Writer - Robert Henry
Los Angeles, CA - One of the more legendary bowl games is the site for one of this year’s semifinal match ups. The Rose Bowl will host the Oklahoma Sooner and the Georgia Bulldogs in an important semifinal playoff game.
“The Granddaddy of Them All” has such a rich history of exciting games and this special addition of the Rose Bowl will be no different. Oklahoma and Georgia are set to face each other for the first time in their respective programs. This is the first time that Georgia will be in a playoff game since its conception in the 2014-15 season.
The Bulldogs will be tested against the high-powered offense in the Sooners. Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield has been battling illness the whole week leading up to this very important game and luckily for the Sooners he says he will be good to go come game time. Mayfield and the Sooners will have to deal with one of the best defenses in the nation come New Years Day.
Georgia was able to fight their way to position their selves to make it to the National Championship. The Bulldogs were able to go to the SEC title game and come away with a win, in complete domination over Auburn. This was their first SEC title since 2005 and it was well deserved. Georgia’s star defensive player Roquan Smith will be testing his abilities against a very tough offense. He is considered the best defensive player in all off college football and it will be quite a show seeing him attempt to stop the Sooners.
Although most of the things we hear about Georgia is how impressive their defense is, the Bulldogs offense is, in some ways, the complete opposite of the Sooner’s. Georgia will put the ball to the ground and allow their incredible running backs a chance to make huge plays. Nick Chubb along with Sony Michel are able to move the ball with such aggression and speed that can put fear in defenses. It seems like once you give Chubb a little open space the next thing you know he is in the end zone. It will be exciting to watch if the Oklahoma defense will be able to stop the Georgia offense. Reversely it will be interesting to see if the highly efficient Georgia defense can stop Mayfield and the Sooners offense.
Oklahoma’s head coach Lincoln Riley has helped Mayfield become into The Heisman winner that he is today. Going from walk on quarterback to, playing for a for a spot in the national championship is an impressive stat on its own. Riley was able to turn this young athlete and this program into so much more on the field. It started as a Coordinated and has continued in his first year as the head coach of the Sooners.
First he surrounds Mayfield with a great cast of lineman as well as a capable receiving corp. The big question Oklahoma will have is can their defense shake up Georgia’s young but capable quarterback Jake Fromm and create opportunities for the Sooner’s offense. A concern for Oklahoma could be can the monster offensive lineman Orlando Brown, along with the rest of the lineman, be able to stop Smith, Lorenzo Carter and the rest of the Bulldog’s defense? Also will Mayfield’s illness hinder his play to the point that the highly efficient offense wont be able to function at it’s peak performance? All these concerns seem to be non-existent for the Oklahoma team as they go into the New Year ready and excited to play in such an important game.
All week both teams have been busy with activities and practices but now they can focus on just the big game. The Oklahoma offense will have to spread the Georgia defense in order to make the plays that can win the game.
The Bulldogs are the more rounded team with a fierce defense. In order for Georgia to take control of the game they will need to put a lot of pressure on Mayfield and create turnovers. The big match up to watch will be between Georgia’s Carter and Oklahoma’s Brown as well as the face off against Mayfield and Smith. The Oklahoma and Georgia teams have expressed their gratitude to the Tournament of Roses, which is the organization that puts on all the events related to the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl presented by Nationwide is set for January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. It will air live on ESPN at 5:00PM EST
“The Granddaddy of Them All” has such a rich history of exciting games and this special addition of the Rose Bowl will be no different. Oklahoma and Georgia are set to face each other for the first time in their respective programs. This is the first time that Georgia will be in a playoff game since its conception in the 2014-15 season.
The Bulldogs will be tested against the high-powered offense in the Sooners. Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield has been battling illness the whole week leading up to this very important game and luckily for the Sooners he says he will be good to go come game time. Mayfield and the Sooners will have to deal with one of the best defenses in the nation come New Years Day.
Georgia was able to fight their way to position their selves to make it to the National Championship. The Bulldogs were able to go to the SEC title game and come away with a win, in complete domination over Auburn. This was their first SEC title since 2005 and it was well deserved. Georgia’s star defensive player Roquan Smith will be testing his abilities against a very tough offense. He is considered the best defensive player in all off college football and it will be quite a show seeing him attempt to stop the Sooners.
Although most of the things we hear about Georgia is how impressive their defense is, the Bulldogs offense is, in some ways, the complete opposite of the Sooner’s. Georgia will put the ball to the ground and allow their incredible running backs a chance to make huge plays. Nick Chubb along with Sony Michel are able to move the ball with such aggression and speed that can put fear in defenses. It seems like once you give Chubb a little open space the next thing you know he is in the end zone. It will be exciting to watch if the Oklahoma defense will be able to stop the Georgia offense. Reversely it will be interesting to see if the highly efficient Georgia defense can stop Mayfield and the Sooners offense.
Oklahoma’s head coach Lincoln Riley has helped Mayfield become into The Heisman winner that he is today. Going from walk on quarterback to, playing for a for a spot in the national championship is an impressive stat on its own. Riley was able to turn this young athlete and this program into so much more on the field. It started as a Coordinated and has continued in his first year as the head coach of the Sooners.
First he surrounds Mayfield with a great cast of lineman as well as a capable receiving corp. The big question Oklahoma will have is can their defense shake up Georgia’s young but capable quarterback Jake Fromm and create opportunities for the Sooner’s offense. A concern for Oklahoma could be can the monster offensive lineman Orlando Brown, along with the rest of the lineman, be able to stop Smith, Lorenzo Carter and the rest of the Bulldog’s defense? Also will Mayfield’s illness hinder his play to the point that the highly efficient offense wont be able to function at it’s peak performance? All these concerns seem to be non-existent for the Oklahoma team as they go into the New Year ready and excited to play in such an important game.
All week both teams have been busy with activities and practices but now they can focus on just the big game. The Oklahoma offense will have to spread the Georgia defense in order to make the plays that can win the game.
The Bulldogs are the more rounded team with a fierce defense. In order for Georgia to take control of the game they will need to put a lot of pressure on Mayfield and create turnovers. The big match up to watch will be between Georgia’s Carter and Oklahoma’s Brown as well as the face off against Mayfield and Smith. The Oklahoma and Georgia teams have expressed their gratitude to the Tournament of Roses, which is the organization that puts on all the events related to the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl presented by Nationwide is set for January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. It will air live on ESPN at 5:00PM EST