CFB: Peach Bowl Preview – Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) at Georgia Bulldogs (13-0)

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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES NOTES:

FIRST AND TEN
No. 4 Ohio State makes its fi rst appearance in the Chick-fi l-A Peach Bowl and it will be on the largest of stages: a College Football Playoff semifi nal matchup in prime time (8 p.m.) against defending national champion and No. 1 Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Game time is 8 p.m.

Ohio State is 11-1 on the season, was 8-1 and runner-up in the Big Ten East Division and was ranked in the Top 3 nationally all season. The Buckeyes are one of only two one-loss teams – TCU is the other – and both are in the CFP behind unbeaten Georgia and Michigan, both 13-0, respectively.

Ohio State and Georgia have met just once on the gridiron: the Bulldogs defeated the Buckeyes, 21-14, to win the 1993 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

That Citrus Bowl win capped a 10-2 season for Georgia under coach Ray Goff . Ohio State went 8-3-1 that season under John Cooper with Kirk Herbstreit a team captain and the starting QB.

The game will be Georgia’s 11th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is situated 72 miles from Athens, since it opened in 2017. This will be Ohio
State’s fi rst game in the stadium.

BRIEFLY ON THE BULLDOGS
Georgia is 13-0 on the season and has been ranked No. 1 in fi ve of the six College Football Playoff polls this season.

The Bulldogs defeated LSU, 50-20, in its last outing in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

Heisman Trophy finalist QB Stetson Bennett threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns against the Tigers. He is 27-3 lifetime as a starter with 3,425 yards this season and 20 TD passes.

Like last year, Georgia possesses one of the nation’s top defenses. Only Illinois has given up fewer points per game on average than the Bulldogs (12.8).

Georgia has top 10 national rankings on both sides of the ball is scoring offense (ninth, 39.7), scoring defense (second, 12.8), total offense (seventh, 491.9) and total defense (eighth, 292.0).

Georgia is No. 1 nationally in both red zone offense and red zone defense.

Since the beginning on the 2021 season, Georgia has won 27 of its last 28 games.

A BIT OF CFP HISTORY
The Chick-fi l-A Peach Bowl will be the seventh College Football Playoff game for Ohio State.

Only Alabama (13) and Clemson (10) have played in more games.

In the Buckeyes’ three wins, they’ve averaged 44.3 points per game and scored 42 or more each time.

In their three losses, they’ve averaged just 15.6 points per game.

Ohio State and Alabama are tied for the most all-time appearances in the College Football Playoff poll with 54.

The Buckeyes’ average rank is 5.26, which is second only to Alabama at 3.02.

OHIO STADIUM 100
The 2022-23 academic/athletic season has been a celebration of 100 years of Ohio Stadium.

Ground was broken in 1921, more than $1 million was pledged toward construction by proud and dedicated Ohio State fans, and Ohio State christened its new home with a 5-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 7, 1922.

The iconic venue on the banks of the Olentangy River is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The game vs. Michigan on Nov. 26 was the 600th played in Ohio Stadium.

OHIO STATE TODAY
The Buckeyes finished the regular season with an 11-1 record with all 11 of its wins coming by double digits.

Ohio State is Top 10 nationally in total offense (6th; 492.7) and 12th in total defense (303.9).

A seven-game streak of 40-or-more points by Ohio State was snapped at Northwestern. It was a school and Big Ten Conference record.

The defense also had a streak snapped at Northwestern: six consecutive games forcing an opponent turnover.

Ohio State still ranks tied for 23rd nationally in turnover margin with 17 turnovers forced, vs. only eight turnovers for a plus-0.52 per game average.

OHIO STATE DEFENSE TODAY
In less than one year Coach Jim Knowles has installed a new defense and rebuilt a unit that struggled in 2021 with rankings of 59th in total defense; 89th in long scrimmage plays; 96th in passing yards; 100th in third down conversions.

