Best and worst from Michigan's Orange Bowl loss to Georgia
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Michigan Wolverines football fell to Georgia in the Orange Bowl by a final score of 34-11. Here are the best and worst from the College Football Playoff semifinal.
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Best Quarterback
Many believed Michigan had the better quarterbacks in this matchup, and the Wolverines still might, but not on this night. Georgia fifth-year senior Stetson Bennett rang in the New Year in style, completing 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 310 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s signal-callers couldn’t get much going, though they weren’t the main problem for a Wolverine offense that mustered up just 325 yards and 11 points. Redshirt freshman Cade McNamara went 11-for-19 passing for 106 yards and two interceptions, and freshman J.J. McCarthy connected on seven of his 17 attempts for 131 yards and a score.
Worst Luck
Speaking of McNamara’s pair of interceptions … they weren’t necessarily his fault. The first one, a throw along the sideline to second-year freshman wideout Roman Wilson, was controversial, to say the least, with Wilson clearly being interfered with. On the next one, redshirt junior wide receiver Daylen Baldwin stopped his route in the end zone because he lost the ball in the lights, and it floated into cornerback Derion Kendrick‘s hands. Kendrick had both picks for the Bulldogs.
Worst Mismatches
Michigan’s linebackers have been a concern in coverage all season long, and Georgia found ways to exploit the weakness by creating mismatches.
Freshman linebacker Junior Colson was covering Georgia running back James Cook on his two big catches that combined for 92 yards, and allowed another grab for 12 yards. Second-year freshman outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell yielded three catches for 43 yards, and was the primary man in coverage on Georgia All-American tight end Brock Bowers‘ 35-yard reception early in the game.
It was surprising to see Mike Macdonald‘s defense get exploited to the point that comparisons were made to some of former coordinator Don Brown‘s worst showings. But there we were — sitting in the same stadium as we did in 2016, when former Florida State running back Dalvin Cook caught three passes for 62 yards while oftentimes matched up with linebacker Mike McCray.
Macdonald has done a fantastic job this season, engineering an incredible turnaround for the defense, but this was the biggest stage, and he’d be the first to say the Wolverines’ performance wasn’t close to good enough.
Most Explosiveness
Georgia was explosive on both sides of the ball. Michigan was not. And really, that was the story, along with the crisp execution by the Bulldogs and the mistakes made by the Wolverines.
The Bulldogs had 10 plays of 15-plus yards, including two gains of more than 50 yards, while Michigan had seven of the former and none of the latter. Defensively, Georgia notched seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions and two quarterback hurries, while Michigan registered two stops behind the line of scrimmage, no sacks for the first time this season and two hurries.
Biggest Disappearance
Michigan’s best players didn’t have their best games on the biggest stage, and it showed. Georgia got the ball out quickly in order to neutralize the Wolverines’ pass rush, which generated pressure on just seven of Bennett’s 26 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), but outside of a drawn holding call from redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo, he and Hutchinson didn’t make much of an impact.
On the other side of the ball, second-year freshman running back Blake Corum had three carries for 10 yards and a fumble, and redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins carried it 10 times for a season-low 39 yards (though he did appear to leave the game early with a potential injury).
The offensive line as a whole played its worst game of the season. Most of the credit goes to Georgia’s outstanding front-seven, but the Wolverines, who won the Joe Moore Award for having the nation’s top offensive line, could’ve held up much better.
Best Trick Play
It was clear — in many ways — that Georgia watched plenty of Michigan film, including when it came to trick plays. The Bulldogs saw the Wolverines’ halfback pass in the Big Ten championship game and decided to run one themselves, with Kenny McIntosh completing a halfback pass to wideout Adonai Mitchell for an 18-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
Top Michigan Play
There weren’t many to choose from here, but freshman wideout Andrel Anthony‘s 35-yard touchdown catch from McCarthy takes the cake, providing the Wolverines’ lone touchdown in the blowout loss. Anthony was wide open down the sideline and found pay dirt with 4:25 to play.
McCarthy’s 43-yard deep ball to Edwards and McNamara’s 42-yard pass to Wilson finish as runners-up.
Best Postgame Photo
And we’re not tooting our own horn on the grainy quality after zooming in from the press box … but second-year freshman running back Blake Corum (and other Michigan players who weren’t pictured) looked on as Georgia celebrated the victory.
Leaving the field, Corum was seen telling fans: “I promise you, we will be back.” He’s motivated to be the one with confetti falling on his head in a College Football Playoff next time.
Best Quote
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is usually not in the mood to talk after a loss, and while he wasn’t cheery following the Orange Bowl, he wasn’t as somber as he normally is in that situation, either. Harbaugh knew his team was special, beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten championship. He continues to reiterate that this season was just a building block for the future.
“It was a great season,” Harbaugh said. “To me, it’s one of the best seasons in Michigan football history. We were trying to make it greater tonight, but it was still a great.
“Proud of them, the way they kept fighting. There’s never any quit in these guys. It’s a resilient [team], a ton of resolve with this football team. To me, it feels like a start. Feels like the beginning.”
Is it September yet?
