This Georgia analysis ($$) from The Athletic’s Michigan beat writer is very complimentary about the Dawgs… well, except for one thing.
You see all this talent and ask yourself: Shouldn’t Georgia have one of the best pass offenses in the country and not the sixth-most productive unit in the SEC? Well … maybe. It doesn’t, though, and the quarterback situation is one reason why.
Saban showed the way, as is usually the case.
Michigan’s best path defensively is to borrow Alabama’s: Find ways to cloud the picture for the quarterback through coverage and blitz disguise/variance.
… This, for Michigan, has to be the blueprint. Win situations. Find ways to clog windows in obvious throwing downs, especially in the red zone, and make whichever quarterback Georgia starts have to think about a lot more than he wants to. And when either Bennett or JT Daniels (both do this) offer up opportunities, Michigan has to pounce.
He seems to think that Daniels is slower making his post-snap reads than is Bennett, a take I find puzzling, to say the least.
In any event, he seems to believe that’s where the game will be decided.
The only unsettled spot on the field for Kirby Smart and Georgia is at quarterback. That’s a problem.
The formula to stump Georgia offensively has been clear since the opener: play soft coverage so that Monken can’t call anything to beat you over the top and hope your defensive line is sturdy enough to limit Georgia’s running game without needing to bring extra numbers on a regular basis. Does Michigan have enough game to do just that?
Get The Picture 
I think this game will be decided based on which team has enough players available based on Covid testing.
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Michigan game will likely be tougher than people think; especially if Covid ends up taking out key players. I think Georgia can beat the Wolverines with either QB. And not discounting Michigan at all. Games are about match ups and Georgia matches up really well with this team. Could be a 3 point game – could beat them by 21.
But if they get to the Natty, I just do not see how anyone can think that Georgia can go in with the same QB that has looked very similar in two games against them and expect to win. (Nothing would make me happier than Bennett proving me wrong).
As far as pre-snap reads… This guy showed me with that statement alone that he doesn’t know what he is talking about. JTB is FAR better with pre-snap reads and cuts the other team up with that knowledge.
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“Georgia have one of the best pass offenses in the country and not the sixth-most productive unit in the SEC” This is simply because we didn’t have to.
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Exactly! Let’s compare 1st three quarter stats! We lead by two touchdowns in almost every game going into the 4th qtr. Even against Clemson we ran the ball down their throats in the 4th qtr and ended the game kneeling near the goal line!
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Michigan is a good football team.
I doubt it’s even close to a “gimme” for the Dawgs.
I hope we win.
As hungry as Georgia is, Michigan is even hungrier. Not only are they sick and tired of playing second fiddle in their conference (as Georgia is to Bama), they are sick and tired of hearing how superior the SEC is.
Kirby has his hands full on this one.
I’ll be happy with a one point win, and thrilled with comfortable win.
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Yep, plus everyone has been worrying about Dec 4 instead of Dec 31. Meanwhile, Michigan is sitting there licking their chops. It’s going to be a war.
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Hindsight being 20-20, I wish we’d done a helluva lot more passing with subs Beck and/or Vandagriff. We wasted a boatload of valuable opportunities to evaluate them and get them game experience. The run-clock/cloud-of-dust mentality is a curse in today’s game, not an attribute.
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It was more important to help the defensive stats apparently.
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This game is going to be a rock fight. I suspect both offenses struggle to score. I can almost guarantee that we’ll struggle to score TDs if/when we get into the red zone as that’s been the case all year.
My hunch is both teams get a taste of what they avoided most of the year. Michigan will run it better on UGA than UGA is used to, but Michigan will not run it nearly as well as it’s used to. So, can Stetson and Co outperform McNamara and Co? That’s the question.
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Unfortunately, for the past two seasons, when the game comes down to quarterback play, Stetson usually comes out on the short end of that stick.
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That’s really more of a Bama thing, honestly. He got hurt in the UF game after throwing a dime for a TD and 14-0 lead. But yeah… if the game comes down to one QB or the other needing to convert a third and 9, I’m going to be VERY nervous.
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Yep, Stetson is fine to excellent on 1st and 2nd and poor to horrible on 3rd. It is a real problem.
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Turnovers, special teams, the random HOG (Horrible Officiating Grenade).
Michigan’s DL supposedly has two first rounders book-ending it. Hard for me to see how the running game forces them to bring down a safety or leave an edge open for SB to grab a free 10 yards.
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Rutgers and Michigan State are the only two teams to have success running the ball on Michigan. Ohio State was shut down. Michigan played Wisconsin when it was really struggling on offense, so not sure if we can use that game as evidence of much, but Michigan certainly shut them down. It’s going to be a very, very physical game and who the hell knows how COVID is going to impact player availability.
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As is the issue with teams that are kinda’, sorta’ even…LOS play and special teams play will be the deciding factors, I get the QB offerings and RB’s are good conversation, ya gotta’ think that meeshigun hc is gonna’ dance with what brought him here, despite the film from what the bammers did to UGA football…GO DAWGS!
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I’m not sure Michigan could replicate what Bama did even if it wanted to. They don’t have a Bryce Young or Jameson Williams.
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Only threw for over 200m yards FOUR times in 13 games. And I think the high was less than 275. And he doesn’t run well at all, so no, they have zero chance of duplicating Bama’s book. (I am not sure Bama does given our admitted changes to the D plan that game, lingering injuries in the secondary, and Mechie’s absence going forward.)
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sorry, 200 yards, not 200m
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Bingo. Mike dropped. But no Daniels is the faster between the ears QB bar none.
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