The Georgia Bulldogs won the Orange Bowl on Saturday after walloping the Florida State Seminoles 63-3, but could they have contended for their third straight national title if they were able to rush the passer more effectively this season?
They were rightfully left out of the final College Football Playoff field after falling to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, but after the Crimson Tide lost to Michigan is there a lesson for the Bulldogs? Mike Griffith joined The Steakhouse to react to the game and give his thoughts on the matter.
In the Rose Bowl on Monday, the Wolverines registered five sacks in the first half alone and finished the day with seven. They kept a lid on Milroe for much of the game and that propelled them to the 27-20 overtime win.
"Michigan was better in the trenches, and ultimately that was the difference," Griffith said about the game. "Milroe was constantly under pressure and that was something Georgia wasn't able to do."
The same cannot be said about Georgia.
Kirby Smart's team lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship largely because they were unable to consistently put pressure on Jalen Milroe and keep a lid on his mobility. While they finished with four sacks in that contest, he was able to hurt them with his ability to extend plays and they were bullied off the ball at times.
On the season, they only accounted for 29 total sacks as a team, which was 42nd in FBS and their lowest total since 2018.
"Georgia just didn't have as good of a front seven this year. Period. And that ultimately was the undoing of the Bulldogs," Griffith said. "That's why they weren't good enough to beat Alabama in the trenches. You saw what Milroe did when he was under pressure [against Michigan]. He looked more like he did against Auburn than he did against Georgia.
"So Kirby's got to go to work there to build up that defensive line back up if he wants to win another national championship."