Georgia wins the SEC: News and Notes

ATLANTA - News and notes from Georgia's championship win.

RUNNING BACK ROTATION: Thomas Brown retained his starting tailback spot, but Kregg Lumpkin was once again the second back in the game. Lumpkin, Georgia’s hottest back entering the game, came in on the second series, in which the Bulldogs scored on their first play.

Danny Ware entered the game for the third series of the game, but he fumbled the ball after the whistle on his first carry and was immediately replaced by Lumpkin, who had two carries for 7 yards on the drive.

Ware ended up with the most yards in the first half, 22 on five carries. He got four carries on Georgia’s last drive of the half, as the Bulldogs ran out the clock.

INJURY UPDATE: Georgia linebacker Brandon Miller left the game with 8:10 left in the second quarter due to a sprained left knee. Miller did not return in the first half but was not ruled out to play in the second half. Defensive tackle Kedric Golston left the game briefly in first half with a groin injury.

NEW LOOK: Georgia assistant coach Kirby Smart, who coordinates the Bulldogs’ kickoff return unit, had threatened to try something a little different. On the opening play of the game, he did.

Instead of deploying the traditional two return men, Smart sent redshirt freshman Ramarcus Brown back by himself to return the kick. Brown took the ball two yards deep in the end zone and returned it 26 yards. He fumbled the ball at the end of his run but recovered it himself.

BOWL BUSINESS: Peach Bowl representatives have assured the SEC they won’t allow the loser of Saturday’s title game to slip below their bowl. That eliminates the possibility the loser could slip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. The Independence Bowl is at the bottom of the SEC pecking order.

THIS AND THAT: LSU hadn’t given up a first quarter touchdowns in eight straight games entering Saturday. Georgia scored two touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game. … Late in the first quarter, Bulldog cornerback DeMario Minter, No. 2, stopped LSU running back Shyrone Carey, No. 2, for a 2-yard loss. … Marcus Howard had the second sack, and by far the biggest play, of his career in the second quarter, when he brought down JaMarcus Russell for a 10-yard loss.