Home » Latest » TRENDING NOW » Orange Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines | Full Game Highlights

Orange Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines | Full Game Highlights

4

InfoSearched 30 0 TRENDING NOW

7.5

SaveSavedRemoved 2

Georgia’s defense throttled Michigan’s offense, and the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the national title game.

No. 3 Georgia dismantled No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the 88th Capital One Orange Bowl on December 31, 2021, using a College Football Playoff semifinal at Hard Rock Stadium to make an emphatic statement in front of 66,839 fans in Miami Gardens. Stetson Bennett carved up the Wolverines through the air while Kirby Smart’s defense swallowed Jim Harbaugh’s offense whole. The win put Georgia (13-1) into the CFP National Championship for an all-SEC rematch with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

• Georgia (13-1) routed Michigan (12-2) 34-11, outgaining the Wolverines 521 total yards to 328 and sacking their quarterbacks four times without allowing a single sack to Michigan’s line.
• Stetson Bennett was named Offensive Player of the Game after going 20-of-30 for 313 yards and three touchdowns, adding 32 rushing yards, while cornerback Derion Kendrick took Defensive Player of the Game honors with two interceptions of Cade McNamara.
• The victory sends Georgia to the CFP National Championship to face Alabama, a rematch of the SEC Championship earlier that season.

Georgia Seizes Control Early

The Bulldogs wasted no time announcing their intentions. On the opening possession, Bennett capped an 80-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brock Bowers. Georgia didn’t let up on its next drive either, when running back Kenny McIntosh took a handoff and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell, catching Michigan’s defense flat-footed on the trick play.

Bennett kept the foot on the gas late in the second quarter, uncorking a 57-yard bomb to Jermaine Burton that blew the game open. By halftime, Georgia led 27-3, and Michigan’s vaunted offensive line and running attack had no answer.

Bennett’s Big Night

Bennett, the former walk-on who had become Georgia’s unquestioned starter, finished 20-of-30 for 313 yards and three touchdowns, adding 32 yards on the ground. His fourth-quarter dagger came on a 39-yard strike to James Cook, who led all Georgia receivers with 112 yards on the day. The performance earned Bennett Offensive Player of the Game honors and validated Smart’s decision to build the offense around him heading into the SEC rematch discussed in Georgia’s CFP National Championship matchup with Alabama.

Georgia sacked Michigan’s quarterbacks four times and forced three turnovers — while its own offensive line didn’t allow a single sack against a Wolverines front that had been one of the most decorated in the country.

Kendrick and the Georgia Defense Shut the Door

If Bennett was the headline, Derion Kendrick’s night made the difference. The Georgia cornerback picked off Michigan starter Cade McNamara twice, part of a three-turnover day that buried the Wolverines’ comeback hopes before they ever got going. Michigan managed just 328 total yards against a defense that flew around the ball all night and never let Michigan’s ground game establish rhythm.

Michigan’s Late Push Falls Short

Harbaugh’s Wolverines avoided the shutout of the touchdown column late, with backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy connecting with Andrel Anthony on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 4:25 remaining. A.J. Henning added a two-point conversion run to get Michigan to 11 points, but by then the outcome had long been decided. Michigan’s first CFP appearance under Harbaugh ended in a lopsided defeat that exposed the gap between the two programs on that night.

Georgia now turns to Alabama for the national title, a rematch after the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship earlier in the season. Bennett, Kendrick and a defense that just held a top-five offense to 11 points head into that game with plenty of momentum — and a chance to settle the score from Atlanta.