Kirby Smart was confident his team would respond after its loss to Alabama. Michigan found out very quickly how forceful that response would be.

The Bulldogs scored on their first five possessions of the game, while holding the Wolverines had just a field goal in the opening half. Georgia turned the Big Ten champion, a team that beat Ohio State and throttled Iowa, into an Arkansas or Kentucky.

Georgia didn’t need to do much in the second half, after forcing Michigan turnovers on its first two drives and coasted to a 34-11 win over Michigan. The first touchdown for the Wolverines didn’t come until there was 4:25 left in the fourth quarter when Georgia’s second-string defenders were in the game.

The Bulldogs are now 2-0 in College Football Playoff semifinals under Smart, and will advance to the national championship game. Awaiting the Bulldogs will once again be Alabama.

Michigan fans actually outnumbered Georgia fans in Miami, a rarity given the passionate Bulldog fanbase. But by the end of the game, only those in the red and black were left to witness the beatdown that Georgia put on Michigan.

Stetson Bennett stars for Bulldogs

After a month of countless questions about his abilities, Bennett delivered the best game of his Georgia career in the biggest of moments. He completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opening half, powering the Bulldogs to their halftime edge.

Bennett scrambled away from Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson for 20-yards. He found Brock Bowers for the game’s first touchdown. He dropped a bomb to James Cook for 53 yards.

Then he uncorked a perfect pass to Jermaine Burton for a 57-yard strike to turn a great half into an all-timer.

Bennett finished the game 21 of 31 for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns. Georgia was aggressive throwing the ball, with Bennett’s 22 first-half pass attempts being more than the Bulldogs had in six different games this season.

Critics of Bennett will still exist in part because of who he plays next, but the senior quarterback played the game of his life in a College Football Playoff semifinal. He put Georgia into a national championship game.

An incredible display from the former walk-on.

Derion Kendrick, Georgia defense come up big

Kendrick is one of the few players on the Georgia team who knows what a College Football Playoff game looks like. He struggled mightily in games against LSU and Ohio State when he was a member of the Clemson Tigers.

And early on, Michigan went after Kendrick. The Wolverines connected on a 42-yard pass with Kendrick in coverage to set up the only points of the first half.

But the transfer cornerback, like the Georgia defense as a whole, responded emphatically. Kendrick picked off two Cade McNamara passes, doubling his interceptions total on the season.

Kendrick wasn’t the only Georgia defender with a great game. Nakobe Dean was everywhere at once, sacking McNamara and forcing a fumble. He finished with seven tackles in the game.

The Georgia defensive line punished Michigan’s Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, with Nolan Smith, Travon Walker, Robert Beal and Jordan Davis all notching sacks. The Wolverines finished with only 88 rushing yards on the night, struggling to gain much traction upfront. It was a bloodbath in the trenches, with Georgia’s front beating on the Wolverines all night.

Much like Bennett, this Georgia defense will be defined by how it does against Alabama in the national championship game. But the defense that bullied Michigan is the same one that dominated the sport in the first 12 games of the season.

Georgia skill players cut up Michigan defense

Georgia has recruited better than Michigan. The Bulldogs have consistently recruited at a top-3 level, with Michigan recruiting at a top-10 level.

Perhaps the area where that was most apparent was at the skill positions. Michigan’s defensive backs had no answer for Georgia’s finally healthy skill players.

Bowers got things started, hauling in 3 passes for 51 catches and a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. The touchdown pushed him past Terrence Edwards for the most touchdown catches in a season with 12.

Kenny McIntosh tossed a touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken went deep into his bag of tricks for that one and called a great game against Michigan’s Mike MacDonald, a Georgia alum.

The speed advantage that Georgia had showed up on the big plays made by Cook and Burton. Both players were former top-100 recruits. Their play on Friday backed that up. Cook finished with 144 total yards in the game, emerging as a threat as a pass-catcher and runner.

He burned the Michigan defense for a touchdown in the second half, putting forth an iconic performance in his hometown of Miami.

Let’s also give some credit to the Georgia offensive line as well. While they did amass some penalties, Bennett was not sacked by either Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo.

The Bulldogs only scored seven points in the second half, leaving some wanting more. But Georgia was so dominant in the first half it didn’t need to shift out of second gear in the final 30 minutes.

Georgia football news and notes

Despite some rumors that players would be out with COVID-19, Georgia’s regular starters were all out there.

The Bulldogs played more Robert Beal in this game early, adding some beef to the defensive front. At star, William Poole got the first snaps.

Georgia safety Chris Smith was ejected on a targeting call just before the end of the first half. That means he had to miss the second half of the game against Michigan, but he will be back against Alabama. Dan Jackson replaced him.

Chaz Chambliss was also ejected in the game for targeting. He will miss the first half of the game against Alabama.

The Bulldogs will take on Alabama on Jan. 10, with the two teams meeting in Indianapolis. The Crimson Tide beat Cincinnati 27-6 in the other College Football Playoff semifinal. The two teams met in the 2018 National Championship Game, with Alabama winning 26-23 in overtime.

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