LSU’s special teams unit made a ridiculous mistake during the first quarter of Saturday’s SEC Championship, and it cost them a touchdown, too.
After their drive stalled on fourth-and-goal, LSU opted to try a 32-yard field goal to get on the board first against the Georgia Bulldogs. The kick was blocked, however, leaving a dejected special teams unit to start leaving the field.
There was just one problem: the play was never actually dead, and nobody in an LSU uniform seemed to realize that. Georgia was aware, and safety Christopher Smith picked up the ball and ran it 95 yards untouched for a Georgia touchdown.
Wow, LSU thought the play was dead? what a mess.https://t.co/7qq5jLJDCV
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 3, 2022
You cannot make mistakes like this in any game, but especially in a championship game against a team of Georgia’s caliber. This is just a mental error, and it is remarkable that nobody seemed to catch on until it was far too late to do anything about it. To be fair, several Georgia players also looked like they were headed to the sideline, but Smith was smart enough to think better of it.
The Tigers will definitely want to improve their special teams play in 2023. There’s a good argument that it already cost them one game earlier this season.
