When you dominate a team on the field, you need to dominate them on the scoreboard or it simply doesn't matter.
Thatr's the lesson of this game, and the lesson of pretty much every upset bid. UGA came out and absolutely dominated the game in the first half, showing themselves to be the better team on the field. They moved the ball at will, and LSU's offense couldn't even manage a first down. It was complete domination.
And after Tyrann Mathieu returned a kick for a touchdown, it only resulted in a 3 point Bulldog lead. When UGA went to the half with a 10-7 lead despite it's utter domination of the first half, you knew they were in deep, deep trouble.
UGA threw it's best punches in the first half. They even landed a good portion of them. But up by a mere field goal at the half, it simply wasn't enough of a cushion for the oncoming LSU onslaught. The big plays were coming, and when they came, UGA had no response.
Aaron Murray fumbled on an ill-advised scramble on third down. Two plays later? Touchdown, LSU. UGA went three and out, and on the ensuing punt Mathieu broke another huge return. Four plays later? Touchdown, LSU. 21-10 Tigers. No looking back.
That's how quickly things can turn against you against LSU. You spend the entire game doing everything right, and you make two mistakes... and you're down by 11 points with seemingly no hope of a comeback.
By the end of the game, LSU had evened out the statistical lines, but the domination in the second half was thorough and complete. Where there had once been a competitive ballgame, tilted in the Bulldogs favor, there was now an LSU blowout.
It happened as quickly as you can imagine. That's how this time strikes. When you have the advantage, you have to score points. Kevin Spacey asked in the Usual Suspects, "How do you shoot the devil in the back? What happens if you miss?"
Georgia tried to shoot LSU in the back and found out what happens when you miss. They probably deserved a better result than that, but to quote another movie, "Deserved ain't got nothing to do with it."
LSU saw its season flash before it's eyes at the half. They reacted as they always do, by seizing the moment and dominating the game, winning by a huge score. SEC Champs. Undefeated season. Scoreboard.
I can't put this season into perspective yet, that will come over the ensuing weeks, but I do think this was the culmination of the greatest LSU season ever. Period. If this team fails to win the national title, it will be a tragedy. But this was a team that saw the season flash before its eyes, and they did not panic. They just ruthlessly asserted their dominance and claimed their right -- the SEC title.
Next stop, New Orleans.