To be the man, you have to beat the man.
Full disclosure, I wanted to play Georgia first. I’d rather have a month to prepare for the best team, than only eight days. Worked out pretty well for us in 2014 against Alabama.
And we match up really well with Georgia.
When Georgia is on Defense
The Kirby Smart / Nick Saban defense will give you 1v1 matchups downfield all game long. It’s what allows them to be so suffocating near the line of scrimmage. The teams that Georgia struggle with have playmakers to beat them consistently on the outside.
LSU, who is the epitome of mediocrity, just passed for 500 yards on them. Versus Kentucky, Will Levis and Barion Brown connected on receptions 31, 42, and 47 yards. Versus Mizzou, Brady Cook connected on receptions of 36, 42, and 46 yards.
Enter: THE best reciever room in the country. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are two playmakers that have been shredding single coverage all year long. Advantage: Buckeyes.
When Georgia has the ball:
Georgia is a very unique team that runs a ton of 12 and 13 personnel. Their TEs are the engine of their offense. Only one WR, Ladd McConkey, has over 400 yards receiving this year and he’s banged up.
As such, they struggle in two minute situations and are not built to come from behind. If we can go up on them early, Jim Knowles can dial up the pass rush and force Bennett and those inexperienced WRs to win 1v1 in pressure situations.
Admittedly our defense had a poor showing last time out. But this is a defense that has been ranked top ten all season long, and I trust mad scientist Knowles to come up with a diabolical plan for Bennett and Co.
Conclusion:
Georgia is very good, but they are not the same team as last year. There’s a reason why they struggled against Kent State, Mizzou, Kentucky, even Georgia Tech for a half. We will not be the favorite by any means, but we have to like our chances.
Super pumped for this matchup. Ryan Day has always been money with his offensive game plan with a month to prepare.
Should have never let us back in!
Go Bucks!
