Mercedes-Benz Stadium is expected to be stuffed to the brim again when Georgia and Texas square off for the SEC Championship game Saturday.
A record crowd of 78,320 squeezed in for last year’s game between the Bulldogs and Alabama and there may be close to that many this year. There are conflicting reports as to how excited the Longhorns’ fan base is to being in the game.
Earlier this week, VividSeats.com reported a 157% spike of traffic on its website with an average sales price of $574. Likewise, the SEC reported a 127% increase in activity on its ticket site. But as is common in the ticket game, prices have decreased significantly later in the week. SeatGeek.com was advertising some seats in the upper-level corners for just under $100, not including taxes and fees.
“I do anticipate a good amount of burnt orange there,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “How much? I don’t know. Tell me how much the ticket prices are and I can probably tell you how many Longhorns are going to be there. If the prices keep going up, that means we’re buying the tickets. Looking forward to seeing Longhorn Nation there and supporting us.”
Of course, Georgia always expects to be well-represented at The Benz. This is the Bulldogs’ fourth consecutive appearance in the conference championship and seventh since 2017. While there are legitimate concerns about donor and event fatigue, between the game’s location in Atlanta and many Georgia fans and businesses owning seat licenses through the Falcons, the Bulldogs’ turnout for any event at the Benz tends to be strong. Attendance for the season opener there against Clemson on Aug. 31 was 78,827.
Capacity for Arthur Blank’s building is listed as 75,000 for the SEC’s annual title game. Capacity for the NFL seating configuration is 71,000.
Having the Longhorns in this year’s game is expected to be a boost for the SEC’s crown-jewel event. Texas and Oklahoma are each in their first year in the SEC after signing an agreement to leave the Big 12 in 2021. So, there was three years’ worth of anticipation built up within the Longhorns’ fan base.
Here is everything else you need to know about Saturday’s matchup:
Everything to know about the SEC Championship game
What: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia
When: Saturday, kickoff will be at 4:15 p.m.
Where: Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (cap. 75,000)
Rankings & record: No. 2 Texas (11-1, 7-1); No. 5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC)
TV/Radio: ABC/Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network
Weather: It will be 55 degrees and sunny outside The Benz, but a comfortable, controlled 70 degrees inside. Temperatures outside will be in the 30s by the conclusion of the game.
Series: Texas leads 4-2
Last meeting: The Bulldogs won 30-15 on Oct. 19, 2024, in their first visit to Austin since 1958. Georgia running back Trevor Etienne scored three touchdowns and the Bulldogs’ defense recorded seven sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Tickets: Available on secondary market from $120 to $2,000.
Storylines for the SEC Championship game
CFP implications
Indications are both teams will qualify for the College Football Playoff regardless of Saturday’s outcome. The winner will earn a first-round bye.
For the Bulldogs, that bye represents the greatest enticement. Because of the number of injuries they’ve incurred, they desperately need the time off. Another trophy on the wall of the team-meeting room would be nice, too.
“I’m an SEC enthusiast that believes in an SEC title is a significant marker to your season, to the kind of season you had,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Also, it gets you a bye, and it gets you an opportunity to rest and recover while others play formidable opponents, tough opponents. It removes you from that. You’re playing for an opportunity to rest possibly.”
The greatest unknown is what might happen to the No. 5 Bulldogs should they lose big. The fifth through eighth seeds will host a home game on campus the weekend of Dec. 20-21. So, a drop to Nos. 9-12 would mean the Bulldogs would travel for the first round.
“I hope nobody ever gets punished because they don’t come out on top in this game, because (the SEC) is a real grind,” Sarkisian said. “To earn the opportunity to hoist that trophy is a great one. But, if anything I hope we get recognized for making it to this game and not get punished (for losing).”
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was asked Thursday if the league will seek playoff protection from the selection committee in the future.
“I would anticipate they’ll respect that high level of competition, and there wouldn’t be a lot of variance given the results,” Sankey said.
Running back roulette
Georgia running back Trevor Etienne’s availability is the most intriguing question for Saturday’s game. The 5-foot-9, 210-pound junior has missed the past three contests and half of the Ole Miss game with a rib injury.
The Longhorns certainly are interested. Etienne led the Bulldogs with 83 yards and three touchdowns when the teams met Oct. 19.
Smart said Thursday that Etienne has practiced some this week but hasn’t been promising.
“He wasn’t really close to playing last week,” Smart said. “I don’t know how that’s going to play out.”
Smart is known for his gamesmanship surrounding injuries. Etienne should be able at least to put on pads and give it a go. The Bulldogs have options. That starts with freshman Nate Frazier, who leads the team with 587 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Sophomore Roderick Robinson (toe) played 17 snaps in his first action of the season last week, Branson Robinson (knee) is listed as questionable after sitting out eight games with an MCL sprain and the always dependable walk-on Cash Jones (261 total yards, 4 TDs) remains at the ready.
Regardless of who carries the load, the Bulldogs’ ground game needs to improve. They’ve averaged only 87.6 yards rushing against the past three Power 4 opponents and gained only 108 in the first meeting with Texas.
Other injuries
Georgia is relatively healthy otherwise. The most pivotal injury situation remaining is defensive lineman Christen Miller. The 6-4, 305-pound sophomore was having a banner season before suffering a subluxation of his right shoulder (popped out of socket) early in the Massachusetts game Nov. 23. In that game and the one against Georgia Tech on Nov. 29, the Bulldogs allowed 486 yards rushing, including 260 against the Yellow Jackets.
