The last time LSU took on Georgia, Odell Beckham Jr. still wore purple and gold, and Mark Richt was in charge of the Bulldogs.

This year’s game features an entirely new cast of characters on both sidelines, with Ed Orgeron leading the Tigers into Death Valley and Kirby Smart walking his Dogs to Baton Rouge. The teams haven’t met on the gridiron since Georgia won 44-41 in 2013, but LSU defensive end Rashard Lawrence said the Tigers haven’t lost sight of the defending SEC Champions.

“To see them on our schedule, we respect them,” he said. “They’ve played with Alabama, just like we’ve played with them. (Georgia) dang near beat (Alabama), so to know that they’re coming in our stadium with 102,000, it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”

Orgeron has also kept tabs on the Bulldogs and predicts the game will be “a great college matchup in the SEC.”

“Obviously, Kirby’s done a great job with the Georgia Bulldogs — a tremendous team last year,” he said when asked about playing the conference champions. “With his recruiting classes, they will be a very tough opponent.”

Fans can expect a run-heavy, hard-hitting game come Oct. 13, as Lawrence predicts the face-off to unfold in classic SEC fashion.

“Just watching them on TV, they’re a physical team,” he said. “Whenever you can go punch for punch with Alabama in the trenches, you’re a physical team. They’re going to be a good front, and it’s going to be an old-fashioned SEC football game.”

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