Sam Montgomery's sack in the second quarter might have been the play on Saturday that finally pointed LSU in the direction of the BCS championship game.
As the Tigers' defense struggled in the first quarter, a confident Georgia team raced out to a 10-0 lead. The Tigers, who had 33 sacks this season, couldn't get to quarterback Aaron Murray in the first quarter, and he completed seven of his 15 attempts, even with numerous drops.
And then Montgomery, a defensive end, chased down Murray at the 3-yard line on third down for an 11-yard loss midway through the second quarter.
“Somebody had to step up and make a play,” Montgomery said. “In big-time games, big-time players make big-time plays. But you can’t be afraid to make those plays. That was my opportunity that I seized.”
Montgomery got up after the sack and flexed to the LSU fans wearing purple and gold sitting behind the end zone.
Georgia’s offense and LSU’s defense were not the same afterward.
“We went out and dominated,” Montgomery said.
The play forced Georgia's Drew Butler to punt from the back of the end zone, and Tyrann Mathieu returned it for a touchdown.
It was the Tigers’ second sack in the quarter and helped the defense find its groove. They limited the Bulldogs to 12 first downs and 162 yards over the final three quarters after the Bulldogs had seven and 134 in the first quarter, respectively. They sacked Murray four times and harassed him into a 16-of-40 passing performance.
Touchdown man
LSU's Kenny Hilliard averaged just 22.5 rushing yards per game during the regular season, but his three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, on Saturday helped the Tigers win their 11th SEC title.
Hilliard’s 72-yard effort helped lift a rushing attack that couldn’t find a third gear much of the first half against Georgia. LSU totaled just 5 yards on 13 carries in the first half.
But things got better for Hilliard and the Tigers in the second half, when they rushed for 202 yards.
Hilliard took the ball on LSU’s second play of the third quarter and rushed 15 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 14-10 lead. The run capped a 26-yard drive that included the Tigers’ first two first downs of the game.
“We just had to go out in the second half and execute plays,” Hilliard said.
Hilliard, one of four Tigers running backs with at least six touchdowns this season, added a 4-yard scoring run later in the quarter to give the Tigers a 21-10 lead.
He added another score on an 8-yard reception in the third quarter, tying an SEC record for touchdowns in a game and giving the Tigers a 28-10 lead.
Alfred Blue tacked on a 48-yard run to give the Tigers a 35-10 lead with 6:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Big leg
Other than Mathieu, the Tigers received exemplary special-teams play from punter Brad Wing.
His 67-yard punt in the second quarter was the longest in SEC Championship history, breaking the mark by two yards was previously set by Florida’s Alan Rhine in 2000.
While his offense struggled in the first half, Wing repeatedly put Georgia’s offense in challenging positions with booming kicks.
"We spend a lot of time on special teams," LSU coach Les Miles said. "He's definitely a weapon for us. He's another piece we had to have."
Etc.
LSU is 4-1 in SEC Championship games, 2-1 under Miles. ... LSU is 8-0 against teams in the Top 25 this season, a school record. ... LSU is 13-0 for the first time in school history. ... LSU's 42 points are the title game's third-highest total, behind Auburn's 56 last year and Florida's 45 in 1996. ... The 32- point margin of victory is the second-highest total, trailing Auburn's 39-point beating of South Carolina last year. ... The 42 unanswered points by LSU is the most in championship game history; the previous was 34 in 1995 (Florida 34, Arkansas 3) and 1999 (Alabama 34, Florida 7). ... The 35 second-half points scored by LSU is the most in a title game; Auburn scored 28 in its 56-17 victory over South Carolina last year. ... The 21 points scored by LSU in the third quarter are the most by a single team in that period. ... LSU's Morris Claiborne became the eighth player to return an interception for a touchdown in the championship game.
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