Max Duggan’s legs could be the difference vs. Georgia
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud isn’t known for his running ability, but he borrowed a page from TCU’s Max Duggan against Georgia last week in the Peach Bowl.
Stroud almost led the Buckeyes to an upset of the No. 1 Bulldogs by relying on his legs more than he ever had in his career. Stroud rushed for a net gain of 71 yards in the 42-41 loss to Georgia with a big chunk of them coming on the final drive that set up an attempt for a game-winning field goal.
How does that relate to TCU and Duggan? We know Duggan’s dual-threat ability is one of the reasons he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and it could be the difference in TCU hanging with Georgia.
“It certainly can be a huge weapon like it has all year,” offensive coordinator Garrett Riley said. “Whether that’s designed runs or him scrambling and improvising on his own. He’s certainly got that element to him and yeah, you saw C.J. rack off some really big plays for them last week in that semifinal.”
Duggan has picked up 461 yards as a runner, but that’s his net total yards after including yards lost from sacks. In terms of net gain, Duggan actually has 683 yards which is good for second on the team behind Kendre Miller.
His legs provide a valuable resource to the TCU offense and Duggan knows he could have a heavy workload with carries against the Bulldogs.
“It can help a lot. I think in so many different aspects of the game,” Duggan said. “Whether it’s when they have to go six-man box and we’re in 10 personnel and we have to go zone reads and we have to have that D-end account for me or whoever is in that running back.”
Discipline is the word TCU kept using when talking about the Georgia defense and that’s been a strength of the Bulldogs during their current run.
It’s rare to see the Bulldogs get out of position or not have their assignments in order. The easiest way to cause havoc against such a fundamentally sound defense is with a quarterback that can extend plays or make plays when his receivers are covered.
“That causes troubles for them having to be disciplined and do their jobs correctly,” Duggan said. “In the throw game, whether it’s stuff that breaks down and I’m able to create stuff with my feet and maybe try to get a first down, whether it’s QB designed runs, there’s just a lot that we can do to create that extra aspect of the game that we need opponents to scout for.”
Georgia is sure to turn on the tape and be aware of how dangerous Duggan can be as a runner. This is also a proud defense that isn’t accustomed to allowing 40 points in any game. Georgia will be motivated to play much better.
“They know what they’re going to do,” Duggan said. “They’re so well-coached. They’re talented. They’re going to have stuff for us, so we have to make sure we execute on our end.”
There will be opportunities as Georgia’s preferred style of coverage is man-to-man. Five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo provides confidence in the Bulldogs’ secondary.
Duggan has also been one of the best deep ball passers in the sport. According to Pro Football Focus, Duggan leads the country in completions of at least 30 yards and has 891 yards on just 19 deep ball completions. That excellence could force George to commit to taking away something and odds are it’ll be those chunk plays in the passing game.
Execution in the run game will be critical especially with the status of Kendre Miller in question. The Horned Frogs may have no choice but to lean on Duggan in the run game more with their star running back potentially compromised by a knee injury.
Miller has confidence that Duggan can pick up any slack if he’s unable to go.
“Georgia will cut on the film and figure out real quick Max can run,” Miller said. “They’re going to have to respect it. We noticed what C.J. did. Max is definitely not going to be scared to run, I feel like they’re going to have to keep an eye on him.”
Or maybe a quarterback spy. Either way the extra attention Georgia will have to pay to Duggan the runner could open up enough opportunities for the rest of the offense.
