Final Feelings: Georgia Should Beat Michigan, But...

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MIAMI - Dean Legge, Matt DeBary, Ryan Kerley and Dylan Webber give their final take on what will happen with the No. 3 Dawgs in the 2021 Orange Bowl.

Matt’s Final Feelings:

It’s that time again. Final Feelings from Miami.

This is my first time down to South Florida and I have mixed feelings. 5-star weather, 4-star treatment for the media, 3-star food and 2-star drivers out here. Cool place to visit for a few days but not exactly my scene. 

Of course, none of that really matters. We’re here for the Orange Bowl and I expect Michigan to give Georgia an all-out, four-quarter battle on Friday night.

We’ve talked about it for weeks now, but these are two very similar teams. The Wolverines have an excellent rushing attack with plenty of finesse and misdirection involved. They have a stout defense and will absolutely give Stetson Bennett a hard time here and there. Stetson doesn’t have to win this game with his arm, but as long as he takes care of the football, I see Georgia coming out on top. Michigan’s defense will get after him, and he’s going to have to make a few big throws at some point, but I believe Bennett is up to the task.  

In the end, give me a low-scoring 24-21 victory for the ‘Dawgs. 

Georgia’s deeper than Michigan. They’re more talented across the board. This is about as healthy as Georgia has been all season and that’s a big reason why I give Georgia an advantage. For the first time all season they’re coming out with a chip on their shoulder. I think they’ll come out strong defensively, enter the half with a small lead, and make just enough plays to hold off a late Michigan run.

Kirby Smart needs this game. It’s one thing to have the No. 2 program in the country with just the Alabama monkey on their back. It’s a completely different story if they fall to a Michigan team who is playing in their biggest game in about 25 years.

I expect Kirby Smart to have his team prepared and playing with confidence. Offensively, run the football, throw it to Brock Bowers, throw it to George Pickens, and then run the ball some more. They have plenty of weapons on the outside, but playing with multiple tight end sets should put Georgia in a position to create some mismatches. 

Michigan is playing their best football of the season but they haven’t played a defense like Georgia’s. But is Georgia’s defense as good as they were earlier in the season? They miss Adam Anderson’s pressure off the edge for sure. Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall will find their way into the backfield, but at the end of the day, guys have to get off blocks and go get the QB. 

I think it’s going to be a tough, gritty game, but Georgia needs to have this one. I think they’ll get the job done. 

Ryan’s Final Feelings:

It’s time to go. Georgia is in the playoff again, and it is time to win a National Championship. They need to win the Orange Bowl first. 

This is the first bowl game I have ever been to, and it is quite the first to be at. 

Dean and I have been in Miami since Sunday. I have had enough of Florida. If you are not at the beach or Disney World, then I do not know why you would cross into this state. It’s trashy. It’s too warm. It’s not for me. 

Florida is a bottom-tier state. I think it’s better than South Carolina (arguably one of the five worst states). I had to throw in some South Carolina slander. They don’t have much going for them. 

What kind of seafood restaurant is out of shrimp?! Not acceptable. I want my fried shrimp when I am at the beach. I will say, the mahi mahi sandwich was really good, but it was not what I wanted. They lost my respect. 

The quarterback talk has ruled the discussion for the better part of this season. I am going to keep this part short. Stetson is going to start. I do think that JT is the more talented player and is better at some things than Stetson is. That does not matter if Stetson is in, and he will be. I am calling out the fans. Root for him to succeed. He is the starting quarterback of the Georgia Bulldogs. If he plays really well and helps Georgia win a National Championship, the apologies better be just as loud as the hate. 

I haven't been as confident as most that Georgia will win this game. Michigan is a very good football team, and they are the hottest team in college football entering the playoff. However, they are not as good as the Georgia Bulldogs.

I think this is going to be a fight. This is a four-quarter game in my opinion. It really could turn out to be a slugfest. I don’t think that we will end up with a shootout on our hands. Turnovers are going to matter a lot. 

Both of these defenses are spectacular. The best football player out of these two teams plays for Michigan. I am a big NFL draft guy. Aidan Hutchinson should be one of the first two picks—he is that good. David Ojabo also has double digit sacks. The Wolverine pass rush is special. 

I think Georgia’s defense is very capable of shutting down Michigan. Michigan utilizes creative running to work their way up to making explosive plays. Georgia has the guys to stop Michigan from being extremely successful on the ground the way that they have been all year. Jordan Davis is a run stopper. Nakobe Dean can keep up with these backs. It is going to be fun to watch.

I do think Georgia is going to win. Defense and special teams win championships? I don’t completely disagree, but scoring points is what wins games. I am more confident in Georgia’s ability to score on Michigan than vice versa. 

The Dawgs are going to win 27-23. It is going to be a fight. I think Georgia wins but does not cover, and at the end of the day, the spread does not matter to them.

Get ready to go.

I haven’t met anyone who thinks Alabama is going to lose to Cincinnati, and I am certainly not one of those people. I have an interesting thought from a Georgia perspective. I would rather have Alabama blowout the Bearcats rather than win a close one. There is no need for Alabama to have any sort of chip on their shoulder or underdog mentality. 

That being said, I think Alabama wins 38-20. Not quite a blowout but not close either.  A Georgia-Alabama rematch is what I foresee, and I will dive much further into it if it does happen.

