COLUMBUS, Ohio – We are just over 24 hours away from kickoff between the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) and the No. 1 team in the nation, and defending national champion, Georgia Bulldogs in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:10 p.m.
The Buckeyes have been in Atlanta since Christmas evening and have gone through five workouts at the stadium in preparation for the game. In addition to the workouts, members of the team (and Georgia, as well) have:
- Taken part in five consecutive days of interviews, including a full team interview day Thursday at the College Football Hall of Fame;
- Won, 4-1, the “battle of bowl week”, the five-event competition – basketball, bowling, go-kart racing and a couple of game shows – to enhance the players’ off-field experiences while in Atlanta;
- Visited Egleston Children’s Hospital; and
- Visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site.
Game Day Game Notes
- Ohio State is making its first appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
- This fifth CFP semifinal appearance for Ohio State also represents the 54th bowl game for the Buckeyes.
- Ohio State is 26-27 all-time in bowl games and 3-3 in CFP games.
- Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is 45-5 overall, 20-3 in away or neutral field games, 16-5 vs. Top 25 teams and 14-3 vs. non-conference opponents.
- Ohio State and Georgia have met just once on the gridiron: the Bulldogs defeated the Buckeyes, 21-14, to win the 1993 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
- Five Buckeyes have started CFP games: DE Zach Harrison (2019 vs. Clemson), OG Matt Jones (2021 vs. Clemson and Alabama), SAF Josh Proctor (2021 vs. Clemson and Alabama), DT Jerron Cage (2021 vs. Alabama), and DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste (2021 vs. Alabama).
- Jean-Baptiste, FB/TE Mitch Rossi and Proctor have each played in all three CFP games during the 2019 (Clemson) and 2020 (Clemson and Alabama) seasons while 10 additional players played in both the Clemson and Alabama games, including Zach Harrison, DT Taron Vincent, SAF Lathan Ransom, TE Cade Stover and LB Steele Chambers.
- Six of Ohio State’s typical 2022 defensive starters – DT Ty Hamilton, DE JT Tuimoloau, LB Tommy Eichenberg, SAF Ronnie Hickman, SAF Tanner McCalister and CB Denzel Burke – will be making their first appearance in a CFP game.
- Six of Ohio State’s typical 2022 offensive starters – C Luke Wypler, OG Donovan Jackson, RT Dawand Jones, QB C.J. Stroud and WRs Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka – will be making their first appearance in a CFP game.
- Nationally, Ohio State is 2nd in scoring offense (44.5), 6th in total offense (492.7), 13th in scoring defense (19.2) and 12th in total defense (303.9). Meanwhile …
- Georgia is 11th in scoring offense (39.2), 7th in total offense (491.9), 2nd in scoring defense (12.8) and 9th in total defense (292.1).
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
