Mike Macdonald explains why Brock Bowers is a matchup nightmare

As the Michigan defense prepares to face Georgia in the Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald must consider how to stop tight end Brock Bowers. The freshman playmaker presents one of the toughest matchups Michigan’s top-tier defense has faced this season.

During a pre-bowl press conference Mike Macdonald addressed what makes Brock Bowers such a difficult player to guard and explained how the defense must respond to limit his production.

“Yeah, Brock is a heck of a player, man,” Macdonald told reporters. “He’s really dynamic. The thing that they do with him is he can play – he really plays every position. He’ll play the Z, the Y, the X, the move guy, the down guy. They’ll give it to him on reverses, screens. It’s pretty impressive. A tribute to their coaching staff for putting him in positions to affect the game.”

Bowers has 47 catches for 791 yards and 11 touchdowns in his freshman year, adding four carries for 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He won SEC Freshman of the Year and was named First Team All-SEC in the regular season.

After complimenting the player, he then moved on to Michigan’s gameplan. Although he spoke vaguely – not giving away any secrets – the response paints a picture of the first steps.

“He’s a heck of a player. I think the first thing you have to have is an awareness on where he’s at, and if he’s out of place you have to understand that. And then just understand the things that he likes to do from certain positions so we can help try to slow him down as best we can.”

Mike Macdonald on Georgia’s offense

Mike Macdonald’s Michigan defense ranks No. 12 in the country in yards allowed per game and No. 6 in total touchdowns allowed in 2021, placing them in an elite group which Georgia also resides in. The key to victory for both teams could prove one or two big plays from offensive contributors against the stout defensive units.

The Michigan assistant also spoke glowingly about the Georgia offense as a whole, likening the matchup to a chess game between coordinators and coaches.

“They’ve got great skill guys all across the board, guys that can really hurt you at any point during the game,” said Macdonald. “The stress points of our zones and when we play man-to-man, when we pressure, when we don’t, that’ll kind of be an interesting chess game throughout the game.”