2023 Orange Bowl Preview

2023 Orange Bowl Preview

Time Stamp: December 18, 2023 3:38 PM

The 2023 Orange Bowl features the 12-1 Georgia Bulldogs against the 13-0 Florida State Seminoles. Here is the 2023 Orange Bowl Preview.

Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)

Georgia won 12 games to qualify for their 27th straight bowl game. They defeated six bowl-eligible teams this season: Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Their lone loss was to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

The Bulldogs score 38.4 points per game, ranking them ninth in the country. They pass for 305.6 yards (ranked 10th) and rush for 177.3 yards per game (ranked 41st).

Carson Beck has started at quarterback for Georgia this season and has impressed. He has passed for 3,738 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions on 72.4 percent completion. Seven players have at least 200 receiving yards his season. Tight end Brock Bowers is a star with 56 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns. Dominic Lovett and Rosemy-Jacksaint have played well with 575 and 502 receiving yards respectively.

Two running backs have done most of the work on the ground for Georgia. Daijun Edwards has led the team with 819 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Behind him, Kendall Milton has played solidly with 686 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

Defensively, the Bulldogs have given up 16.6 points per game, which ranks ninth in the FBS. They allow 117.5 rushing yards (ranked 27th) and 177.7 passing yards per game (ranked 11th). Smael Mondon and Tykee Smith lead the team with 68 total tackles each. Jalon Walker has a team-high five sacks. Malaki Starks has been good in the secondary with seven passes defended an two interceptions.

Florida State Seminoles (13-0)

Florida went undefeated this season to make their second-straight bowl game. They were left out of the College Football Playoff, but defeated eight bowl-eligible teams this season: LSU, Boston College, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Duke, Miami and Louisville.

The Seminoles score 36.5 points per game, ranked 14th in the country. They pass for 259.5 yards (ranked 44th) and rush for 156.8 yards per game (ranked 68th).

Jordan Travis was the starting quarterback, but he broke his leg near the end of the season. Tate Rodemaker will likely start this game after passing for 510 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions on 57.1 percent completion. Six players had at least 200 receiving yards this season, but second-leading receiver Johnny Wilson has opted out of this game. The leading receiver, Keon Coleman, is still playing at this time and had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Star running back Trey Benson has also opted out of this bowl game. That means the bulk of the running game will fall to Lawrence Toafili. He rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, the Seminoles concede 15.9 points per game, ranking them sixth in the country. They give up 135.3 rushing yards (ranked 40th) and 170.4 passing yards per game (ranked seventh). Tatum Bethune leads the team with 71 total tackles. Jared Verse is the star pass-rusher with nine sacks. Renardo Green has made plays in the secondary with 12 passes defended and one interception this season.

Prediction

With Florida State’s opt-outs and probably more to come, it will be hard to keep up with Georgia. The Bulldogs will likely have many of their players and will want to show why they should’ve been in the CFP.

Georgia Bulldogs 35 Florida State Seminoles 20

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