As we inch closer to game time, we need to look a bit more into who is going to be on the opposite sidelines from our Ohio State Buckeyes. The Georgia Bulldogs have been fantastic over the last two seasons, dropping just one game while winning last year’s College Football Playoff.
The SEC only sent one team to this year’s CFP but as the one seed. There are tons of playmakers for UGA and a lot of credit goes to quarterback Stetson Bennett, tight end Brock Bowers, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter. We won’t touch on those players because as we all know about them. Here are five other Bulldogs that could give Ohio State problems on New Year’s Eve in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Saturday night.
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Running back Kenny McIntosh
The play that set up the score.
📺: Watch live on ESPN#GoDawgs | @1_blueprint pic.twitter.com/Op7dSihZLj
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 26, 2022
The hydra of running backs (Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton included) for Georgia has a clear-cut alpha. McIntosh is the leader in yardage (709) and touchdowns (10), but Edwards isn’t far behind those numbers. McIntosh is the Bulldogs’ best receiving threat — he’s third on the team with 449 yards on 37 catches. He is a huge part of the Bulldog offense and will be leaned on heavily during this game. The issue is that any one of the three could have a huge game but if I had to guess which one, it would be McIntosh due to his pass-catching ability.
Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson
Hendon Hooker sacked by Jamon Dumas Johnson for 5-yd loss#TennesseeVolunteers 6 #GeorgiaBulldogs 24 Q3 pic.twitter.com/Pqv599kHCs
— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) November 5, 2022
The leader of the team in solo tackles and tied for the team lead in sacks, Dumas-Johnson followed up his impressive freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign. He is extremely fast and diagnoses plays very well but has the ability to drop back into coverage also. Dumas-Johnson is a three-down linebacker and needs to be identified by C.J. Stroud on every play or he could blow up what the Buckeyes are trying to do.
Defensive back Malaki Starks
Malaki Starks final stats:
39 solo tackles
63 total tackles
0.5 TFLs
2 INTs
7 PBUs
PFF Freshman All-American pic.twitter.com/caaam9KIl7— Brad 💯 (@sportsofga) December 19, 2022
The Buckeyes are going to test the Georgia secondary and there aren’t many weaknesses there. For that reason, Stroud has to target who is open. Starks should be covering Marvin Harrison Jr. a good amount and that alone should be why we hear his name often. Starks had a fantastic season, tied for the team lead in tackles with 2 interceptions and 7 broken-up passes. What’s impressive is the number of solo tackles, 40, meaning there is plenty of confidence to leave him on an island and to make the tackle. Starks, for a freshman, is a future star and might give the Buckeye wide receivers fits.
Wide receiver Ladd McConkey
This route by Ladd McConkey was DIRTY 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/jQrbhogs4d
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) November 5, 2022
There’s a caveat in picking McConkey because he missed practice Wednesday. And although he met with the media on Thursday, his game status is unknown. If I’m the Buckeyes, I’d expect him to play as he suffered a knee injury in the SEC title game but that was about a month ago. Although McConkey isn’t the fastest, biggest, or strongest receiver Ohio State has seen this year, he’s a terrific route runner and has very good hands. The defense is going to try and stop Bowers and the backs, so there could be spots for McConkey to make plays.
Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.
When I rave about Smael Mondon’s athleticism, I’m not talking about height, weight and speed.
These are the things he puts on tape that are 1% athletic traits. pic.twitter.com/t4Qq2mv2o7
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) October 5, 2022
The former 5-star prospect has certainly lived up to his billing and has exploded on the scene as a sophomore. His 64 tackles are tied for the team lead and he’s a bullet off the edge when tracking down a running back. Mondon Jr. is a big part of the reason why Georgia is so stout against stopping the run, but he’s not bad in coverage either, picking off a pass this year as well. Mondon Jr. is certainly a player that the Buckeyes have to put a hat on to be able to move the ball on the ground.
