SEC Championship Preview: LSU vs. Tennessee

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SEC Championship Preview: LSU vs. Tennessee

Previewing SEC title game at Georgia Dome.

The SEC Championship Game on Saturday will be clouded by uncertainty because Michigan has asked for permission to speak with LSU coach Les Miles (visiting Friday with safety Chad Jones). LSU is pledging to keep the former Wolverine player in Baton Rouge. Miles has said he's had "little to no thought to anything beyond this Saturday." Some of his assistants are also being eyed to fill head coaching vacancies.

Miles' biggest decision for the moment is which quarterback to start against Tennessee. Matt Flynn has been bothered by a bad shoulder but didn't throw in Friday's light workout at the Georgia Dome.

Backup QB Ryan Perrilloux didn't play in last week's upset loss to Arkansas and hasn't thrown a pass since going 2-of-4 against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 10. Miles insists the Tigers' tactics won't change regardless. "We're going to run the things that we run," he said.

Despite having All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, LSU's defense has been porous lately, giving up 209 points in the last seven games. Once No. 1 in the nation against the run, the Tigers gave up 385 rushing yards in their 50-48 overtime loss to the Razorbacks. LSU players insist their latest performance was an aberration.

The defense may get a boost with the return of lineman Ricky Jean-Francois (90). A sophomore who was named a first-team freshman All-America and All-SEC last season, Jean-Francois suspended for the regular season for violating the school's academic honesty policy. "He'll take some snaps in the game, I promise you," Miles said.

Every time Erik Ainge has turned around this week he has come face to face with Georgia and a healthy amount of skepticism. Georgia, the theory goes, is the better team in the SEC East. "Obviously Georgia is playing great football now," Ainge said. "But if they wanted to be playing in the championship they should have beaten us. Tennessee handed Georgia its most humbling loss in seven years 35-14 in Knoxville.

Louisiana native Chris Brown needs just one reception to give him 39 for the year and tie the school record for catches by a tight end. On the year, Brown has 38 receptions for 243 yards and five touchdowns. He averages 6.4 yards per catch. Oh yeah, and he is 1-1 against the team from the home state. "It would be a good thing to go out and be one up on those guys," Brown said.

Another of Ainge's targets, Lucas Taylor, has 71 catches for 975 yards and five touchdowns this season. He leads the SEC with 81.2 receiving yards per game and is third in the SEC with 5.9 receptions per game. He, Brown and Austin Rogers have combined for 162 catches. Taylor's marks have him within striking distance of the record book. He is just 25 yards away from becoming the fifth Tennessee wide receiver to have a 1,000-yard season.

Tennessee started the season losing two of its first three games. It could have ended its season the same way. "We were supposed to lose two out of our last three games," said linebacker Jerod Mayo. "We weren't even supposed to be here."

"We are kind of blue-collar type football team," he said. "Certainly we have some strengths with our personnel but it is good group of young men that have fought and played well to get to this point." Like Mayo, Fulmer has attempted to drive home the underdog point with his team. "We have been the underdog all year long and I am sure we will be the underdog to LSU," Fulmer said.

1/10

The SEC Championship Game on Saturday will be clouded by uncertainty because Michigan has asked for permission to speak with LSU coach Les Miles (visiting Friday with safety Chad Jones). LSU is pledging to keep the former Wolverine player in Baton Rouge. Miles has said he's had "little to no thought to anything beyond this Saturday." Some of his assistants are also being eyed to fill head coaching vacancies.

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