Dawgs In Orange Bowl

No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia are set to meet in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 31, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The game will feature two of the top five defenses in the country and two of the top 13 offenses. Big Ten Champion Michigan (12-1, 8-1 Big Ten) is No. 4 in scoring defense, allowing just 16.1 points per game, while Georgia (12-1, 8-0 SEC) leads the nation at No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 9.5 points per game. Georgia and Michigan also own the nation’s No. 7 and No. 13 scoring offenses, averaging 39.4 and 37.7 points per game, respectively.

The teams are led by two of the most respected coaches in college football. 7th-year Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh owns a 61-23 record at the helm of the Wolverines, while 6th-year Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart has a 64-15 all-time record leading the Dawgs.

Georgia will be making its fourth appearance in a game hosted by Orange Bowl and its first since 1960 when it defeated Missouri 14-0 with the help of quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The Dawgs also appeared in the 1942 Orange Bowl (40-26 win over TCU) and the 1949 Orange Bowl (41-28 loss to Texas). Georgia is 2nd in yards allowed per game (253.9 YPG) and 5th in total sacks (41 sacks).

Michigan will also be playing in its fourth game hosted by Orange Bowl and its first since its 32-33 loss to Florida State in a down-to-the-wire thriller in 2016. The Wolverines outlasted Alabama 35-34 in overtime in the 2000 Orange Bowl behind quarterback Tom Brady, and first appeared in the Orange Bowl in 1976 in a 14-6 loss to Oklahoma. Michigan ranks 13th in total defense (316.2 YPG) and 10th in rushing offense (223.8 YPG).

For additional information about the Orange Bowl Committee or the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, please visit www.orangebowl.org or email media@orangebowl.org.

About Orange Bowl

Orange Bowl is a 380-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars through its Orange Bowl Cares program: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2021. For more information on the 2021 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.

Post Game Notes

SEC Championship History: With today’s 41-24 loss to third-ranked UA, the top-ranked Dawgs drop to 3-6 in SEC Championship games including 1-3 in the Kirby Smart era and now 0-2 against UA who leads the all-time series 42-25-4. Georgia saw its FBS-leading 16-game winning streak end including a school record nine-game winning streak in road games. The 16-game streak was the second longest in school history. Georgia’s run as the unanimous top-ranked team will end at eight weeks, also a school record. The Dawgs had been the No. 1 team in the CFP rankings all season.

Dawgs Allow Season-High 41 Points: Top-ranked Georgia came in as the national leader in Scoring Defense (6.9 ppg) and then saw UA tally 24 points in the second quarter and 41 for the game on 536 yards of total offense on 70 plays. Alabama was averaging 42.7 ppg. Coming in, Georgia had allowed only seven points total in the second quarter, and the previous most total points allowed in a game this year was 17 by UT in Knoxville. Before today, Georgia’s first 12 opponents had scored just 83 points.

Review Of Bennett’s Day: Senior QB Stetson Bennett finished 29-for-48 for 340 yards (all career highs) with 3 TDs and two INTs (one was a pick-six by Jordan Battle). Bennett dropped to 12-3 as a starter and 9-1 this year. In the first half, he was 11-for-16 for 168 yards and 2 TDs as Georgia trailed 24-17. For the second straight game, his first nine completions went to nine different players. Georgia’s 2nd drive resulted in a field goal and a 3-0 lead with 6:01 left in the first quarter. On the next drive, Georgia posted a season-long 97-yard TD drive on 8 plays in 3:36 for a 10-0 edge in the 2nd quarter. Georgia tied the game at 17 with a 32-yard TD play to Ladd McConkey (2-for-35, 1 TD).

Bowers Headlines An Array Of Targets: Georgia’s leading receiver was freshman Brock Bowers (10-for-139 yards, 1 TD) who tied the school record for TD catches with his 11th this year (split end Terrence Edwards had 11 in 2002) as it covered 18 yards and closed the deficit to 38-24. He notched his fourth career game of 100+ yards receiving and set SEC Championship Game record for catches and yards by a tight end. Bowers is the first Dawg to have at least 10 catches in a game since George Pickens against Baylor (12 for 175) in the 2020 Sugar Bowl.

In the first half, nine different Dawgs caught a pass as they were 11 completions for 168 yards. Junior WR George Pickens, who saw his first action of the year in the rout of Georgia Tech last Saturday after recovering from a knee injury, finished with two catches for 41 yards today. Sophomore TE Darnell Washington notched his first career TD, a 5-yarder to make it 10-0.

