Georgia football is a well-coached team that can get to the national championship, but first, they must focus on the Michigan Wolverines. The Dawgs possess three valuable tools that will give them the edge.
Some fans have put the Dawgs to bed and feel the season is over, but that is the furthest thing from the truth. This team knows how important this game against Michigan is, and they will treat it like it’s the national championship.
Georgia has to get through Michigan before it takes on the winner of the Cotton Bowl game. Fans shouldn’t count out Cinncinati because those Bearcats can flat out play.
However, two of the four teams have been in this situation before, and we all know it’s Georgia and Alabama. Experience is helpful in these big-time games, especially the playoffs.
Georgia football has three tools to elevate them past the Wolverines and secure their spot in Indianapolis.
This Michigan team isn’t the same caliber as Alabama. The Dawgs have dominated all season long, and Alabama got the best of them on Dec. 4. Georgia needs to get back to what they were doing all season long.
BIG10 teams are talented, and Michigan has played back-to-back challenging games against Ohio State and then Iowa. They handled their business to get here. Georgia handled their business throughout the regular season, so they got a mulligan and still made the playoffs when they fell to Alabama.
Michigan did that against Ohio State in the regular season, but it would have been game over for them if they fell to Iowa, so of course, they played to the standard of win you’re in, lose you’re out — Alabama did the same thing.
It doesn’t make the loss feel any better, and it doesn’t make it okay to lose if you still get in because Georgia fans desperately want to beat Alabama. That victory will come, trust that, so enjoy the fact that the Dawgs did more than enough to get to the playoffs. No one else did that this season but Cinncinati.
One game doesn’t define a season. No matter if it’s against Alabama or not, the next two games are the ones that matter. The Wolverines earned their spot, and so did Georgia, so the Dawg fans need to remember that.
Georgia has the tools to get the job done against Michigan. They have had a month to regroup, refocus, and prep for the Wolverines. Here are three of Georgia’s many tools for why the Dawgs beat Michigan.
Georgia football and their experienced depth impresses
Now we’re not saying Michigan doesn’t have the depth at all. Georgia football has the depth that also has experience. With so many blowout victories, the Dawgs’ second and third-stringers have gotten a ton of playing time, which only helps the team in the long run.
Michigan has a deep team too that is talented, but the way Georgia could field their backups and still shut out three opponents this season is impressive.
The wideouts who started the season now share reps with the guys they had to step in for, which is a big plus for the Dawgs.
Having George Pickens back is incredible and a significant advantage for Georgia, but also having AD Mitchell behind him get reps throughout the year means they both can be weapons. The same goes for Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Jermaine Burton and Kearis Jackson.
So many guys got the opportunity to catch balls and do things this season that Michigan has a ton to prepare for Georgia to target.
Plus, defensively, five-stars are backing up other five-stars who are just waiting for their turn to take a bite out of an offense.
However the difference here is while Michigan has Aiden Hutchinson and David Ojabo, Georgia has Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Channing Tindall and a few others. That list isn’t even accounting for the secondary and what they do for the defense.
The secondary is the Dawgs’ weakest area, so if the front seven of this defense can do their job, the secondary can do theirs a little better. Friday’s game is going to be about who can use their depth to their advantage and for now I like the Dawgs’ chances.
Georgia football explosive offense will benefit the Dawgs
Regardless of whether you want to believe that Georgia football has an explosive offense, the Dawgs have made a ton of big plays this football season.
Many of Georgia’s big plays came from Brock Bowers, the true-freshman tight end that has no quit and seems like he should be a fifth-year senior. He loves those big moments, and there are very few times he hasn’t made those happen.
Georgia also has a stable of running backs that can bust open a big run if they need to, and this is the game they will need to do just that. However, starting quarterback Stetson Bennett can get the ball to his guys to make explosive plays, and the Dawgs need to do that against the Wolverines defensive backs.
The Dawgs need to air it out early and test the waters because the wideouts are strong and can create the right separation to make these plays. Bennett just has to get it to them, and he has a majority of the time this year, again regardless of any fan wanting to believe that.
If it’s George Pickens, Bowers, Darnell Washington or AD Mitchell, the jump ball can be beneficial because most of these guys proved they could win those 50/50 battles.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a Sony Michel Rose Bowl-type run on Friday against the Wolverines? By airing it out, that gives the running backs a better chance at busting those big runs we need to see from them. This offense is more than capable of making big things happen, and to us, that needs to be a big emphasis in this playbook.
If Georgia can get some explosive plays, it’ll give them the confidence to keep moving forward and beat the Wolverines.
Georgia football’s drive will help get them past the Wolverines
If this Georgia football team wants anything, it’s a chance to possibly take on Alabama again in the national championship. That drive is one of the biggest things that will help them beat Michigan.
The Wolverines want to make it to a national championship just as bad as the Dawgs, but they will have to wait. After the atrocious performance in Atlanta, Georgia wants to prove a point, and the first team in their way is Michigan.
These two teams are similar, but Georgia wants to make history this season. This year’s leadership team has refocused their teammates to remember the goal — win a national championship. That goal is the primary one, and sure another SEC Championship would have been excellent, but history shows when two teams play twice in one season, the loser of the first one usually has a better shot in game two.
Georgia won an SEC Championship in 2017. After getting revenge against Auburn, now it’s time for the Dawgs to win a national championship. First, they have to win their semifinal game, and they’ve got the tools to do so.
These tools of being explosive, having experienced depth, and having this drive are just a few things the Dawgs possess that should help them defeat Michigan. This slide may seem cliche, but when a talented team like Georiga gets smacked in the mouth and has another chance to prove themselves, they rise and remind people who they are.
Georgia and Michigan take on each other on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Thank goodness there are just a few days left because this has been the longest few weeks without Georgia football. These are just a few things that the Dawgs have in their pocket, but they are the ones that should help them get one step closer to their main goal.