It is time for Georgia to take it all. They are the best team in college football. They just have to play like it. 

Dylan’s Final Feelings:

*tap tap* Is this thing on? It’s been a minute since I’ve used this thing—just want to make sure I haven’t completely forgotten how to operate 

Well, how are y’all doing? I’ve missed you all. Talking to my friends about Georgia football is so much more frustrating than talking to this group. The community of Dawg Post is way more informed than my dumbass friends. I’m glad y’all have kept Matt in check too; someone has to do it.

Right now, we have on the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and this TV crew is trying way too hard to push this mayonnaise. Can you chill out? I’m here to watch mediocre football (which has been a lot to ask for this bowl season), not watch these fools eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches dipped in mayo.

But this is actually ending up to be a halfway decent game, and could even become a ~good game~ if 2005 National Champion Mack Brown can engineer a comeback here (32-21 as I write this). I have my doubts, though.

Alright, let’s get to what we’re actually here for—the Dawgs.

At this point, everyone just wants this game to be played: players, coaches, fans, everyone. We’ve already discussed anything and everything there is to talk about. It’s gotten so bad that someone asked Kirby and Harbaugh what they got for their birthdays on December 23. Harbaugh got some geotag locators for his wallet and other accessories. Neat! 

But we’re inching our way to finally playing this game, and I’m feeling like it’s going to be an ugly one. Unless you like gritty, defensive football, this won’t be the shootout we saw in Georgia’s last semi-final appearance. It should be better than the Clemson game, but I think it’s going to look a lot more like that than anything else. At 45.5, I’m hammering the under. Michigan is going to have an extremely difficult time scoring on Georgia, but I think it’s going to be a similar struggle for the Dawgs too. 

Both are going to try and establish the run from the first snap. Both are going to find little success establishing the run early on. But that’s what this game will come down to—who breaks through first? I’m going to be surprised if it isn’t Georgia. It may take a second to get there, but I think it’ll come. All year, the Dawgs have been able to impose their will on teams. They’ll get it to work against Michigan too.

Now, it may not come in the form of 15 or 20-yard runs, but if you can start popping off consistent four and five-yard runs, you’re going to wear a defense out—even if you have the Heisman runner-up. 

Update: 2005 National Champion Mack Brown is not engineering a comeback here, dropping him to a 1-1 record against USCs. 

That being said, I do think Michigan holds it closer than most. They’re too talented of a team to roll over and give away the game at any point. They will grind this game to the very end, even if that still gets them a loss.

Give me the Dawgs, 24-21.

Dean’s Final Feelings

Look, I think Georgia is going to win this game. I think they certainly should. But there’s a lot of angst in the ethos right now, and I get that. The last time we saw Georgia play it was not good. 

But the last time Georgia played was weeks before Christmas… there’s been a lot of presents opened since then - lots of football games cancelled. We are at different place and time. The circumstances are vastly different.

And while fans, perhaps understandably, are wrigng their hands with precision everyone behind the scenes seems to be behind Stetson Bennett now more than ever. He’s a key to this game. If Stetson is “the” key to the game - in terms of throwing the ball - that’s going to be a problem. 

Georgia needs to use Stetson Bennett where he works best, and that’s with his legs. Running; rollouts; movement - whatever works. Yes, Bennett can make some tremendous throws like he did to Kearis Jackson against the Gators; to George Pickens against Auburn in 2020; and to Ladd McConkey against Auburn this fall - he can do that. 

But his strength is in controlling the game with his legs. Getting out of trouble like he did for a touchdown against Tennessee in 2021; and scoring a two-point conversion with things brown down against Arkansas in 2021… that’s what makes Bennett so difficult to deal with. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s big men need to know it is time… it is time to control things. This is not going to be easy, but if the Dawgs’ big men can’t get it done Georgia will lose. This isn’t about Stetson. This is about Warren McClendon, Warren Ericson, etc. 

If you are waiting for George Pickens or Stetson to save you in this game you are not thinking the way you should be. This is about being the smartest, biggest bully on the schoolyard. You are either going to punch Michigan in the face, or not. 

Because Michigan is going to punch. It is time to punch back. I don’t get the impression that this is going to be easy, but nothing worth anything is. 

Big men this is your time. 

And it is Kirby Smart’s time, too. I’m not here to run Kirby Smart down - that’s stupid. He’s driven Georgia to new levels. He is as ideal a coach to coach at Georgia as anyone in the country. He understands the culture and society in Athens and at UGA. He’s important. 

But it is time for him to get the job done, and not for Georgia, but for himself. Think of all of the sacrifices he’s made - forget the money - think about the time away from his children, who have grown up quickly over the last six seasons. 

A loss doesn’t mean Kirby and Georgia “can’t” win it, but doubt will grow about if and when that will happen… and deservedly so. It’s time. I can’t remember how many times I have written or said that, but it is true. 

It is time for Georgia to do it. 

It is time for Kirby to do it. 

It is time to take advantage of all that Georgia has, and all Kirby has built. 

I’ve got Georgia winning this game, but Michigan winning wouldn’t shock me. But the better team nearly always wins these semifinal games. That means Georgia. This is a grind-it-out game, and few teams can grind like Georgia. 

It is on you big men. This comes down to you. 

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