No. 5 Georgia (10-2) vs. No. 2 Texas (11-1)

3 p.m. CST Saturday (ABC)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

2 Of the three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award will play in the SEC Championship Game. Texas’ Jahdae Barron and Georgia’s Malaki Starks joined Ohio State’s Caleb Downs as the finalists for the defensive back of the year award.

4 Consecutive appearances for Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs are the second program to reach the game in at least four straight seasons. Florida played in the first five SEC title games from 1992 through 1996.

6 Previous games between Georgia and Texas, including a 30-15 victory by the Bulldogs on Oct. 19. The Longhorns have a 4-2 lead in the series. Texas defeated Georgia 41-28 in the Orange Bowl to cap the 1948 season, 26-7 in 1957, 13-8 in 1958 and 28-21 in the Sugar Bowl for the 2018 season. Georgia’s other victory came 10-9 in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1983 season.

7 Appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game for Texas, which won that contest 49-21 over Oklahoma State last season and now has reached the SEC Championship Game in its first season in that conference. Texas also won the Big 12 title in 1996, 2005 and 2009 and lost in the championship game in 1999, 2001 and 2018. The Longhorns won the Southwest Conference championship 29 times from 1920 through 1995.

7 Sacks for Georgia in a 30-15 victory over Texas on Oct. 19, with Jalon Walker recording three and Mykel Williams two. Texas QBs were sacked 15 times in the Longhorns’ other 11 games. Georgia recorded 23 sacks in its other 11 games.

7 SEC teams have beaten two teams ranked first or second in The Associated Press Poll (at the time of the game) in the same season. When Georgia defeated Texas 30-15 on Oct. 19, the Longhorns were ranked No. 1. They’re No. 2 this week. The SEC teams that have two victories over top-two teams are Alabama in 2009, Auburn in 2017, Florida in 1996 and 2008, Georgia in 2021 and Tennessee in 1985 and 1998.

8 Victories against bowl-eligible teams in Texas’ 10 wins this season. That’s tied with Syracuse for the most in the nation and two more than any other team in the SEC has had in 2024. Georgia’s victories include five against bowl-eligible teams.

8 SEC Championship games have been rematches of regular-season contests, including Saturday’s contest. Georgia defeated Texas 30-15 on Oct. 19. In the previous seven rematches, the winner of the SEC Championship Game completed a sweep. The exceptions occurred in 2001, when LSU lost to Tennessee 26-18 in the regular season and defeated the Volunteers 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, and 2017, when Georgia lost to Auburn 40-17 in the regular season and defeated the Tigers 28-7 in the SEC Championship Game. The sweeps occurred in 1999 (Alabama over Florida), 2000 (Florida over Auburn), 2003 (LSU over Georgia), 2004 (Auburn over Tennessee) and 2010 (Auburn over South Carolina).

12 Appearances in the SEC Championship Game for Georgia when the Bulldogs take the field on Saturday. Alabama has played in the game 15 times, and Florida has done so 13 times. No other teams have made the game more than seven times. Georgia has a 4-7 record in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs won the championship in 2002, 2005, 2017 and 2022 and lost in the title game in 2003, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Before the championship game began in 1992, Georgia won the SEC title in 1942, 1948, 1959, 1968, 1980 and 1982 and tied for first place in 1946, 1966, 1976 and 1981. Georgia’s 14 total titles is second in the league behind Alabama’s 30.

18 Interceptions for the Texas defense this season, the most in the SEC and the third-most in the nation. Georgia QB Carson Beck has been intercepted 12 times, including three times by Texas on Oct. 19, the most in the SEC. Eleven players have intercepted passes for Texas in 2024.

19 Of the 32 SEC Championship games have been won by the home team. Texas is the home team for Saturday’s game.

20 Consecutive games with a takeaway for Texas, including more than one in each of the past seven. Texas had 26 takeaways this season, tied for the fifth-most in the nation. Georgia lost 16 turnovers this season – 12 interceptions and four fumbles.

21 Yards on seven punt returns for Georgia’s opponents this season. The Bulldogs led the SEC in net punting in 2024. Texas WR Silas Bolden has 194 yards on 23 punt returns this season.

23 Consecutive games with at least one TD pass for Texas QB Quinn Ewers. Ewers has had a TD pass in every game he’s played since being blanked by Baylor in the Longhorns’ 38-27 victory on Nov. 25, 2022. He has thrown 47 TD passes in the 23-game streak. He’s tied for the longest active streak in NCAA FBS with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, who has thrown at least one TD pass in all 23 of his games with the Buffaloes.

23 Victories in 32 SEC Championship games by the team ranked higher in the AP Poll. Texas is No. 2 and Georgia No. 5 in this week’s poll.

24 Consecutive victories for Texas in games that it led at halftime. The most recent team to rally from a halftime deficit to defeat the Longhorns was Oklahoma State, which trailed 31-24 at halftime before posting a 41-34 victory on Oct. 22, 2022. Georgia has trailed at halftime five times and been tied once at halftime in its 12 games this season. The Bulldogs won four of those contests.

28 Passing TDs for Georgia QB Carson Beck this season, the most in the SEC this season. The Texas defense has yielded four TD passes this season, tied with Ohio State for the fewest in the nation.

31 Of the 32 winners in the SEC Championship Game have scored in the fourth quarter. The only title winner that didn’t score in the last period was Florida when it defeated Auburn 28-6 in 2000.

77.3 Was the passing-efficiency rating for Georgia QB Carson Beck in the Bulldogs’ 30-15 victory over Texas on Oct. 19, the worst of his 26 college starts. The second-worst is 108.5. Against the Longhorns, Beck completed 23-of-41 passes for 175 yards with no TDs and three interceptions.

143.7 Passing yards per game have been given up by Texas this season, the best average in the nation. Georgia has averaged 297.0 passing yards per game, the 10th-best average in the nation in 2024.

466 Of the 1,630 rushing yards yielded by Georgia’s defense have been gained in the past two games. Massachusetts ran for 226 yards on Nov. 23 and Georgia Tech ran for 260 yards on Nov. 29. The Bulldogs won both games, beating the Minutemen 59-21 and the Yellow Jackets 44-42 in eight overtimes. Texas completed its regular season by rushing for 250 yards in a 31-14 victory over Kentucky and 240 yards in a 17-7 victory over Texas A&M with RB Tre Wisner gaining 344 yards on 59 rushing attempts in the games. Wisner finished the regular season with 812 yards on 157 carries.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.