Kirby Smart impressed with Michigan's attitude following Big Ten title win

After Georgia’s humiliating and humbling defeat in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, Bulldogs‘ head coach Kirby Smart took some time on Sunday to speak with ESPN during their College Football Playoff reveal show. He talked about his upcoming opponent, the Michigan Wolverines.

First he spoke about his biggest concern about his upcoming opponent in the Capital One Orange Bowl: “It’s hard to answer that right now. What I saw last night, they have a brilliant offense, a great defense. We know a lot of guys on their staff. They do a tremendous job. We’ll dive into those guys as soon as we can,” Smart said.

Many might say drawing one of the toughest opponents in the playoffs in Georgia’s first game could be a negative, but Smart talked about the positives and how that would help his team bounce back from such a deflating loss. “Well I think preparation is the key there. We got a lot of things we gotta shore up, a lot of things we gotta work on. Got a lot of respect for Jim and Michigan. [Jim Harbaugh] mentioned [Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball] head coach [Tom] Crean who’s gotten to be a good friend of mine. I got to catch a little bit of that game last night. They looked incredible in terms of leadership, attitude. Hearing their guys talk after the game just tells you a lot about who they are and what they are about,” he said.

Michigan’s tandem of defensive ends are among the best in America

There are two major, major players on the defensive end that Kirby Smart will have to worry about on the defensive side of the football for the Michigan Wolverines. That would be Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, the tandem of pass rushers that have been unblockable for much of the 2021 season. The two players have combined for 26.5 tackles for loss, 25 sacks, and seven forced fumbles between them. Those are pretty ridiculous numbers and it’s a big reason why many people believe that Hutchinson could even be selected as the top overall prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Both players are legitimate freaks.

The Wolverines throttled Iowa 42-3

In case the humbling and humiliating defeat at the hands of Alabama wasn’t enough to get Georgia focused, Michigan delivered one of the most thorough beatdowns of the college football season to Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, 42-3.

They showcased the wide variety of players they have at multiple positions, including their remarkably talented backfield of Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins. Corum ripped off a 67-yard touchdown run and Haskins punched in two rushing touchdowns to push his season total to 20. Simply put, they’re one of the best backfield tandems in college football.

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 Dec. 31, 2021. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.