Ohio State Football: How to stop Georgia’s defensive front

The Ohio State football team is putting together their final preparations this week in Atlanta before Saturday evening’s matchup against Georgia. Most of the game planning should be done by now. It’s all up to them to execute it well in practice to make sure they do it in the game.

One of the big things they will have to do in order to pull the upset is handling Georgia’s stellar defensive front. They have a player who is in the running to be the number-one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in Jalen Carter. He has to be a focal point of the Buckeyes’ gameplan.

If Ohio State wants to run the ball successfully and maintain offensive balance, they have to deal with Carter and the rest of this Georgia front. In order to do that, Ryan Day is going to have to get creative with his run calls in order to spread Georgia out on the perimeter.

Carter is an absolute game-wrecker up front. His combination of size and strength makes it very hard for teams to run up the middle on the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, Day has made it a routine to run the ball out of the shotgun or pistol right up the middle on most first-downs.

That predictability will be the death of the Ohio State football team if they do it in the Peach Bowl. They have to try to run the ball to the outside and pull some guards in the run game. Getting Matt Jones or Donovan Jackson out as a lead blocker might be a good way to keep Georgia on their toes.

Smart double-team blocks on Carter are going to be necessary as well. Keeping him out of the play and making the linebackers make plays is going to be key. The Buckeyes might only get five or six yards doing this up the middle, but that’s more than enough yardage.

How creative the coaching staff gets on the offensive side will determine how well Ohio State can play on Saturday.