Today, Ohio State has a Top 15 defense nationally. Ohio State is 12th in total defense (303.9), fourth in first downs allowed (173), 12th in third down conversions (.305; 54-177), 15th against the pass (184.0 ypg), 13th in scoring (19.3 ppg) and 23rd vs. the run (119.9) in 2022.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
A pair of linebackers – Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers – lead Ohio State’s defense with 112 and 69 tackles, respectively.

Eichenberg ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the Power 5 with 72 solo tackles and he ranks fourth and 21st in the Big Ten and Power 5, respectively with 12.0 tackles for loss.

Ohio State’s defensive line features four sophomores – DEs JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer; and DTs Tyliek Williams and Michael Hall Jr. – who have combined for 27.0 TFLs with three of them recording at least 6.5 TFLs apiece.

Veteran DEs Zach Harrison and Javontae Jean-Baptiste have combined for 10.5 TFLs and 47 tackles.

DT Taron Vincent has started every game and is having his best season with 23 tackles and two QB hurries.

Three safeties start each game and two of them – Lathan Ransom and Ronnie Hickman – rank third and fourth on the team, respectively, in tackles with 65 and 51.

A total of 13 different players have registered at least one full sack this season.

OHIO STATE OFFENSE TODAY
Ohio State’s offense, as it has been under the direction of head coach Ryan Day, is performing at a balanced clip of 294.2 passing yards per game, 198.5 rushing yards per game and 492.7 total yards per game.

Ohio State ranks nationally 14th, 28th and 6th, in those three categories, respectively.

SOME SCORING STATS
The Buckeye offense is scoring 44.5 points per game – 2nd nationally – and has scored 55 of 58 times in the red zone for the second-highest percentage in the country (.948).

Impressive is the rate of red zone TDs for Ohio State: 44 with a balance of 22 passing and 22 rushing scores.

Ohio State is tied for 4th nationally with 44 red zone touchdowns. Georgia is No. 1 with 48.

BUILDING BLOCKS
Ohio State’s offensive line surrendered minimal sacks and TFLs this season: the third-fewest TFLs in the country (44.0), including the fifth-fewest quarterback sacks (8.0).

Ohio State’s offensive line starters are LT Paris Johnson, LG Donovan Jackson, C Luke Wypler, RG Matt Jones and RT Dawand Jones.

40-POINT GAMES
Ohio State has scored 40-or-more points 35 times in 50 games with Ryan Day as head coach.

Included in this total is 40-or-more scored against every Big Ten team except Illinois, which Ohio State hasn’t played with Day as head coach.

A NEW FBS RECORD
Ohio State has scored 20-or-more points in 73 consecutive games, which passed Oklahoma for the FBS record.

Oklahoma’s streak ended in 2021 against West Virginia.

Ohio State’s last game without scoring at least 20 points came in the 2017 season: a 31-16 loss to Oklahoma at Ohio Stadium.

OHIO STATE AND TOTAL OFFENSE
Ohio State, which has finished nationally 1st, 7th and 4th in total offense the last three years under Ryan Day, is currently sixth in the nation with an average of 492.7 yards per game.

Day’s offense has topped 500 yards 32 times (in 50 games) and it has topped 600 yards 13 times.

BIG PLAY BUCKEYES
Ohio State has 76 plays of 20 or more yards this season, which is the most of any team in the Big Ten and ranks No. 16 nationally.

40 of those 76 plays have gone for 30+ yards, which ranks fifth in the country.

TE Cade Stover has three receptions of 30+ yards, the second-most among Big Ten tight ends.

The Buckeyes lead the nation with an average of 7.60 yards per play.

