Georgia-Ohio State: Palmer's Players to Watch
ATLANTA — Georgia and Ohio State are two of the most talented teams in the country. That means we’re set to see several of the top players in College Football face off in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday night. Kickoff time from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call.
While everybody is going to be important for Georgia in this one, here are three players that I think are going to have to make a big difference in order for the Bulldogs to come away with a win over the Buckeyes and advance to the National Championship Game for a second straight season, keeping their hopes of going back to back alive.
Kelee Ringo
Thinking about players that need to perform against Ohio State, the first that comes to mind is Kelee Ringo. Not everything was his fault, but Ringo struggled in the SEC Championship Game against LSU. He’s showed up big before in big games, and he’ll need to do the same thing in the matchup against the talented Buckeye wide receivers. Will Ringo’s Peach Bowl be remembered the way that his Tennessee and Kentucky games this season were, or will folks be pointing to him as the weakness of Georgia’s defense that costs them the game and a chance at a second straight National Championship?
AD Mitchell
Georgia fans have been waiting all season to see AD Mitchell make big players for their team. After coming down with one of the biggest catches in program history to end last season, expectations were high for him coming into 2022. Mitchell made plays in the season opener against Oregon, but that was really the last time he was capable of doing so – suffering a sprained ankle in the second game of the season and slowly but surely making his way back. He played in the SEC Championship Game but didn’t have a catch. That probably can’t be the case today against Ohio State, especially with a banged up Ladd McConkey.
Jalen Carter
Jalen Carter has a chance to be the best player on the field Saturday night, and maybe prove himself as the best player in the country in the process. A probable top-5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Carter has been on a tear since coming back from his midseason injury. His performance against Tennessee earned him national defensive player of the week as he took down Hendon Hooker twice and forced a pair of fumbles. If he does that again and makes CJ Stroud uncomfortable, it’d be a huge help to the Bulldog secondary and puts Georgia in a great position to win.
