Jim Harbaugh delivers Ric Flair quote about ‘Beat Georgia Drill’

The Michigan Wolverines have a “Beat Ohio Drill” to emphasize their annual matchup against Ohio State. And now they have a “Beat Georgia Drill”. Georgia’s won back-to-back National Championships, and a major reason why they were able to do so was because of their stout rushing defense and solid rushing offense.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged the “Beat Georgia Drill” at Big Ten Media Day on Thursday.

“Kind of like our good friend Ric Flair, if you want to be the man you got to beat the man,” Harbaugh said. “Wanted to emphasize it.”

Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil also discussed the drill at Big Ten Media Day. In these drills, Michigan’s offense runs two and three tight end sets, and a battle ensues.

“Not being scared to get your hands dirty, get your feet dirty,” Sainristil explained. “Work on the run game, work on the play-action game, work on big personnel. Go in there and battle it out. Win the line of scrimmage.”

Georgia had the No. 1 rushing defense last season and the No. 19 rushing offense. The drill has come about out of respect for what Georgia’s been able to accomplish in recent history.

“The emphasis is stopping the run,” Harbaugh said. “Being able to run the ball when the other team knows you’re going to run the ball. That’s what I really respect about that team. Their ability to run the ball when the other team knows they’re running the ball and to be able to stop the run.”

Michigan would love to have another crack at Georgia, who ended their championship hopes during the 2021 season, where the Bulldogs beat the Wolverines 34-11 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl. If Michigan does indeed meet Georgia again it’ll likely mean they’re both in the playoffs once again. For now though, Michigan will have to settle with the ‘Beat Georgia Drill’ and keep ‘em on their mind.