SERIES HISTORY
55th Bowl Game (26-27)
Largest Ohio State Win: 47-17 vs. BYU
(1982 Holiday Bowl)
Largest Loss: 31-0, Clemson (CFP Semifi nal at
the Fiesta Bowl)
Longest Winning Streak: 4 games
(1950-1969 and 2003-2006)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 games
(1978-1980 and 1990-93)
Current Streak: Won 1 game

GEORGIA BULLDOGS NOTES:

GEORGIA EXTENDS NATION’S LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAK
Top-ranked Georgia will face fourth-ranked Ohio State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 2022 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The Bulldogs (13-0) will represent the SEC in their third CFP appearance (fifth game) while the Buckeyes (11-1) hail from the Big Ten and will be making their fifth appearance in a CFP contest. The winner of this game advances to the CFP National Championship in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 9 against either Michigan or TCU. The Bulldogs are making their 60th bowl appearance, which ranks second nationally. They will be making a school record 26th consecutive appearance, the nation’s longest active bowl streak. In school history, Georgia owns a 35-21-3 record in bowl games. Ohio State has played in 53 bowl games, sporting a record of 26-27. Under Ryan Day, the Buckeyes are 2-2 during the postseason, including 1-2 in CFP contests. Last year, Ohio State edged Utah 48-45 in the Rose Bowl Game.

PEACH BOWL HISTORY FOR THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs are 4-2 all-time in Peach Bowl history: Dec. 28, 1973 (Georgia def. #18 Maryland 17-16); Dec. 30, 1989 (Syracuse def. Georgia 19-18); Dec. 30, 1995 (#18 Virginia def. Georgia 34-27); Dec. 31, 1998 (#19 Georgia def. #14 Virginia 35-33); Dec. 30, 2006 (Georgia def. #14 Virginia Tech 31-24); Jan. 1, 2021 (#9 Georgia def. #8 Cincinnati 24-21).

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BUCKEYES
Georgia owns a 1-0 edge in the series with the Buckeyes. The teams met in the 1993 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and the No. 8 Bulldogs claimed a 21-14 victory over No. 15 OSU to finish 10-2 under Ray Goff. Georgia was led by Doak Walker Award winner Garrison Hearst and quarterback Eric Zeier while the Buckeyes featured Kirk Herbstreit at quarterback and Robert Smith at running back.

DID YOU KNOW?
Georgia collected its 14th SEC Championship this season, including the second in the Kirby Smart era (2017). The Bulldogs previously have won it in 1942, ‘46, ‘48, ‘59, ‘66, ‘68, ‘76, 1980-82, ‘02, ‘05 and ‘17, which ranks second in the SEC all-time.

RUSHING TO A CONCLUSION
The Bulldogs are tied for third nationally with 37 rushing touchdowns (The school record is 42 set in 2017). Eight different Bulldogs have scored a rushing TD this year. Senior RB Kenny McIntosh has a team-leading 10. He had 182 all-purpose yards in the win over Tech. Georgia is averaging 207.0 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. In the Bulldogs’ latest victory over No. 14 LSU in the SECCG, junior RB Kendall Milton went for a career-high 113 yards on only eight carries (14.1 avg.) as Georgia torched the Tigers for 255 on the ground.

Georgia’s offensive line features C Sedrick Van Pran (28 consecutive starts), RT Warren McClendon (team high 37 consecutive starts) and RG Tate Ratledge (made 12 of the 13 starts this season) along with LT Broderick Jones (13 consecutive starts) . LG Xavier Truss (started 12 of the 13 games) missed the game versus No. 1 Tennessee due to a toe injury. RSo. Devin Willock got his first career start against the Vols for Truss and then started for Ratledge at Kentucky. The unit is a Joe Moore Award finalist in recognition of being one of the country’s top offensive lines. The versatile Warren Ericson (17 career starts) relieved an injured Ratledge for the final 14 games of 2021. He can play all five spots along the line. Amarius Mims is lining up at either tackle position. They have helped Georgia pile up 39.2 points/game and 491.9 yards/game thus far.

Georgia ran for a season-high 292 yards and six touchdowns in their 42-10 win over Auburn. The Bulldogs averaged 7.5 yards/carry against the Tigers. Georgia’s rushing tally versus Auburn was the most since 2020 against Missouri (316). The six rushing scores were the most for Georgia since the 2018 contest versus UMass.

