Bulldog defense rebounds, stifles Wolverines
MIAMI, Fla. - Nakobe Dean and the Bulldogs felt no pressure.
For the first time in the 2021 season, the Georgia defense entered a game with at least somewhat tempered expectations. The Bulldogs had been torched by Alabama in their last outing. As Dean put it, "this was probably one of the first weeks where there was nobody riding us as far as thinking we were just going to destroy somebody."
In the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Friday night, the Georgia defense returned to form. The Bulldogs stifled the Wolverines all night long on their way to a 34-11 victory and a berth in the national championship game.
The Bulldogs dominated Michigan from the start. The first half saw Georgia outgain the Wolverines 330-101. Michigan didn't find the end zone until the closing minutes when the game had already been decided.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart felt the defense came into the game with a chip on its shoulder. They had heard for weeks that they weren't as good as the country had thought.
On top of that, they felt a sense of pride in their defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won the Frank Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in the country, over Lanning this year.
The Bulldogs also faced a Michigan offensive line recognized as the best in the country. The Wolverines received the Joe Moore Award signifying that very fact.
"They’re totally deserving of that," senior defensive lineman Jordan Davis said. "They have a great offensive line. We just wanted to make sure that we were dominant and physical up front. We wanted to make sure that we tested them and gave them a challenge. That was our gameplan going in, being a more physical, dominant front."
On the ground, Georgia held Michigan to 88 yards on 27 attempts. The Wolverines entered Friday averaging 224 rushing yards per game.
The Bulldog pass rush often got home. Georgia registered four sacks on the night after not recording a single one against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
"Was it a magic potion? I don’t think it was a magic potion," Smart said. "We called a lot of the same calls we called against Alabama. But the quarterback probably didn’t escape as good as Alabama’s did, and we finished a little better."
The staff and players went back to basics following that dismal performance against the Crimson Tide. They held several camp-style practices before fully turning attention to Michigan.
The rest and refocus paid off with a vintage defensive performance for these 2021 Bulldogs. Next up is a rematch with Alabama, this one for all the marbles in the national title game.
If Georgia continues to play with that same fire on defense, it feels like it has a good chance to claim the program's first national title since 1980.
"We just have to keep sure that we keep moving forward in the future," Davis said. "The past is history, but the future’s mystery."