Q&A: What should Auburn fans know about Georgia this season? Hear it from a UGA writer
Thirteenth-ranked Auburn welcomes No. 5 Georgia to the Plains Saturday (3:30 p.m. EST, CBS) in a game that features high stakes for both teams. If Georgia wants a playoff berth, it can’t lose, and if Auburn wants to keep its dim hopes of reaching the playoffs, the Tigers must win out.
Joining the L-E today is Brandon Sudge, the Telegraph’s Georgia beat writer. Below, we’ll talk all things Georgia-Auburn and break down some key matchups that could sway the game.
JM: Georgia made the SEC Championship last season and will likely face LSU in Atlanta this year. What were the expectations of this team before the season started?
BS: Georgia’s season has gone as expected, by record at least. Everyone expected the Bulldogs to return to Atlanta for the conference title game — although against Alabama, not LSU — and have a chance to go farther in the College Football Playoff. Of course, nobody expected Georgia to lose at home to six-loss South Carolina or even struggle with most of its division foes. Nevertheless, here Georgia is at the 10th game of its season with all of the postseason implications at Auburn.
JM: What are some areas of concern for the Bulldogs? Which areas could Auburn try to exploit on Saturday night?
BS: Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is worried about Auburn’s defensive line, most notably Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. Georgia recruited Brown ferociously and says the Buford, Ga., product is in a “class of his own.” Georgia might have trouble finding immediate traction in the run game, but that hasn’t changed throughout the season and those bigger plays usually come in the second half.
One area of real concern is the explosive pass plays, for me. I know Auburn quarterback Bo Nix hasn’t been the sharpest, but the Tigers could link up on an explosive play or two. Georgia has rotated at cornerback between Tyson Campbell (who was out for five games with turf toe) and DJ Daniel. At the STAR position, Divaad Wilson and Mark Webb have also been burnt on the deep pass.
JM: I feel like the criticisms of James Coley’s offense skyrocketed after the South Carolina loss. Were they warranted? What’s been the issue with that offense this year?
BS: Oh yes, the boo birds and the “FIRE COLEY” birds were in full force. They were warranted at the time, because Georgia looked vanilla. A sequence of run-run-pass became routine and some play-calling (and execution) raised some eyebrows in late-game situations against South Carolina. Smart dodged questions in the days to follow, and everybody thought Coley was the worst and the age of social media continued to never disappoint.
After a bye week, Georgia opened things up more against Florida. Quarterback Jake Fromm had more freedom and the offense looked more productive. Georgia implemented outside runs and more deep passes, and it’ll have to do so against Auburn if it wants to pull off its first road win vs. an SEC West opponent under Smart.
JM: Grad transfer Lawrence Cager seems to bring a different element to UGA’s passing attack. Why is that and how much do you expect Jake Fromm to target him Saturday?
BS: Cager has brought more to Georgia this season than it could dream of. He leads a young group of pass-catchers and must have some sort of magnetism. He seemingly hauls in everything thrown his way and is a physical presence at 6-foot-5. Think of Javon Wims, the last big-bodied target to be a go-to for Fromm, but Cager has become even more of a staple. If healthy, Cager will be the target who could go over 100 yards and carry the Bulldogs’ offense again. But he suffered a re-injury of a shoulder ailment against Missouri and didn’t return.
JM: I won’t ask for a prediction, but what are your keys to the game for UGA? What must they do to be successful, on both sides of the ball?
This will come down to the line-of-scrimmage. Shocker, right? The same can be said for almost every SEC game, and nearly seems like coachspeak at this point. But with the formidable lines that Georgia and Auburn have, the victor will have to run the ball sufficiently. Defensively, Georgia prides itself on run defense and hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this season — the only team to do so in FBS. The Bulldogs also allow only 74.6 rushing yards per game, which is fourth-best in the country.
For Georgia, another key will be crowd noise. The 2017 edition of this rivalry at Jordan-Hare Stadium featured a raucous environment. It rattled Georgia, and its older players don’t forget that 40-17 beatdown on The Plains. This is yet another do-or-die contest for Georgia, and it will have to quiet the Tigers crowd early in order to win.
