SEC Championship Game Preview: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia

Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns rushes during the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

College football has nearly already peaked for the 2024 season. There have been chaotic weekends throughout this season where it was easy to wonder how things could get much more crazy, but the following weekend almost always answered that question. Now we’ve reached conference championship weekend, with spots in the new 12-team College Football Playoff (CPF) up for grabs.

We’ve already looked ahead to the Big Ten Championship Game, in which two teams that will likely make the CFP will battle for the right to have a bye in the second round. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Game might not be as simple. With one of the teams playing already having two losses, the variables that could take place after this game are better left for after the game to try to understand.

Here’s the tale of the tape for the SEC title game on Saturday afternoon.

SEC Championship Game

No. 2 Texas (11-1) vs. No. 5 Georgia (10-2) 4:00 PM EST Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Team Offense

Texas

• 450.1 yards/game (4th in SEC)
• 34.8 points/game (4th in SEC)
• 274.6 pass yards/game (4th in SEC)

Georgia

• 425.3 yards/game (7th in SEC)
• 34.3 points/game (5th in SEC)
• 297.0 pass yards/game (3rd in SEC)

The Quarterbacks

Texas

• Quinn Ewers – 67.3 percent comp., 2,307 yards, 24 touchdowns, 7 INT
• Arch Manning – 67.8 percent comp., 939 yards, 9 touchdowns, 2 INT

Georgia

• Carson Beck – 65.1 percent comp., 3,429 yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 INT

Impact Players

Texas: RB Quintrevion Wisner—812 rush yards, 214 receiving yards, four total TDs (three rush, one rec)

Georgia: RB Trevor Etienne—477 rush yards, 140 receiving yards, seven TDs, 5.0 yards/carry

Team Defense

Texas

• 11.7 pts/game (1st in SEC)
• 247.5 yards/game (1st in the SEC)

Georgia

• 20.5 pts/game (2nd in B1G)
• 332.2 yards/game (7th in SEC)

Best Win(s)

Texas

• 31-12 at Michigan (Sept. 7)
• 17-7 at Texas A&M (Dec. 1)

Georgia

• 34-3 vs. Clemson (Aug. 31)
• 30-15 at Texas (Oct. 20)
• 31-17 vs. Tennessee (Nov. 17)

Who Has the Advantage?

When Georgia went to Texas and won earlier in the regular season, Georgia’s defense held Texas to just 29 rushing yards, and only Wisner had more than seven positive yards rushing. Etienne rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns. He needed to; Beck threw three interceptions and zero touchdowns in the win.

However, Etienne has been sidelined with a rib injury over the past few weeks and was limited before that. If he can’t go, they’ll need Nate Frazier to continue playing well. He finished the regular season leading Georgia with 587 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

For Texas, Wisner started the season slowly on the ground but rushed for 344 yards on 59 carries in the Longhorns’ last two games, wins over Kentucky and at Texas A&M. If he can be more effective than his 3.5 yards per carry from the first meeting, Texas could control the clock and limit their quarterback(s) exposure to Georgia’s defense. And, of course, there’s the debate surrounding which Longhorns quarterback should be taking the snaps, and the noise to replace one of the other struggles early.

This game is being played in Atlanta, which means it will feel and sound like a home game for Georgia. And they already have a win against Texas this season. They likely need to win this game to get into the playoff, even with their impressive resume. The Bulldogs will need to play their best game of the season to pull it off again.