"Steve Sarkisian is way too smart": FOX insider Joel Klatt makes bold predictions for blockbuster 2024 SEC Championship
The Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns face off in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, but FOX insider Joel Klatt expects a completely different game from the one played in Austin on Oct. 19.
Klatt believes that the Texas coaching staff will make the necessary adjustments to make this second game against Georgia different. According to the insider, avoiding the mistakes that plagued the 'Horns in the first game will be crucial.
“Steve Sarkisian is way too smart to go in there with a similar or the same game plan against Georgia. They won’t do that. And a lot of the mistakes they made on the offensive side are correctable," Klatt said on the 'The Joel Klatt Show' podcast.
“The wrong release from a wide receiver, [Quinn] Ewers not seeing a corner blitz. Like all these things that led to turnovers, that led to points, and then they couldn’t overcome that," he added.
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Sarkisian has seemingly pushed the right buttons most of his time in Austin, as he led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last year and has his team in line for an SEC title in their first year in the conference.
The game against Georgia, however, was a tough pill to swallow for the Longhorns, as they committed four turnovers on their way to a 30-15 home loss.
Is there an Arch Manning scenario for Texas?
Joel Klatt added that Georgia's defense has struggled after that Texas game. He pointed at last weekend’s game, an eight-overtime win over Georgia Tech, as an example of the units’ struggles lately.
In that game, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns in 24 carries. That performance led Klatt to suggest another wrinkle from the Texas coaching staff.
“We’ll have to see how tight of a leash Quinn Ewers has and even with that ankle being banged up, let’s remember the last time we saw Georgia, what were they doing? They were giving up a ton of yardage to the quarterback of Georgia Tech, Haynes King," Klatt said.
“So, the legs of Arch Manning, could that be a factor in this game? Very well might be. If I’m watching the film of that game from last week, and I’m watching that Georgia defense, which has not played that well since that game against Texas. I would say that could be an advantage for Texas," he added.
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As Klatt mentioned, Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns' starting quarterback, is hampered with an ankle injury, and perhaps Arch Manning’s mobility could cause additional problems for the Bulldogs' defense.
The Georgia defense has taken a step back compared to the last few years and is only ranked No. 44 against the run in 2024, with 135.8 rushing yards allowed per game. However, in that matchup against the Longhorns, they allowed only 29 yards on the ground.
Joel Klatt doesn't trust the Bulldogs' offense
On the other side of the ball, Joel Klatt voiced concerns about whether Carson Beck and the Georgia offense will be able to move the ball consistently. In the regular season game against Texas, they took advantage of four Longhorn turnovers leading to short fields to take the victory.
“The 30 points that they put up against Texas in the first matchup, was not indicative of the matchup. Remember all the short fields that they got. They had six scoring drives and nly one of those drives went more than 35 yards," Klatt said.
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While the Bulldogs' attack has been better lately, and Carson Beck has 11 touchdowns and no turnovers in his last three games, the Texas defense is a tougher matchup than what the 'Dawgs have faced during that period.
The winner of the SEC Championship Game will not only win the conference title but also ensure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.