College Playoff: Best defense against OU may be the Georgia offense
By Chip Rouse
A number of college football experts are likening the New Year’s Day College Playoff semifinal game between Oklahoma and Georgia to the “Irresistible Force” meets the “Immovable Object.”
That comparison harkens back to another historical game involving Oklahoma that took place almost a half-century ago. That is the way the so-called Game of the Century between Oklahoma and Nebraska was billed on the cover of the Nov. 22, 1971, issue of Sports Illustrated.
That same description seems to aptly sum up the Playoff showdown between the Sooners and the Bulldogs, alluding to the nation’s best offensive team knocking heads with one of the country’s most formidable defenses and the champion of the conference that prides itself on playing the best defense in college football.
From that, it seems fairly obvious that the critical matchup when No. 2 Oklahoma meets No. 3 Georgia in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 will feature Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and the explosive Oklahoma offense going up against Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith and the shutdown Georgia defense. The winner of that epic battle will win the game, or so it would seem.
Only, that classic confrontation on the field between the irresistible OU offense and the immovable Georgia defense won’t be where and how the game is decided.
Let me offer a contrarian perspective. Instead of focusing on the powerful Oklahoma offense and the equally prolific Georgia defense and the tug of war that will go on between those two competing forces, I firmly believe that the game will be won or lost in the matchup between the Georgia offense and the Sooner defense.
Georgia likes to run right at you and pound you on the ground, picking five and six yards a pop behind two of the best running backs in college football this season, seniors Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. That dynamic duo has combined for close to 2,000 rushing yards this season.
Oklahoma Sooners Football
If Georgia is able to run the ball successfully, stay out of third-and-long situations and keep the chains and the clock moving, it not only will stretch the OU defense, leave them vulnerable for big plays on the back end and eventually wear down the Sooner defenders, but even more concerning, will keep Mayfield and the fully loaded Oklahoma offense watching on the sidelines.
Conversely, if the OU defense is able to get some stops and get off the field on third down, it will give Mayfield more offensive possessions, and that can only spell danger for the Bulldogs, no matter how good their defense is. The Sooners didn’t have that much difficulty moving the ball and putting up points against Ohio State and TCU this season, and those are two of the better defensive teams in college football.
Most everyone acknowledges that Mayfield is going to make plays. He’s too good, has one of college football’s best offensive lines and has a boatload of offensive weapons and playmakers, making it difficult to key on any one player. And his ability to keep plays alive can be a dagger in a defense trying to hold its coverage downfield.
The more offensive opportunities Mayfield gets, the better Oklahoma’s chances are winning the game and moving on with a chance to play for an eighth national championship. That will depend largely on field position provided by special teams play and the ability of the Sooner defense to get off the field.
So you could say that the real deciding factor in the game will be which defense does a better job of limiting the number of offensive possessions and plays and, of course, keeping the other team out of the end zone and off the scoreboard.
One thing we know for sure: The winner between Oklahoma and Georgia will stay alive and move on to play for the national championship; for the loser, the season will be over.