Georgia and LSU will meet in Atlanta for the 5th time in 20 years in the SEC Championship this Saturday. In those 20 years, there have been a number of players such as Joe Burrow, Tyrann Mathieu, DJ Shockley, and others to etch their names in history with legendary performances in a game that means so much. While neither team is short on talent on both sides of the ball. Harold Perkins is one player in particular that could make a massive impact for the Tigers on Saturday.
The Freshman linebacker from Cypress, Texas has turned in a super impressive season for the Tigers. While Perkins' stats may not jump off the page as much as other linebackers in the conference. The 6"2, 210-pound linebacker's athleticism is almost impossible to miss when watching games and makes him a headache for offensive coordinators. He has shown his "game-breaking" ability numerous times this season and flies around with scary fast closing speed.
Perkins became a household name in the SEC after he turned in a dominant performance against the Arkansas Razorbacks with 6 solo tackles and 2 forced fumbles all while battling Flu-like symptoms. A game that earned him SEC defensive player of the week. Although Perkins is relatively new in the eyes of those who may not religiously follow recruiting, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has been aware of the 5-star recruit’s ability for quite some time now.
"We were aware of him, evaluated him. He was probably one of the most talented linebackers coming out that season on tape. He's proven that. He's extremely explosive, athletic. They do a very good job of utilizing his skill set."
-Kirby Smart
Perkins has been most effective in his role as a "spy" against scrambling/running quarterbacks this season. The linebackers 4.44 40 time provides him with the wide-out-like closing speed that makes scrambling and escaping his rush nearly impossible for quarterbacks. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett will need to have a short internal clock in the passing game Saturday to avoid being sacked.
While Georgia is still heavily favored to win Saturday's matchup due to their overwhelming talent on both sides of the ball. LSU will certainly give the Bulldogs everything they have and if Harold Perkins can turn in another elite performance on Saturday. Things could become extremely interesting for this Georgia team that has been known to turn the ball over at an alarming rate.
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