BENNETT 27-3 AS A STARTER AT GEORGIA

  • Senior Stetson Bennett, a native of Blackshear, Ga., began his career with the Bulldogs as a walk-on in 2017 when he was redshirted. Bennett transferred to Jones College (Miss.) where he started in 2018 and then returned to the Bulldogs on scholarship in 2019. He saw action that season in five games including throwing passes in four of them. In 2020, he started five games and then got the nod in the final 11 contests of the 2021 national championship season and has started every game in 2022.
  • The first week of December this year was a monumental one for Bennett, who led Georgia to the SEC Championship on Dec. 3. Not long before he was named the winner of the Burlsworth Trophy (awarded annually to the most outstanding college player who began his career as a walk-on) on Dec. 5, the news was announced that he was one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Bennett is the third Heisman finalist invited to New York joining 1982 Heisman winner Herschel Walker and 1992 running back Garrison Hearst. In addition to Walker, Georgia’s other Heisman winner was 1942 quarterback Frank Sinkwich.
  • In his Bulldog career, Bennett has won a national championship and an SEC title and is 27-3 as a starter. He has completed 64.8 percent of his passes (560-for-864, 7,726 yards, 59 TDs, 20 INTs).
  • Bennett is 48-for-60 for 642 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks during wins over No. 11 Oregon and No. 14 LSU in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium this year.
  • In school history, Georgia is 3-5 all-time against the No. 1 team and Bennett is 2-0. He led Georgia to a victory over No. 1 Alabama in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game and then against top-ranked Tennessee this season.
  • Currently ranks third nationally among active players in Total Offense Yards Per Play for a career at 8.28, which is on pace for both an SEC and school record (8.30 by Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M; 7.69 by Aaron Murray, Georgia). Current active national leader is C.J. Stroud (9.12, Ohio State) followed by Grayson McCall (8.45, Coastal Carolina).
  • Most recently, Bennett completed 79 percent of his passes, going 23-for-29 for 274 yards, and threw four touchdown passes against No. 14 LSU in the SECCG. He has tied the school record with 269 completions on the season (Eric Zeier, 1993).
  • After falling behind for only the second time this season (No. 1 Tennessee 3-0, 10:05 1stQ), Bennett directed an 80-yard touchdown drive that was capped by his 13-yard scamper to the pylon. The Bulldogs would never trail again against the Vols.
  • Bennett took off for a career-long 64-yard touchdown run during the win over auburn, giving the Bulldogs a 28-3 edge at the start of the fourth quarter. His scoring scamper was the longest for a Georgia QB since 1976 when Ray Goff flew 73 yards in a 41-0 win at Clemson.
  • Bennett and Tim Tebow (four) are the only two SEC players since 2004 to have at least four consecutive games with 250 passing yards and one rushing score. Aaron Murray is the only other Bulldog quarterback to have at least 250 passing yards and at least one rushing score in four games overall during a season (2013).
  • Bennett earned Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week and Manning Award National QB of the Week honors while leading No. 3 Georgia to a 49-3 rout of No. 11 Oregon in this season’s opener. He directed the Bulldogs to seven touchdowns on their first seven drives and finished 25 of 31 for a career-high 368 yards and two touchdowns. Bennett also had a 1-yard rushing score against the Ducks. Bennett’s 368 passing yards in the win was the most in a season opener by a Bulldog since 1994 when Eric Zeier tallied 485 yards in a road win over South Carolina.
  • He ranked fourth nationally in Passing Efficiency (176.7) last year, which broke the school record in that category previously belonging to Aaron Murray (174.8, 2012).
  • Bennett helped Georgia complete historic 8-0 SEC regular seasons in 2021 and 2022.
  • During the CFP National Championship Game versus No. 1 Alabama, Bennett finished 17-for-26 passing with 224 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. Trailing 18- 13 with 10:14 left in the game, Bennett directed a four-play, 75-yard scoring drive that gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead at the 8:09 mark (a two-point conversion failed). Georgia never relinquished its lead to collect its first national championship in 41 years. Bennett was named the game’s Offensive MVP as was the case in the CFP Semifinal Orange Bowl victory over Michigan.

