ATHENS, Ga. — The fourth-ranked LSU football team travels to Sanford Stadium here Saturday afternoon for its second straight road test of the SEC season as the Tigers face the 14th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC on CBS contest kicking off at just after 2:30 p.m. CDT.
The game will be nationally televised on CBS and the game will be available on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) beginning at 12:30 p.m.
LSU is 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in the SEC after the Tigers 30-26 win at Starkville last Saturday against Mississippi State while the Bulldogs are 3-1 and 2-0 as well in league play. Georgia played outside the league last weekend, getting a late 20-17 win over Arizona State at Athens.
The game will be the first for the Tigers in Athens since 2004 as LSU looks for its first win “between the hedges” since a 26-23 victory in 1986. LSU leads the all-time series 14-12-1 and the series is tied 6-6 in Athens. The Bulldogs have won three straight and six of the last eight against the Tigers.
LSU GameDay Info
LSU at Georgia,
Saturday, Oct. 3
2:30 p.m. CDT
TV: CBS
Radio: 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
Audio: Geaux Zone Live
Video: CBSsports.com
Satellite: XM 141
In-Stadium: Live Sports Radio (no FM frequency)
Kickoff: 2:35 p.m. CT
Forecast: Sunny
High: 78?
Low: 49?
GameTime: 76?
Rain: 20% chance
Humidity: 59%
Wind: W 8 mph
Forecast
Sunrise: 7:30 a.m. ET
Sunset: 7:15 p.m. ET
Driving Directions (Baton Rouge to Athens, Ga.)
Georgia’s GameDay Homepage includes stadium policies, parking, and other details about Sanford Stadium.
A punt return and a goal line stand proved to be two of the big differences in the Tigers win over Mississippi State. Chad Jones returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown to start the fourth quarter and a last-minute stand by the LSU defense proved the difference. The Bulldogs had possession, driving all the way to the LSU two-yard line with just over a minute left in the game. LSU’s defense turned back State on four straight downs, including three from the one-yard line preserving the victory.
For his efforts Jones was named the Walter Camp Foundation National Player of the Week.
“We play a very dangerous Georgia team,” LSU head coach Les Miles said. “A Georgia team that is 3-1, lost the opener at Oklahoma State and has beaten South Carolina, Arkansas and Arizona State in three straight victories. I think that (head coach) Mark Richt has done a great job there at Georgia. Their teams always play hard, are very talented and extremely well coached. Their offense is averaging 30 points per game and 360 yards per game in total offense. They’re very dangerous when they get down in the red zone.
“Defensively, they have a very strong front,” he said. “They have very capable linebackers. They have very athletic defensive linemen who play over top. I think their defense is going to be very difficult for us to move against and certainly one that we will have to focus on.”
LSU is ranked in the top 10 for the fifth straight year entering the month of October and will be looking for a continued strong performance from quarterback Jordan Jefferson who threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns against State. His favorite target continues to be Brandon LaFell who has five touchdowns in the first four games. But LSU will try to also pick up on the running game which ended up with just 31 yards a week ago.
“At this point, the focus has to turn to the very next game,” said Miles. “We’re fortunate to be 4-0; we’d like to be 5-0, and only the next opponent stands between us and that goal. Everybody talks about rankings. Rankings have never made any difference to me and not to our football team. We understand we earn where we finish. The No. 4 ranking is certainly a spot, and that’s it. It’s close enough to be where you want to be in the end, but there’s no position except for the final ballot. When we get to the end of the season, that’s where we want to be ranked highly.”
Georgia quarterback Joe Cox has one of his best efforts in their last conference game against Arkansas. He tied the school record with five touchdowns and a career-high 375 yards in the road win. A. J. Green broke 100 yards receiving for the fourth time in his career after hauling in eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown against ASU.
LSU and Georgia are the top two teams in record since 2001 with LSU at 86-22 and Georgia 85-23.
LSU returns home for three games in four weeks beginning with a nationally-televised prime time game in Tiger Stadium against No. 1 Florida. After an open weekend, the Tigers will then host Auburn on Oct. 24 and Tulane on Oct. 31.