How Ohio State football, Georgia match up in Peach Bowl 2022
Over the span of a few weeks last month, it seemed Ohio State might face Georgia in the postseason.
The teams were No. 1 and No. 2 in three out of the six editions of the College Football Playoff rankings.
Only instead of meeting in the final, they will tussle in a semifinal in the Peach Bowl, a result of the Buckeyes’ humbling loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season that sent them down the rankings and nearly cost them a spot in the four-team bracket.
Ahead of their tilt on New Year’s Eve, here’s how the talent-loaded teams match up.
Ohio State run game vs. Georgia run defense
The most formidable facet of Georgia’s vaunted defense is in the interior.
Only three teams have totaled even 100 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs’ top-ranked rush defense this fall, and no running back has crossed the century mark against them since 2020.
Between an imposing defensive line and swarming linebackers, they swallow up most backs, containing explosive plays. The Bulldogs have surrendered only 26 runs surpassing 10 yards or more, the fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
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Whether the Buckeyes are equipped to fare any better remains an open question. Their backfield became a revolving door over the regular season’s stretch run due to injuries, and the five-week layoff can only do so much to improve their health. TreVeyon Henderson underwent surgery to repair a broken bone and torn ligaments in his foot that had nagged him since September, a procedure sidelining him for the postseason.
But they will be closer to full strength as Miyan Williams recovers from an ankle injury. Williams, who formed a tandem with Henderson, is a tough runner who muscles through defenders. He gained 552 of his 817 rushing yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus data. His average of 4.42 yards after contact per attempt ranks fifth among Big Ten running backs.
Ohio State passing game vs. Georgia pass defense
The strength of one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses is on the perimeter.
Ohio State boasts two 1,000-yard receivers with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, a talented pass-catching duo that has stepped up in place of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who will remain out for the postseason as he continues to rehab a hamstring injury.
The emergence of Harrison and Egbuka has left quarterback C.J. Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, with targets to push the ball down the field vertically. Stroud averages 9.4 yards per pass attempt, a figure that ranks third among all FBS quarterbacks.
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If Stroud can operate out of a clean pocket, he and the Buckeyes’ receivers could pick on a secondary that has shown some cracks.
In its win over LSU in the SEC championship game, Georgia surrendered 502 passing yards to the Tigers, the most-ever allowed in the conference’s title game.
But the Bulldogs also held another prolific passing offense in check last month. When they defeated Tennessee, they limited quarterback Hendon Hooker to a season-low 195 yards through the air.
Kelee Ringo, who scored on a pick-six to seal last season’s national championship for Georgia, is its top cover corner.
Georgia run game vs. Ohio State run defense
Georgia leans on a three-headed rushing attack with Kenny McIntosh, Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, and the Bulldogs are in the top 20 nationally of FBS teams averaging 207 yards on the ground per game.
Coming out of high school in central California three years ago, Milton was among the Buckeyes’ top targets on the recruiting trail before signing with the Bulldogs as a member of their top-ranked 2020 recruiting class.
Part of the Bulldogs’ success is owed to an offensive line that was the runner-up to Michigan for the Joe Moore Award as the best in the nation. It’s cleared holes for all three of the running backs.
“They’ve got a good o-line, good running back and a good scheme,” Buckeyes linebacker Tommy Eichenberg said. “When you put all those together, you’ll be pretty good.”