PILING UP THE POINTS

  • Georgia is averaging 39.2 points/game, which is 11th nationally. In the SEC Championship Game victory over #14 LSU, the Bulldogs scored 50 points with 549 yards of offense to help capture the program’s 14th SEC title.
  • The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 509-166 this season, including 279-70 in the opening half.
  • The Bulldogs are 69 of 71 in the Red Zone (a national leading 97 percent) this year with 48 touchdowns and 21 field goals.
  • Georgia jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead on 306 total yards versus No. 1 Tennessee and eventually posted a 27-13 victory.
  • Georgia’s offense generated 49 points against No. 11 Oregon in the 2022 season opener. The Bulldogs tallied 571 yards of offense on 62 plays, scoring touchdowns on their first seven possessions. Georgia had a season-high 579 yards of offense vs Vandy.
  • Georgia’s leading receiver against the Ducks was Kenny McIntosh (9-117-0). Also of note, WR Ladd McConkey scored receiving and rushing touchdowns in the same game for the second time in his career (@ Vanderbilt, 2021) versus Oregon as WR AD Mitchell also snagged a touchdown catch. McConkey accomplished the feat yet again at Mississippi State this season. Mitchell has been limited to four games in 2022 because of an ankle injury.
  • McConkey is second on the team with 51 catches for 695 yards (13.2 avg.) and five scores. He had a career-long 70-yard touchdown run at Mississippi State. McConkey is also the primary punt returner with 16 for 197 yards, including a career-long 39 yarder versus Georgia Tech.

TALENTED TIGHT ENDS

  • Georgia’s tight end room features All-American and 2021 Freshman of the Year Brock Bowers, junior Darnell Washington, redshirt sophomore Arik Gilbert and freshman Oscar Delp. Bowers is the 2022 Mackey Award winner.
  • Bowers, who is also a Rotary Lombardi Award finalist, is the team’s leader with 52 catches for a team high 726 yards and six TDs while Washington has 26 for 417 yards and two scores. Bowers highlighted a career high 154 yards on five catches in the win over Florida and had a 73-yard scoring grab.
  • Bowers is the only player in the country this season with a rushing TD of at least 75 yards and a receiving TD of at least 75 yards.
  • Twice in his career Bowers has had two receiving scores and a rushing score in the same game. He did it during the road win at South Carolina and also at Vanderbilt last year. He finished with five catches for 121 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown against the Gamecocks.
  • Bowers has had six 100-yard receiving games in his career; three of his career TD catches have covered 75+ yards; his first career TD catch covered 89 yards against UAB.
  • Washington has started 12 of 13 games this year and has been a team captain twice. He caught his third TD of the season versus No. 14 LSU in the SEC Championship Game and also had a two-point conversion grab against the Tigers.

RUNNING BACK CORPS

  • Georgia’s veterans in the backfield are senior Kenny McIntosh and juniors Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards.
  • After a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown at Kentucky, McIntosh became the leading rusher. He has 709 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns. McIntosh scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving for the first time in his career against Vanderbilt. He had nine catches for 117 yards (both career highs) to go along with five carries for 18 yards and a touchdown during the rout of No. 11 Oregon.
  • Edwards ranks second on the team with 681 yards for a 5.4 average and has seven touchdowns. During the win over Auburn, he became the first Bulldog RB since Sony Michel in the 2018 Rose Bowl Game to have three rushing TDs in a game.
  • Edwards provided the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of the 26-22 win at Missouri on a one-yard rush.
  • Milton scored both a rushing and a receiving touchdown against No. 11 Oregon for the first time in his career. During the SECCG, Milton went for a career-high 113 yards on only eight carries (14. 1 avg.) to highlight a 255-yard rushing day for Georgia. For the year, he has 533 rushing yards and six TDs.

