BATON ROUGE — Two of the nations’ top offensive teams along with a couple of the best defensive units will be on display on Saturday in Tiger Stadium as 10th-ranked LSU plays host to seventh-ranked Georgia at 2:30 p.m.
The game will be televised to a national audience on CBS with Verne Lundquist and Todd Blackledge calling the action. Cox Sports Television will also televise the game on a delayed basis with the replay airing at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
In addition to the telecast of the game, ESPN GameDay along with ESPN GameDay Radio will be on campus on Saturday. In all, LSU has issued 625 media credentials for the contest as USA Today, New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and CBS Sportsline will be among the media outlets on hand for the contest.
LSU coach Nick Saban spent a portion of his day on Friday with the CBS announce crew followed by an appearance on Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show Period. Saban also did a live radio interview with ESPN’s Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit followed by a taped interview with ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr.
Saturday’s contest marks the first time two SEC teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation have faced in Tiger Stadium since 1973 when second-ranked Alabama posted a 21-7 victory over seventh-ranked LSU.
LSU enters the contest with a 3-0 overall mark, while Georgia stands at 3-0 overall and a 1-0 mark league mark. The Tigers are coming off a 35-7 win over Western Illinois, while the Bulldogs beat South Carolina, 31-7 in their last outing.
“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Saban said. “The players have been sharp in practice and the focus has been good. This game is a great opportunity for our players. It’s the first SEC game and every game is an important game in our league.”
The Tigers enter the contest ranked second in the SEC and fourth in the nation with 47.7 points a contest, while Georgia has allowed only 17 points all season. Offensively, the Dawgs are putting up 30 points a game, while the Tigers have limited their opponent to only 210 yards of offense a contest, a figure that ranks first in the SEC and second nationally.
“I think that they have a whole lot of team speed on defense,” Saban said. “They play hard and they are very good tacklers. They get a lot of pressure on the quarterback and their whole deal is to affect the quarterback in the game. I think that is a good philosophy because I think if you can affect the quarterback that affects his efficiency in the game and that has a lot to do with the outcome of the game.
“A real key for us in the game is going to be whether or not we are going to be able to protect and block their blitz and be able to throw the ball to our skill guys down the field.”
LSU quarterback Matt Mauck enters the contest ranked fourth in the nation in pass efficiency having connected on 46 of 71 passes for 608 yards and a league-leading eight touchdowns. Georgia quarterback David Greene has yet to throw an interception and he has successfully completed 49 of 72 attempts for 678 yards and three scores.
“I think a key to the game is which quarterback doesn’t get affected by the opposing defense,” Saban said. “Which ever quarterback gets affected the least will have the best chance of winning the game.”
Other offensive threats for LSU include wide receiver Michael Clayton, who leads the SEC in both receptions (23) and yards (423) and running backs Shyrone Carey and Joseph Addai. Carey is coming off a career-best 124 yards rushing against Western Illinois, while Clayton caught 11 passes for a career-high 162 yards despite playing less than three quarters of last week’s 35-7 Tiger victory.