The thing that jumps off the screen about the Peach Bowl semifinal is obvious: the ridiculous amount of talent both Georgia and Ohio State bring to the table. Both teams entered the season at No. 2 and No. 3 in the country in the team talent composite. Georgia obviously cashed in on its potential last season with a national championship and another undefeated season to date. The Buckeyes, conversely, are still recovering from the sting of the loss to Michigan that they’re tired of talking about. It’s been almost a calendar year since the Dawgs have faced a team with this level of athleticism, so how can they attempt to repeat their title run, and how can the Buckeyes try to ruin UGA’s perfect season?
When Georgia has the ball
Georgia is one of the country’s leaders in 12-personnel usage (which is when an offense lines up with two tight ends and one running back). Much of the past two decades has seen football move more toward 10 (one running back, no tight ends) and 11-personnel packages (one running back and one tight end). In simplest terms, basing the offense out of 12-personnel creates a distinct disadvantage for many defenses, which overarchingly have moved to putting five defensive backs on the field, subbing a linebacker, or a defensive lineman, to better defend the pass. That creates a particular matchup problem for many defenses. How Ohio State matches up in that scenario specifically will go a long way to determining the game, as Georgia’s tight ends Darnell Washington and Brock Bowers are unique talents.
