LSU Football: 5 Reasons the Tigers will Upset Georgia

5. LSU will avoid turnovers and pound the rock

After turning it over just one time in the season’s first four weeks, LSU has coughed up the football five times in the last two weeks, including three in the Swamp a week ago. Georgia has taken advantage of turnovers. The Bulldogs are tied for 13th in turnover margin so far this season. If LSU can play mistake-free football in front of a raucous environment in Death Valley, they will put themselves in a great position to win the game.

A big way to do that will be to lean on the ground game and avoid putting Joe Burrow in uncomfortable third-and-longs. They can ill-afford to get behind in the game and have to rely on Burrow to win it with his arm – that’s not going to happen against an elite team like Georgia.

Coming into the season, questions surrounded the LSU rushing attack and how effective it could be without having workhorses in Derrius Guice or Leonard Fournette pounding the rock 30-times per game. Nick Brossette and Clyde Edwards-Helaire have formed a strong two-man duo in the Tigers backfield, combining for 906 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.8 yards-per-carry.

Georgia ranks 19th in defensive S&P+, but they have been susceptible to the run some this season. Missouri found success with 172 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Middle Tennessee State and Vanderbilt also found some moderate success on the ground against the Bulldogs as well.

LSU prefers a game where they can control the line of scrimmage and time of possession, and this Georgia front-seven could be ripe for the picking. If LSU is able to avoid turnovers and can run the ball effectively, they’ve got a great shot at upsetting Georgia and getting themselves back into the thick of the college football playoff race.