catches) 2000 2. 1,068 - Ronney Daniels, Auburn (56 catches) 1999 3. 1,010 - Kelley Washington, Tennessee (64 catches) 2001
STATE OF THE SEC
Record Last Five+ Seasons (2000-05)
SEC AP W-L Pct. Bowls Champ Top 25 Georgia 59-16 .787 5 1 5 LSU 58-17 .773 5 2 4 Auburn 55-20 .733 5 1 3 Tennessee 52-23 .693 5 0 3 Florida 51-23 .689 5 1 3 S. Carolina 40-30 .571 2 0 2 Arkansas 40-33 .548 4 0 0 Alabama 39-33 .542 2 0 1 Ole Miss 37-33 .529 3 0 1 Miss. State 22-47 .319 1 0 1 Kentucky 20-48 .294 0 0 0 Vanderbilt 16-52 .235 0 0 0
Record Last 10+ Seasons (1995-2005)
SEC AP W-L Pct. Bowls Champ Top 25 Tennessee 106-31 .774 10 2 8 Florida 104-33 .759 10 3 8 Georgia 97-37 .724 9 1 8 LSU 91-41 .689 8 2 6 Auburn 89-45 .664 8 1 6 Alabama 78-54 .591 5 1 4 Ole Miss 71-57 .555 6 0 3 Arkansas 73-59 .553 5 0 2 S. Carolina 56-68 .452 2 0 2 Miss. State 55-72 .433 3 0 2 Kentucky 46-79 .368 2 0 0 Vanderbilt 30-93 .244 0 0 0
SCORING MARGIN IN INTRA-CONFERENCE GAMES
TOTAL TOTAL AVG. Conference 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+ GAMES POINTS MARGIN ACC 15 9 5 6 13 48 721 15.02 Big 12 8 12 4 3 21 48 906 18.88 Big East 3 3 5 3 12 26 514 19.77 Big Ten 11 5 3 8 17 44 788 17.91 Conf. USA 13 13 4 7 10 47 560 11.91 Mid-American 11 12 4 6 15 48 733 15.27 Mountain West 12 6 4 2 12 36 527 14.64 Pac-10 13 7 2 1 16 39 611 15.67 SEC 16 8 4 5 15 48 664 13.83 Sun Belt 13 5 1 1 7 27 337 12.48 WAC 5 8 2 6 14 35 664 18.97