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No. 3 Texas will get a chance in the SEC Championship Game to avenge its lone regular-season loss after a key 17-7 road win over No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday.
The Longhorns (11-1) will meet No. 7 Georgia (10-2) in Atlanta after losing at home to the Bulldogs 30-15 on Oct. 19. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw three interceptions in the game, yet the Bulldogs still easily defeated the ‘Horns. Georgia clinched its place in the SEC Championship Game after a chaotic last weekend of Alabama, Texas A&M and Ole Miss losses.
Texas makes its first SEC Championship Game appearance in its first season as a conference member. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian has previously coached in the game as Alabama offensive coordinator (2020). Georgia coach Kirby Smart has a 2-4 record in the SEC title game since taking over his alma mater. Smart and Georgia lost last year’s SEC Championship Game 27-24 to Alabama and missed out on the four-team playoff despite entering the game as an undefeated No. 1 team.
Both teams are projected to make this year’s 12-team field regardless of result, though a three-loss Georgia team would be in a more perilous spot than a two-loss Texas team.
What to know about Georgia
Georgia survived an ugly, eight-overtime slugfest against Georgia Tech 44-42 to finish 10-2 in the regular season. Georgia was down 17-0 at the half and benefited from multiple questionable calls late to hold off the Yellow Jackets at home. The Bulldogs have been a bit of a mystery all season — equally capable of putting together a great performance as they can a lackluster one like against Georgia Tech. Georgia’s wins against No. 3 Texas and No. 7 Tennessee are two of the most impressive of any playoff contender, but it also looked completely overwhelmed in a road loss to No. 14 Ole Miss. The overwhelming talent advantage isn’t quite there this season, though there is still plenty to be a title contender.
Georgia goes as quarterback Carson Beck does, which has led to the mixed results. Against Georgia Tech, for instance, he struggled before adding three second-half touchdowns in the wild comeback effort. Beck’s 12 interceptions are only one behind the nation’s worst number as his decision-making in critical spots has left something to be desired. Georgia’s run game hasn’t been as impressive as it has in recent years with Nate Frazier (587 yards) and Trevor Etienne (477 yards) leading the way.
What to know about Texas
Texas was missing a marquee win before its 17-7 win over No. 20 Texas A&M in a game 13 years in the making. The Longhorns (11-1) had road wins against Michigan and Vanderbilt that are better than they’ve gotten credit for, but a home loss to Georgia deprived them of their best shot at a top 10 regular-season win. Before the A&M win, Texas didn’t have a single win over an opponent with more than six regular-season victories this season.
Texas has the talent to be the SEC’s best team even if it hasn’t always shown on the field. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, who has been banged up for stretches of this year, has been inconsistent though he showed his mettle recently in a tough win over Arkansas. The most impressive part of this team has been the defense, which gives up only 12.1 points per game (third-best in the nation) and 247.5 yards per game (second-best in the country). If the defense can keep that up and Ewers can get healthy, the Longhorns will be a tough out for any opponent.
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