Rose Bowl 2018: Individual Matchups to Watch in Georgia vs. Oklahoma
Baker Mayfield may have won the Heisman Trophy, but he won't be the only star that needs to be stopped in the Rose Bowl.
The Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs have playmakers littered across the field on both sides of the ball, and it's going to take a Herculean effort from those players in the Rose Bowl to clinch a spot in the National Championship.
Most of the attention paid to Oklahoma has revolved around Mayfield and the offense, but the Sooners have a few stars on defense that deserve their due.
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Georgia's studs are at running back, with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel forming a dynamic duo behind freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. Defensively, the Bulldogs have a star in Roquan Smith, who will look to wreak havoc on Mayfield on New Year's Day.
Below is a look at three vital matchups that will decide the Rose Bowl.
Baker Mayfield vs. Roquan Smith
Two of the best players in the nation will match wits in the Rose Bowl, with Oklahoma quarterback Mayfield facing off against Georgia linebacker Smith.
Mayfield has passed every major test he's faced in 2017, but he hasn't faced an SEC defense with the strength like Georgia has.
But Mayfield has taken on the Ohio State defense, a unit he lit up for 386 passing yards and three touchdowns in Week 2. He cemented his Heisman resume in the Big 12 Championship against his biggest conference rival TCU by recording 243 passing yards and four touchdowns.
In order to break down the Bulldogs defense, the Heisman Trophy winner will have to outsmart Smith at the line of scrimmage.
Smith was one of the top performers on either side of the ball in both of Georgia's games against Auburn in the regular season.
In the November 11 loss to Auburn, Smith had 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He bested those totals in the SEC Championship, as he produced 13 tackles, 10 of which were solo, two tackles for loss and a sack.
Smith, who was the only defensive player to finish in the top 10 in Heisman voting, will be able to adjust to whatever Mayfield throws at him, and if he can even get to the Oklahoma quarterback on a few occasions, the Bulldogs could be headed for the National Championship.
Isaiah Wynn vs. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
One of the most explosive pass rushers in the nation will have a hard task in getting to Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm with Isaiah Wynn standing in the way.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has had no trouble getting to opposing backfields, as he's recorded 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Despite the impressive stats turned out by Okoronkwo and his teammates, Wynn isn't certain the Sooners will get to Fromm on multiple occasions.
Wynn acknowledged the talent on the Oklahoma defense, but he also said the Sooners haven't played a team with the downhill-running style of the Bulldogs, per Justin Felder of Fox 5 in Atlanta:
If Wynn and the rest of the Georgia offensive line can create holes for Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in the ground game, the Sooners will be backed into a corner and forced to rely on Mayfield more than they have in any contest this season.
Nick Chubb vs. Emmanuel Beal
If the battle in the run game goes beyond the line of scrimmage, it could be won in the second level of the Oklahoma defense.
Chubb is one of two powerful Georgia running backs that will test Emmanuel Beal and the Oklahoma linebacking corps.
When Chubb and Michel reach the linebackers, Beal will be tasked with making sure their advances stop before larger gains are earned.
Beal was one of the most influential defenders in the Big 12, as he recorded a team-high 89 total tackles, 50 of which were of the solo variety.
Three of Beal's best statistical games came against Ohio State and TCU, as he made 22 solo tackles against the Buckeyes and Horned Frogs.
If Beal wants to find a way to stop Chubb, he'll look at the film from Georgia's loss to Auburn in which the running back only picked up 27 yards.
Despite his one poor performance against Auburn, Chubb put together an average of 6.2 yards per carry that led to 1,175 rushing yards, which is quite the achievement for someone sharing the load with another star back in Michel.
The key for Beal is to limit Chubb to less than four yards per carry. If he is able to stuff the run, it will put an immense amount of pressure on Fromm to make the big plays and lift the Bulldogs to victory.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from Sports Reference and ESPN.com.
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