Orange Bowl Preview: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia
The College Football playoffs have been set with this year's playoff race featuring some new teams. One of those teams is the Michigan Wolverines who will take on the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year’s Eve in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Michigan, ranked second, became the first ever team to make the playoffs after not being ranked in the preseason. They enter the playoffs fresh off two big wins against Ohio State and Iowa, the latter being for the Big 10 championship, its first in school history.
Under the guidance of veteran head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has been under intense scrutiny from the football community in the past few years, the Wolverines will look to improve on their 12-1 record with their only loss being to Michigan State.
Georgia, meanwhile, has had yet another successful season with a defense that has put up stats rarely ever seen. This is Georgia’s second playoff appearance with its first being in 2017. The Bulldogs will look to win their first championship in the CFP era.
Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara and running back Hassan Haskins have been a deadly combination in the backfield this year as they have combined for 35 total touchdowns.
While they have led this Michigan offense to an unprecedented season, they will face its biggest test by far in this playoff game: the Georgia defense, who have only allowed an astounding 9.5 points per game. It will be critical for Michigan to somehow overcome this top-tier defense if they want to keep this game close.
Additionally, Georgia has allowed only 81.7 yards per game on the ground. This will pose a huge challenge to Haskins who averages 4.9 yards per carry. Michigan does have a roadmap to victory though, and it was created just one week ago in Atlanta.
Last week Alabama was able to overcome the Georgia defense in the SEC championship with a score of 41-24. In the game, Alabama scored 24 more points on Georgia’s defense than any other opponent had all season. This feat was achieved by utilizing the passing game.
Bryce Young had 421 yards in the game and three touchdowns which Georgia just could not compete with. If Michigan wants to be competitive in this game, they will have to utilize McNamara and the passing game.
When Georgia’s offense is on the field, it will be key for quarterback Stetson Bennett to keep his interceptions low. Bennett threw two interceptions last week which allowed Alabama to further add to its point totals in the game.
Additionally, Georgia’s offensive line will have to deal with a Hiesman frontrunner defensive end in Aiden Hutchinson. Hutchinson has had an outstanding season and has amassed an amazing 14 sacks on the season.
If Georgia’s offensive line cannot find a way to shut Hutchinson down and keep him from its quarterback, it could be a long game for the Georgia offense that could see them get very little done on offense.
Michigan’s game plan on defense needs to ensure that Hutchinson can make a difference in this game to where he isn’t double-teamed for most of the game. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of blitzes led by Hutchinson in the game.
If these plays turn out to be effective, Michigan and its lethal offense will have more than a few shots to figure out the Georgia defense and could run away with the game.
Ethan Ellis is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at ece5133@psu.edu.