Miller was listed as “questionable” on this week’s injury reports and possibly could play.
The only injury of note for Texas is Kelvin Banks. The starting left tackle injured an ankle seven plays into the game against Texas A&M on Nov. 30 and did not return. However, the Longhorns did not miss a beat with 6-7, 315-pound redshirt freshman Trevor Goosby playing the rest of the way.
Beck the closer
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was a pitcher and a promising baseball prospect coming out of high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Had he stuck with that game, indications are he might’ve made a pretty good closer.
While he has struggled at times this season, especially in the middle of the season, one thing that has been consistent about Beck is his ability to make plays at crunch time for the Bulldogs.
In the second half of games this season, Beck is completing a higher percentage of passes (66 to 64.3) for more yards (1,774 to 1,655), more touchdowns (16 to 12) and fewer interceptions (5 to 7). As a result, his quarterback rating is considerably higher in second halves (164.86) compared with firsts (132.62).
Similarly, Beck’s numbers get better from the third quarter (157.16 rating) to the fourth quarter (164.20). There are a multitude of factors that play into that, but the primary takeaway has to be focus and determination.
In the eight-overtime win over Tech, Beck was 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Bulldogs’ fourth-quarter comeback, then 3-for-3 for 45 yards and two more scores in overtime.
“That’s what I love to do,” Beck said of late-game drama. “When those moments come, you either do it or you don’t. As a team and as an offense, we’ve really excelled in those moments. You try not to get into those moments, but we have been in those moments this year, and we’ve been able to execute when we’ve had to.”
Texas knows this as well as any team. When the Longhorns got within eight points late in the game in Austin, Beck led Georgia on an 11-play, 89-yard TD drive that put the game out of reach.
Ball security
The biggest difference in the way Georgia is playing now versus in the loss to Ole Miss in Oxford on Nov. 9 is the Bulldogs are taking better care of the football.
Georgia had three turnovers in that 28-10 rainy-day defeat against the Rebels, and the Bulldogs put the ball on the ground two other times in that game but managed to retain possession. In the three games since, Georgia has only one turnover — a lost fumble against Tech — and is plus-3 in turnover margin.
Perhaps most important of all, Beck has not thrown an interception or had a fumble during that stretch. In a six-game span ending with the Ole Miss game, he was responsible for 13 turnovers, including 12 interceptions. He has zero turnovers since.
There are reasons for that.
“There were just some situations where maybe I was trying to force the ball when it didn’t need to and maybe trying to make plays when they weren’t there,” Beck said this week. “I think that’s one thing that I’ve really improved on as we’ve gotten into this (latter) half of the season, not trying to do too much and just playing within myself and playing within the offense.
“There’s three downs to get a first down for a reason. You don’t have to try to get it all in one play, and I think I’ve done a better job at that in this second half of the season.”
Texas objectives
The Longhorns’ strategic objectives for Saturday’s game seem clear, based on their last matchup against Georgia.
In Austin on Oct. 19, Texas managed only 29 yards rushing on 27 carries, an average of 1.1 yards per attempt. Also, the Longhorns’ offensive line gave up seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries.
In other words, it was a tough day for the offensive line, which nevertheless somehow has earned recognition as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, along with Oregon.
The Texas ground game has shown significant improvement in the five games since playing Georgia. The Longhorns had 240 yards on 50 carries in the win over Texas A&M, including 186 on 33 carries by Quintrevion Wisner. That ran up their average to 176 yards per game since meeting the Bulldogs.
They still have work to do when it comes to pass protection. Texas quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times for a loss of 65 yards in games against A&M, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida and Vanderbilt.
The Texas defense has been stout throughout. Georgia managed only 283 yards of offense — more than 140 below its average — in Austin. The Longhorns arrive leading the SEC in points allowed (11.7 pg), yards allowed (247.2), passing yards allowed (143.7) and third against the run (103.5).
Arch sighting imminent
The Bulldogs faced quarterback Arch Manning in the previous meeting, and the odds are good that they will see him again in the Benz — possibly a lot more of him.
The Longhorns’ famous sophomore quarterback came off the bench in the 17-7 win over Texas A&M and scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2. It was one of three rushes he had in the game for a total of 14 yards.
Being a run-first alternative to starter Quinn Ewers have been Manning’s primary role all season. That is, when he wasn’t starting while Ewers was sidelined with an ankle injury.
For the season, Manning has completed 67.8% of 90 passes for nine TDs and two interceptions while rushing for 95 yards and four TDs on 141 carries.
Meanwhile, Georgia has struggled against running quarterbacks all season. For that reason, the Bulldogs fully expect to see Manning in action.
“We’ve practiced knowing Arch can be in there,” Smart said. “Had to defend a lot of quarterback runs.”
Georgia saw Manning on Oct. 19. Sarkisian shocked the home crowd when he brought in Manning to relieve a struggling Ewers as the Longhorns trailed Georgia 23-0 in the second quarter in Austin on Oct. 19. Though was able to rip off a 21-yard run, the rest of his time on the field was nightmarish for Manning. He was sacked twice, had minus-1 yard on four rushes and 19 yards on 3-of-6 passing.
Sarkisian remains coy on the subject.
“Sometimes you’ve got to keep a few things up your sleeve,” he said. He added that Manning “continues to prepare at a high level.”
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