If Georgia Wants To Play For A National Championship, They Must Establish Rushing Game Against Michigan

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We have been talking about this matchup between Georgia and Michigan for what feels like two months now, as the two teams prepare to battle it out tonight. For the past three weeks we've heard the back and forth about who should play quarterback for Georgia, with some fans clamoring for JT Daniels to see the field. But the main talking point surrounding this game should be about the Georgia rushing attack and how they'll game plan for the Wolverines.

Georgia is a 7.5 point favorite over Michigan, according to FanDuel.

It's easy to get caught up in the conversation on who will be taking the snaps and leading the team down the field, but what some have forgotten is that Georgia better figure out a way to run the football, or the season will come to an end tonight. The reason we are having this conversation dates back to the SEC Championship, where the Bulldogs thought it would be wise to only focus on the passing game of Stetson Bennett. Those were the words of Kirby Smart, who said postgame that his team knew it would turn into a passing game and focused on how to beat Alabama through the air.

Well, the focus against Michigan should be on how to get Zamir White or James Cook rolling in the running game. The Wolverines are going to bring the pressure, especially with Aidan Hutchinson coming off the edge and looking to put pressure on Stetson Bennett. So, the Dawgs must counter that, whether that's finding the running back out of the backfield or the offensive line opening up gaps in the middle. There's going to be pressure on Bennett and the Georgia coaches know this, so wearing down the Michigan defense should be a key component in the offensive scheme. This Georgia team can't afford to not keep trying to establish something on the ground, because once they get away from it, Michigan will pin its ears back and bring havoc in the backfield.

Kirby Smart mentioned the physicality aspect of this game on Thursday, starting at the line of scrimmage.




















































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Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football "Credit Card Scandal" along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.