This Saturday, No. 4 Georgia travels to Auburn to take on the No. 11 ranked Tigers in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
The Bulldogs are favored to win the game, but it will by no means be an easy task.
With the game being featured on the SEC on CBS, the whole country will be watching as Georgia fights to keep its season alive.
We think the Dawgs have what it takes to return to Athens with a win and clinch a spot in its third straight SEC Championship.
Here’s why:
1. This Georgia defense is too good
The Georgia defense is simply too good this season. We very well may be watching the best defense in Athens in a couple of decades. I mean, no rushing touchdowns allowed through nine games this season…really?
Georgia’s defense should be ready to force multiple turnovers against an Auburn offense that really does not look very good. The Tigers are a run-first offense, ranking 20th in the nation rushing. Here’s the problem with that – passing, Auburn is 90th in the nation.
Georgia’s rushing defense is the best in the country, allowing no touchdowns, only 74 yards a game and 2.7 yards per carry. Its passing defense is no joke either, ranking 17th in America.
If Georgia takes away the run, which I fully expect it will, what’s left? The 90th ranked passing offense vs the 17th ranked passing defense?
2. Too much is on the line for Georgia
I think Kirby Smart is sick of us whining fans who refuse to just be happy with a win. I think Jake Fromm is sick of those of us who still say he is no good. You know James Coley has to be sick of us at this point also. I think in general, the Georgia football players and coaches want us to shut up and just be at peace with the fact that we are winning.
And the best way to keep the peace is by winning. Kirby knows that and he knows what’s on the line. He’s pissed that Georgia did not make it in to the Playoffs last year, and if the Dawgs fail to make it again, it won’t be solely based off of what happened in the regular season. If Georgia goes down again this season, Kirby and Jake will make sure it’s because LSU was simply the better team, not because Auburn outplayed them.
3. The offensive line has hit its groove
Georgia’s offensive line is the biggest and arguably the best in the country. It took some time for them to get going, but once things started to click it was magical.
I think the Florida game was really the outing that they needed. Against the Gators, who came into the game with some of the best pass rushing stats in America, Georgia’s line was dominant, allowing Fromm all day to throw the ball.
Now don’t get me wrong, this Auburn defensive line is maybe the best in America and I’m not saying Georgia will win on every snap. But if the Dawgs can limit Auburn’s most dangerous position group, then things are already looking good for UGA.
There were some injuries last week in the Missouri game, but I would not expect those to be much of a factor.
Isaiah Wilson, Cade Mays and Trey Hill all got banged up, but Wilson returned, Mays appears ok and Hill should be good to go. However, we will still have to wait and see more from Kirby.
4. Lawrence Cager is the difference maker…if he is ok
Other than Jake Fromm, there might not be a player more important to the Georgia offense than wide receiver Lawrence Cager.
Cager, the team’s leading receiver through nine games, has been the difference maker in two big wins vs Notre Dame and Florida.
Last week vs Missouri, Cager re-injured his shoulder, which has been bothering him all season along with a rib injury. When he went down, he had six first half catches for 92 yards.
However, Kirby Smart indicated that Cager is ok and should be good to go this weekend vs Auburn. That’s not certain, though and we will still have wait and see.
If that’s true, I would expect him to be the difference maker again on Saturday.
There’s not a single Auburn defensive back who can handle the height of Cager, who stands 6’5″ – look what LSU’s receivers did to Auburn’s secondary when they met a few weeks ago.
Four different LSU players had seven or more catches against Auburn.
5. Bo Nix is simply not that good
Auburn freshman quarterback Bo Nix just does not have what it takes to put together a big game against this Georgia defense.
We all know that Georgia will stack the box defensively and force Nix to throw it. But will he be able to?
I’m going to go with no.
These are Nix’s stats in games vs ranked opponents this season:
Oregon: 13/31, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Texas A&M: 12/20, 100 yards, 1 touchdown
Florida: 11/27, 145 yard, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
LSU: 15/35, 157 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Knowing that Georgia will go all out to stop the run, how Nix plays on Saturday will make all the difference.
