No. 4 Ohio State will take on No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Saturday in Atlanta. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Tuesdays within the No. 1 Georgia football program have an infamous mantra that has become central to the Bulldogs mentality.
Nicknamed “Bloody Tuesday,” the Bulldogs made it clear — Tuesdays in Georgia help define the program’s culture.
Georgia sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson defined “Bloody Tuesday” as “a day where we go after it.”
“Sometimes you see blood. Sometimes you don’t, depending on how the players go at it,” Dumas-Johnson said.
The physicality among both No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State will be on display Saturday during the Peach Bowl in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff, and a trip to the national championship is on the line.
Georgia senior defensive back Christopher Smith said demanding practices like “Bloody Tuesday” are what the Bulldogs “feel like that’s what this program is built on” and when Georgia can “get after it the hardest.”
Georgia’s physicality is no secret to the Buckeyes. However, they have built a program on physicality as well.
Third-year linebacker Chip Trayanum, who moved full time to running back midseason, said “the main thing in our program is toughness and fight.”
Third-year offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. will be up front against Georgia’s defensive line, which boasts the Football Bowl Subdivision’s top rushing defense and has held opponents to 77 rushing yards per game this season.
He noted the importance of physicality during the Peach Bowl is further emphasized when looking at how dominant Georgia’s defense has been thus far in the 2022 season. Allowing the fewest red zone conversion percentage in the country, Georgia’s defense can only be described as efficient.
“Bloody Tuesday” has helped build the physicality that has become the cornerstone of a Georgia program looking to repeat as national champions.
Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann credits “Bloody Tuesday” for the Bulldogs’ success on both sides of the ball. Schumann said Tuesdays in Athens are “a lot of good on good.”
Schumann assigned a lot of the praise for “Bloody Tuesday” to the players he’s coached and prepared to play the Buckeyes on Saturday
“When you look at it, it’s what these guys put into it,” Schumann said. “They embrace the fact that today has to be a physical day. There’s got to be a lot of contact, and that they really set the tone for what a ‘Bloody Tuesday’ is.”
With Georgia embracing “Bloody Tuesday,” Ohio State looks to maintain consistency in bowl preparation. Second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made it known that, while the Buckeyes look to maintain normalcy in practice, that does not mean the Buckeyes will not be physical as they prepare.
“I don’t think we’ve done anything different than we’ve been doing all year,” Harrison said. “Kind of emphasized physicality throughout the whole season, starting in the weight room, and just kind of the practices.”
