Five things to know for the Rose Bowl's matchup between Georgia and Oklahoma

Despite the fact that Georgia and Oklahoma have been around since the late 1890s, the two programs have never crossed paths in the history of college football.

That will change Monday when the second-ranked Sooners and third-ranked Bulldogs face off in the Rose Bowl, which is serving as a semifinal for the College Football Playoff. The two teams are each making only their second appearance ever in the Rose Bowl.

Georgia was last in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1943, which ended in a 9-0 victory over UCLA. Oklahoma recorded a 34-14 win over Washington State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2003.

Here are five items of note between the two teams heading into this year’s Rose Bowl.

Mayfield-Smith is an overblown storyline

A lot has been made about Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield going against Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Truth be told, this really isn’t a matchup to watch. While Smith could spy Mayfield on occasion, you can bet other Georgia defenders will be asked to do so. The outside linebackers have been working on a converging drill, indicating that there will be multiple plans in place when attempting to slow Mayfield.

Smith will be employed in many other ways too. He’s smart enough to read a certain key and turn his original call into a blitz. Smith will also be asked to drop into coverage at times, considering the need to cover the many Oklahoma receiving targets. While Mayfield and Smith are each team’s best player, this is not a particular matchup to watch.

In reality, like in most games, the top matchup to watch when Oklahoma is on offense will be in the trenches. The Sooners have not allowed Mayfield to feel much pressure all year long. Georgia will need to change that if it is to earn a Rose Bowl victory.

Lean on ‘em

Georgia’s offensive line has done a good job against every opponent on its schedule except one, which was the lone loss of the season to Auburn. While Oklahoma offers some size on its three-down front, the Sooners are a bit undersized at linebacker.

This is where Georgia’s line will look to take advantage, much like it did against Auburn in the SEC Championship rematch. Instead of running through the teeth of the front, the Bulldogs bounced runs outside.

The Bulldogs may look for a similar strategy Monday. Georgia’s offensive line, which features three players 6-foot-5 or taller, definitely has a size advantage at the second level and could lean on Oklahoma’s front to control the tempo and pace of this game.

Georgia’s matchup concern

Georgia hasn’t faced an offense as balanced as Oklahoma’s. The Sooners’ rushing attack averages 215.9 yards per game, which doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as it should. The wideouts are a dangerous group that can see anyone go off in any game.

But the biggest matchup Oklahoma will look to take advantage of is tight end Mark Andrews. Andrews, the Mackey Award winner for being the nation’s best tight end, has been a nightmare for defensive coordinators. This season, Andrews has caught 58 passes for 908 yards and six touchdowns.

Andrews is athletic and fast enough to be a receiver. At 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds, he can also serve as a prototypical blocker when needed. The fact that Andrews can run routes out of a three-point stance, flexed off or split wide is a concern defensive coordinator Mel Tucker surely has entering this game.

Oklahoma’s suspect defense

While Oklahoma’s offense is lightning quick and explosive, the defense has shown plenty of vulnerable moments throughout the season.

Baylor, a team that finished 1-11 this season, scored 41 points and posted 523 total yards against Oklahoma. Iowa State, a team that was briefly in the top 25 before making its way out of it, defeated the Sooners 38-31 while racking up 449 total yards. Kansas State scored 35 points and West Virginia totaled 31 without quarterback Will Grier.

Now, Oklahoma does have a solid defensive performance on its resume by holding Ohio State to 16 points in the second week of the regular season. But the fact that three of the bottom five Big 12 teams (Kansas State, West Virginia, Baylor) scored 31 points or more against Oklahoma shows that this is a team that can be taken advantage of.

Young coaches

This game features two young head coaches who have previously been assistants in the College Football Playoff.

Head coach Kirby Smart is only 42 years old, which is quite young when you take into consideration the rest of the college football profession at the Power 5 level. He took part in the first two College Football Playoff events as a defensive coordinator at Alabama in 2014 and 2015.

But Smart is the elder statesman compared to Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Riley is only 34 years ago but was Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator during its 2015 College Football Playoff season.

This story was originally published December 31, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Five things to know for the Rose Bowl's matchup between Georgia and Oklahoma."