How the loss to Georgia football helped fuel Michigan in its national championship season

INDIANAPOLIS—Michigan rolled through its schedule 15-0 last season to win its first national championship since 1997.

The Wolverines did it during a year when they prepared in practice with a mindset for something that never happened—a rematch with Georgia football.

The Bulldogs were seeking a three-peat title after winning in 2021 and 2022 including a national semifinal win in the Orange Bowl over the Wolverines en route to coach Kirby Smart’s first title.

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Michigan had a “Beat Georgia” period in practice.

Just like it had a “Beat Ohio” period for the rival Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021.

“That was a big thing,” defensive end Braiden McGregor said Wednesday at the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. “It’s a downhill run. The ones would get four plays. The twos would get four plays. You start at the 25 and it’s the red zone in. It’s just having the pride vs. the offense. That was a big deal. That really took us to the next step.”

Then came, as he called it, “the Georgia beatdown,” in the Orange Bowl, a 34-11 Bulldog win.

“When we brought that in, it was mixed downs, you get three downs,” he said. “You get two run plays and one pass play. So you never know when it’s coming. You’re not focusing as much on the run. I think that brought us to the next level, too.”

Linebacker Mike Barrett, one of a record-18 Michigan players at the combine this year, said the Wolverines knew they lost the Georgia game in the 2021 season in the trenches.

“It was all play-action passes, no shotgun,” Barrett, who played at Lowndes High in Valdosta, said of the 11-on-11. “It was just pound some dirty…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/loss-georgia-football-helped-fuel-204859679.html

Author : Athens Banner-Herald

Publish date : 2024-02-28 20:48:59

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