DEFENSE SETTING THE TONE

  • The Bulldogs rank second nationally in Scoring Defense, giving up just 12.8 points per contest. The defense has posted 26 scoreless quarters, including holding five teams scoreless in the opening half this year.
  • Georgia has held six teams to a season low in points, including No. 1 Tennessee (13) and No. 11 Oregon (3).
  • After missing time with a knee injury, junior DL Jalen Carter, a Lombardi Award finalist, has been a force. In the last six games, he has accounted for 24 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Georgia shut down No. 1 Tennessee to the tune of 13 points after the Vols came in averaging a national best 49.4 points per contest. The 13 points was the lowest scored under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols did not get a touchdown until 4:15 left in the contest. UT was just 2-of-14 on third downs (14 percent).
  • Georgia posted its second shutout of the year with a 55-0 win over VU. This marked the 10th shutout in the Kirby Smart era (since 2016), the FBS’ most during that span.
  • Georgia is allowing teams to convert on third downs only 27 percent of the time and that ranks third nationally.
  • The 2022 Bulldog defense kept No. 3 Oregon to only a field goal in the season opener. This marked the first time Oregon had failed to score a touchdown in a game since 2017. Late in the fourth quarter, Georgia had an impressive goal line stand late that ended at the two yard line following a 19-play, 87-yard drive that lasted 8:47.
  • Georgia’s first touchdown allowed this year came at South Carolina in game three with 53 seconds remaining in the game.
  • The Dogs have only allowed five rushing TDs this year (KSU, UF, #1 UT, GT, #14 LSU).

TACKLES, TURNOVERS & SACKS

  • Jamon Dumas-Johnson is the team’s co-leader with 64 tackles, including eight TFL and three sacks. The Butkus Award finalist had one of the six sacks in the win over No. 1 Tennessee. Fellow sophomore ILB Smael Mondon also has 64 stops. Mondon also recorded his first career interception during the win over No. 14 LSU in the SECCG.
  • Georgia has 10 picks on the year and has recovered six fumbles and currently even in turnover margin. Senior S Chris Smith forced one of three turnovers versus No. 14 LSU in the SECCG with his team-leading third interception.
  • The Bulldogs forced three interceptions during the victory at South Carolina. Starks had his second pick, one that he returned 42 yards, while S Dan Jackson and ILB Trezmen Marshall each had their first INT. Jackson has not played since the Vanderbilt game because of a foot injury.
  • Both Smith and Starks registered interceptions that eventually turned into 14 points and helped Georgia build a 21-0 lead versus #11 Oregon.
  • This marked Smith’s fourth career pick and his second in a row in a season-opening game after returning his INT for the game’s only touchdown against No. 3 Clemson in 2021. Smith shared SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors following his performance against Oregon. Smith was a Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist.

BLOCK THAT KICK

  • Currently, there are five Bulldogs who have blocked a kick/punt in their Georgia career. This season, junior DL Nazir Stackhouse blocked a field goal that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown by teammate Chris Smith in the opening quarter of the SECCG versus No. 14 LSU. In addition, freshman OLB Jalon Walker blocked a punt that resulted in a safety versus Kent State.
  • Jalen Carter’s blocked field goal against Alabama in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game changed the momentum in the third quarter and ignited the Bulldog offense. The Bulldogs would outscore Alabama 20-9 in the final quarter.
  • Overall, Georgia blocked five kicks last year including punts against No. 8 Arkansas (Dan Jackson) and Missouri (Nolan Smith), a field goal by Kentucky (Devonte Wyatt, 1st round pick Green Bay) and a PAT (Carter versus Kentucky). Smith was injured in the Florida game and has not played since that contest.