Georgia Football: How can UGA slow down Baker Mayfield?

The Georgia Football team will face the best quarterback it has seen all year in Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. How can the Dawgs slow him down?

The 2017 Georgia football team sits in a place it hasn’t been in many years. The Dawgs are SEC Champions and will play for a berth in the national championship game on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl.

What’s standing in Georgia’s way? Not much except Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and a high-powered Oklahoma Sooner offense. While Mayfield has put up absolutely phenomenal numbers during his years at Oklahoma, the Dawgs must slow him down in order to have a chance at winning the Rose Bowl.

Make no mistake about it, Baker Mayfield cannot be stopped. But he can be contained if the right game plan is put into place. Georgia has been able to shut down many high-powered offenses this year by doing exactly that. For the game plan against Mayfield, Georgia should go back and watch film from the Missouri game earlier this season.

In the first half of the Missouri game, Tigers quarterback Drew Lock absolutely torched the Dawgs defense as he threw all over the field. This happened as a result of two major problems: lack of a pass rush and blown coverage plays in the secondary. The Dawgs did make some crucial halftime adjustments and were able to slow down Lock in the second half.

Baker Mayfield is just as good at throwing the ball as Drew Lock and he plays on a much better team in Oklahoma. Mayfield is also much more mobile than Lock which adds another dimension in this game. Oklahoma’s offense thrives on big, explosive plays and it’s almost certain the Sooners will take some shots against the Dawgs early and often.

The key to slowing down Baker Mayfield sounds simple:

Blitz/pressure him with your fastest players in the front seven to make him scramble. Simply pressuring Mayfield will not be enough. Georgia has to call these blitzes with its faster players so that the Dawgs can actually get Mayfield to the turf when he scrambles outside the pocket. One of Mayfield’s best skills is improvising plays while outside the pocket. So, merely blitzing him and causing him to run is only half the equation: the Dawgs have to be able to pursue him to the ground or make him throw the ball away.

There are 3 players on Georgia’s defense that should be used early and often on these pressure plays: Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter, and D’Andre Walker. Smith can run sideline to sideline with anyone in college football. I expect his eyes to be on Mayfield quite a lot. Carter’s length and ability to strip the football could be key in generating a much-needed turnover for Georgia’s defense. Walker, who I firmly believe is Georgia’s best true pass rusher, always seems to make plays when he’s on the field despite his limited snaps.

While Georgia certainly has some nice size and strength up front, those players will rarely be quick enough to bring down Baker Mayfield. Georgia has to pressure him with players that are as fast or faster than him.

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Oklahoma’s offense revolves around Baker Mayfield, as it should. If Georgia can apply meaningful pressure and blitz packages to get him out of his comfort zone, then the Dawgs will be set up nicely for a chance to take the Rose Bowl trophy back to Athens.