Specialist Summary: Junior Jack Podlesny went 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, making a 38-yarder. For the year, he is now 64-for-65 on PATs and 18-for-22 in FG. Meanwhile, senior Jake Camarda handled the punting duties with four for a 52.5 average including a career-long 68-yarder and another one that was 64 yards.

Game Captains/Coin Toss/Starters: The captains were seniors Quay Walker (LB), James Cook (RB) and juniors Zamir White (RB) and Nakobe Dean (LB). Alabama won the toss and deferred until the second half. Senior Jamaree Salyer returned to his left tackle spot after missing the last four games due to an injury. Senior William Poole (DB) got his second career start and first since 2018.

Let These Dawgs Bite!!!!

 U-L's Travon Walker makes appearance in Championship Game Trailer.

Wednesday Player Interviews

Ladd McConkey, Redshirt Freshman, Wide Receiver

On George Pickens...

"He's a phenomenal player. What he can do when he plays is special. Going out there, doing his thing, having fun - y'all know how George is when he's out there doing his thing and making plays. He makes a huge impact on our offense."

On the Alabama secondary...

"Overall, they are a really good team. Their whole defense is really good. They've got a bunch of good athletes who are physical and can run. I'm looking forward to getting out there and competing with them. But overall, they're a really good defense, and it's going to be a battle."

On this season...

"It really is crazy. I was talking to my receiver coach from high school how this is something special we have going on here going into the SEC Championship. Having the opportunity we have, it's something awesome and something we are not taking for granted. We are just going day-by-day and finishing this thing out strong."

Sedrick Van Pran, Redshirt Freshman, Offensive Lineman

On his mindset going into this weekend...

“My mindset is just to lean on my brothers honestly. Go in, continue to do the things that I’ve always done and try to execute to the best of my ability. Lean on my brothers, try not to be Superman.”

On preparing for Alabama’s pass rush…

“Basically, just keying in on some moves that a couple of guys work a lot on. A lot of guys work on hard moves, just different things like that. So just trying to make sure you keep your head out – play with your head move your feet, things like that.”

On the SEC Championship...

“Of course, you dig down a little deeper, just because you want to be an SEC champion. That’s something that’s really really special and something that will bring much joy to everyone in this building. You definitely dig down deeper for the people in this building, whether it be players, staff, coaches, assistants, janitors, whoever. Everybody is a part of this, so you want to make sure that you dig down deep to make sure that you don’t let down anybody in this building. So, definitely dig down a little bit deeper especially for the sense of we want to be SEC Champions.”

Travon & Quay Ready For Bama

Travon Walker, Junior, Defensive Lineman

On the responsibilities of his position...

"Basically, at the position that I play, sometimes, we can be asked to do a lot, but sometimes, it doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. At my position, there is a lot that goes into it. Setting the edge, dropping in coverage, asked to get sacks, or asked to eat blocks, so it could be a variety of things."

On the locker room vibe going into the SEC Championship...

"The connection with the team and the guys in the locker room, it's an unbreakable feeling about the guys. Everybody has that bond and knows each other's 'why'. Why we are doing it. Therefore, with us knowing why each other is doing it, we can hold each other accountable to that 'why.'"

On getting to Bryce Young...

"I think it's going to be a great matchup for both sides. I just think that we have to continue doing what we have been doing all season, and everything will go as planned. That being said, we just got to keep rushing the passer, and it will all fall in place."

Quay Walker, Senior, Inside Linebacker

On what has contributed to his standout senior year...

"I think it started in the offseason. Changing my body, changing the way I eat, pretty much just feeling better, getting to know things better, and learning the defense. I think it pretty much started with that. Once you know the defense really well, you can play really fast and you're not going to get into too much danger. It pretty much started with that, but mainly we changed the way I eat and changed my body and feeling better. That's pretty much it."

On the focus for playing Alabama for an SEC championship versus a normal in-season game...

"When you focus, you adapt a little bit, but I think that's always been our motive this whole year. No matter what game it is, we treat all of them the same. We don't need anyone to try to do anything different than what they have already done this whole year. But other than that, we've got to go out and execute and everything else is going to be taken care of."

On Coach Kirby Smart's message to the team the week before the SEC Championship...

"Keeping the main thing the main thing, focus on what we have to do and don't pay attention to anything else besides what we have to do. That's pretty much it. We have to focus on what's ahead of us and everything else is going to play out how it's supposed to play."