Michigan adds ‘Beat Georgia’ drill to practice in pursuit of CFP title

INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan football found success two years ago by rebranding its 9-on-7 drill the ‘Beat Ohio State’ period, flipping the once one-sided rivalry over.

And now that the Wolverines’ goals are bigger and better than ever, having beaten the Buckeyes twice, won back-to-back Big Ten titles and reached the College Football Playoff, they are aiming higher — to back-to-back national champion Georgia.

Jim Harbaugh’s team introduced the ‘Beat Georgia’ period in practice over the spring, a “heavy, 12 and 13-personnel” series of drills aimed at fine-tuning its play in the trenches, defensive back Mike Sainristil confirmed Thursday at Big Ten Media Days.

“Because a team like Georgia, that’s big-boy football,” Sainristil told reporters. “That’s a team that’s going to run the football. They’re going to play-action you. So in that period, it’s heavy — and that’s what we focus on.”

Michigan lost its 2021 CFP semifinal game to Georgia in lopsided fashion, 34-11, but never got an opportunity to exact revenge last year. Instead, the Wolverines lost their semifinal round showing to Texas Christian, 51-45, paving the way for another Georgia championship.

This year, Michigan is the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten again, a key ticket in getting an invite to the playoff. And with Georgia in the mix to win the SEC, a pairing is possible.

“It’s more of a point of emphasis on how good of a football we can be during this drill,” defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said. “Right now, the goal is to be a team like the top dog.”

During the period, Michigan lines up one running back and two tight ends (12) or three tight ends (13), a sort of bully-ball that has helped guide the Wolverines’ resurgence offensively in recent years.

And, according to Harbaugh, the team has a professional wrestling star (and avid Michigan fan) to thank.

“Kind of like our good friend Ric Flair (said), ‘If you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man,’” Harbaugh said, repeating Flair’s popular phrase, often followed by his trademark ‘woo.’ “And we wanted to emphasize it.”

Harbaugh says the ‘Beat Georgia’ period is in addition to, not in replace of, the ‘Beat Ohio State’ drill — a sign the Wolverines haven’t forgotten about who still stands in their way.

“We’re still thinking about Ohio State all the time,” Michigan running back Blake Corum said. “If you didn’t, that means your head got too big — you think you got too good for your stuff.

“And we’re not that. We’re not complacent. We want more.”